Using WordPress ‘check_and_publish_future_post()’ PHP function

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The check_and_publish_future_post() WordPress PHP function is invoked by the cron ‘publish_future_post’ event. Its main role is to publish future posts while ensuring that the post ID indeed corresponds to a future post status. This function is a safeguard against cron accidentally publishing drafts or other types of content that aren’t meant to be published.

Usage

Here’s a typical usage of the check_and_publish_future_post() function:

check_and_publish_future_post( $post_id );

In this example, $post_id is the ID of the post you want to publish.

Parameters

  • $post (int|WP_Post – Required): This parameter can be either the Post ID or the post object itself.

More information

See WordPress Developer Resources: check_and_publish_future_post()

This function was implemented as a way to avoid inadvertent publishing of drafts by cron. It is currently active and not deprecated.

Examples

Publishing a Scheduled Post

This example publishes a post that was scheduled for future publishing.

// Assume we have a post with ID 45 that was scheduled for publishing
$post_id = 45;
check_and_publish_future_post($post_id);

Checking Post Status Before Publishing

This code checks if the post is scheduled before publishing.

$post_id = 45;
if ( get_post_status ( $post_id ) == 'future' ) {
   check_and_publish_future_post($post_id);
}

Publishing a Post using a WP_Post Object

This code publishes a post using the WP_Post object.

$post_object = get_post(45);
check_and_publish_future_post($post_object);

Implementing a Custom Publishing System

This code shows how to implement a custom publishing system where posts get published at specific times.

$posts_to_publish = get_posts( array(
   'post_status' => 'future',
   'numberposts' => -1
));

foreach ( $posts_to_publish as $post ) {
   check_and_publish_future_post($post->ID);
}

Integrating with a Custom Cron Job

This code shows how to use the function with a custom cron job.

add_action('my_custom_cron_job', 'publish_scheduled_posts');

function publish_scheduled_posts() {
   $posts_to_publish = get_posts( array(
      'post_status' => 'future',
      'numberposts' => -1
   ));

   foreach ( $posts_to_publish as $post ) {
      check_and_publish_future_post($post->ID);
   }
}

In this example, ‘my_custom_cron_job’ is a custom cron job that runs at a specified interval. When it runs, it gets all the posts with ‘future’ status and publishes them using the check_and_publish_future_post() function.