Working with Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) | Gato GraphQL for WordPress

Using the meta fields, coupled with features provided by the PRO extensions, we can retrieve and mutate custom fields from the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin.

Here are queries demonstrating how to fetch and mutate custom fields, for all the field types supported by ACF:

Querying basic field types

The basic field types from ACF can be queried directly, using field metaValue:

query GetPost {
  post(by: { id: 1 }) {
    text: metaValue(key: "text_field")
    textarea: metaValue(key: "textarea_field")
    number: metaValue(key: "number_field")
    range: metaValue(key: "range_field")
    email: metaValue(key: "email_field")
    url: metaValue(key: "url_field")
    password: metaValue(key: "password_field")
  }
}

Querying content field types

If the custom field is a relationship (eg: an image or a file), we can export the ID(s) from the meta fields, and immediately after query those entities (of type Media) on a subsequent query.

Otherwise, it's a simple field type, and we can query it directly using metaValue:

query GetPostDataAndExportRelationships {
  post(by: { id: 1 }) {
    # Image field type
    imageId: metaValue(key: "image_field")
      @export(as: "imageId")
 
    # File field type
    fileId: metaValue(key: "file_field")
      @export(as: "fileId")
 
    # WYSIWYG editor field type
    wysiwyg_editor: metaValue(key: "wysiwyg_editor_field")
 
    # Oembed field type
    oembed: metaValue(key: "oembed_field")    
  }
}
 
query QueryPostRelationships
  @depends(on: "GetPostDataAndExportRelationships")
{  
  # Query the image
  relationshipImage: mediaItem(by: { id: $imageId }) {
    id
    src
  }
 
  # Query the file
  relationshipFile: mediaItem(by: { id: $fileId }) {
    id
    src
  }
}

Querying choice field types

Choice field types can be queried as a simple field type, using metaValue.

ACF stores arrays of values in a single entry, encoded as a JSON string, and as such we must use field metaValue (instead of metaValues) to retrieve the array.

For boolean values, we use field _equals to cast it from String to Boolean:

query GetPost {
  post(by: { id: 1 }) {
    # Select field type - Whether a single or multiple values, we always use `metaValue`
    select: metaValue(key: "select_field")
    multiSelect: metaValue(key: "multi_select_field")
 
    # Checkbox field type
    checkbox: metaValue(key: "checkbox_field")
 
    # Radio button field type
    radioButton: metaValue(key: "radio_button_field")
 
    # Button group field type
    buttonGroup: metaValue(key: "button_group_field")
 
    # True/False field type
    trueFalseAsString: metaValue(key: "true_false_field")
    trueFalse: _equals(value1: $__trueFalseAsString, value2: "1")
  }
}

Querying relational field types

If the custom field is a relationship (eg: a post, a user, a taxonomy, etc), we can export the IDs from the meta fields, and immediately after query those entities (of type Post, User, Taxonomy, etc) on a subsequent query.

Otherwise, it's a simple field type, and we can query it directly using metaValue:

query GetPostDataAndExportRelationships {
  post(by: { id: 1 }) {
    link: metaValue(key: "link_field")
    
    # Post Object field type
    post_object: metaValue(key: "post_object_field")
      @export(as: "post_object_id")
 
    # Multiple Post Object field type
    post_objects: metaValue(key: "post_objects_field")
      @export(as: "post_object_ids")
    
    # Page Link field type
    page_link: metaValue(key: "page_link_field")
      @export(as: "page_link_id")
 
    # Multiple Page Link field type
    page_links: metaValue(key: "page_links_field")
      @export(as: "page_link_ids")
    
    # Relationship field type
    relationships: metaValue(key: "relationship_field")
      @export(as: "relationship_ids")
    
    # Taxonomy field type
    categoryTaxonomy: metaValue(key: "category_taxonomy_field")
      @export(as: "category_taxonomy_ids")
 
    tagTaxonomy: metaValue(key: "tag_taxonomy_field")
      @export(as: "tag_taxonomy_ids")
 
    # User field type
    user: metaValue(key: "user_field")
      @export(as: "user_id")
 
    # Multiple User field type
    users: metaValue(key: "users_field")
      @export(as: "user_ids")
  }
}
 
query QueryPostRelationships
  @depends(on: "GetPostDataAndExportRelationships")
{  
  # Query the post
  postObject: customPost(by: { id: $post_object_id }, status: any) {
    id
    title
  }
 
