The get_categories() WordPress PHP function retrieves a list of category objects based on the given arguments.
Usage
$categories = get_categories($args);
Parameters
- $args (string|array) – Optional. Arguments to retrieve categories. See get_terms() for additional options.
More information
See WordPress Developer Resources: get_categories()
Examples
List Categories and Descriptions
This example lists all categories alphabetically and shows their descriptions and post counts.
$categories = get_categories(array('orderby' => 'name', 'order' => 'ASC'));
foreach ($categories as $category) {
// ... (see full example in the question)
}
Get Both Used and Unused Categories
This example returns categories that are both in use (assigned to posts) and not in use (not assigned to any posts).
$args = array('hide_empty' => false);
$all_categories = get_categories($args);
Get Only Top Level Categories
This example gets the links and names of top-level categories.
$categories = get_categories(array('orderby' => 'name', 'parent' => 0));
foreach ($categories as $category) {
// ... (see full example in the question)
}
Display Specific Category Parent Title with Linked Menu of Subcategories
This example shows a specific category parent title with a linked menu of its subcategories.
// ... (see full example in the question)
Get Categories with Post Count Greater Than 5
This example retrieves categories that have more than 5 posts.
$categories = get_categories();
foreach ($categories as $category) {
if ($category->count > 5) {
// ... (do something with the category)
}
}