php-wordpressHow to make an AJAX request in WordPress using PHP?

Making an AJAX request in WordPress using PHP is relatively easy. The following example code block shows how to make an AJAX request in WordPress using PHP:

add_action( 'wp_ajax_my_action', 'my_action_callback' );

function my_action_callback() {
    global $wpdb; // this is how you get access to the database

    $whatever = intval( $_POST['whatever'] );

    $whatever += 10;

        echo $whatever;

    wp_die(); // this is required to terminate immediately and return a proper response
}

The output of the example code is:

10

Code explanation

1. add_action( 'wp_ajax_my_action', 'my_action_callback' ); - This line adds an action hook to WordPress which will trigger the my_action_callback function when the AJAX request is made.

2. function my_action_callback() { - This line defines the my_action_callback function which will be triggered when the AJAX request is made.

3. global $wpdb; - This line allows access to the WordPress database.

4. $whatever = intval( $_POST['whatever'] ); - This line retrieves the value of the whatever parameter from the AJAX request.

5. $whatever += 10; - This line adds 10 to the value of the whatever parameter.

6. echo $whatever; - This line prints the value of the whatever parameter.

7. wp_die(); - This line is required to terminate the AJAX request and return a proper response.

Helpful links

• WordPress AJAX Tutorial
• AJAX in Plugins

Edit this code on GitHub