  # Query the list of posts
  postObjects: customPosts(filter: { ids: $post_object_ids, status: any }, pagination: { limit: -1 }) {
    id
    title
  }
   
  # Query the page
  pageLink: page(by: { id: $page_link_id }, status: any) {
    id
    title
  }
 
  # Query the list of pages
  pageLinks: pages(filter: { ids: $page_link_ids, status: any }, pagination: { limit: -1 }) {
    id
    title
  }
 
  # Query the relationship post
  relationships: customPosts(filter: { ids: $relationship_ids, status: any }, pagination: { limit: -1 }) {
    id
    title
  }
 
  # Query the list of categories
  categoryTaxonomy: categories(filter: { ids: $category_taxonomy_ids }, taxonomy: "category") {
    id
    name
  }
 
  # Query the list of tags
  tagTaxonomy: tags(filter: { ids: $tag_taxonomy_ids }, taxonomy: "post_tag") {
    id
    name
  }
 
  # Query the user
  user: user(by: { id: $user_id }) {
    id
    name
  }
 
  # Query the list of users
  users: users(filter: { ids: $user_ids }, pagination: { limit: -1 }) {
    id
    name
  }
}

Querying date field types

As a date is stored as a string with format "YMD" (eg: "20240320"), we must parse it into a timestamp and then inject it into the _date function.

query GetPost {
  post(by: { id: 1 }) {
    # Date Picker field
    dateAsString: metaValue(key: "date_picker_field")
    dateYear: _strSubstr(string: $__dateAsString, offset: 0, length: 4)
    dateMonth: _strSubstr(string: $__dateAsString, offset: 4, length: 2)
    dateDay: _strSubstr(string: $__dateAsString, offset: 6, length: 2)
    dateAsTimestamp: _makeTime(year: $__dateYear, month: $__dateMonth, day: $__dateDay, hour: 0, minute: 0, second: 0)
    date: _date(format: "Y-m-d", timestamp: $__dateAsTimestamp)
 
    # Date Time Picker field
    dateTime: metaValue(key: "date_time_picker_field")
 
    # Time Picker field
    timeAsString: metaValue(key: "time_picker_field")
    timeHours: _strSubstr(string: $__timeAsString, offset: 0, length: 2)
    timeMinutes: _strSubstr(string: $__timeAsString, offset: 3, length: 2)
    timeSeconds: _strSubstr(string: $__timeAsString, offset: 6, length: 2)
 
    googleMap: metaValue(key: "google_map_field")
    colorPicker: metaValue(key: "color_picker_field")
  }
}

Mutating and field type

We use meta fields to also mutate ACF custom fields data (adding, updating, and deleting entries).

This query updates multiple ACF custom fields by passing a single JSON object to the updatePost mutation.

Notice that the JSON contains arrays of values, even when the item is a single value.

mutation UpdatePost($postId: ID!) {
  updatePost(
    input: {
      id: $postId
      meta: {
        text_field: ["New text value"],
        textarea_field: ["New textarea value"],
        select_field: ["New select value"],
        multi_select_field: ["Choice 1", "Choice 2"],
        number_field: [42],
        date_picker_field: ["20240320"],
      }
    }
  ) {
    status
    errors {
      __typename
      ...on ErrorPayload {
        message
      }
    }
    post {
      id
      text: metaValue(key: "text_field")
      textarea: metaValue(key: "textarea_field")
      select: metaValue(key: "select_field")
      multiSelect: metaValues(key: "multi_select_field")
      number: metaValue(key: "number_field")
      date: metaValue(key: "date_picker_field")
    }
  }
}

This query updates ACF custom fields in bulk, by using the updateCustomPostMeta mutation:

mutation UpdatePost($postId: ID!) {
  updateCustomPostMetas(inputs: [
    { id: $postId, key: "text_field", value: "New text value" },
    { id: $postId, key: "textarea_field", value: "New textarea value" },
    { id: $postId, key: "select_field", value: "New select value" },
    { id: $postId, key: "multi_select_field", value: ["Choice 1", "Choice 2"] },
    { id: $postId, key: "number_field", value: 42 },
    { id: $postId, key: "date_picker_field", value: "20240320" },
  ]) {
    status
    errors {
      __typename
      ...on ErrorPayload {
        message
      }
    }
    customPost {
      __typename
      id
      text: metaValue(key: "text_field")
      textarea: metaValue(key: "textarea_field")
      select: metaValue(key: "select_field")
      multiSelect: metaValues(key: "multi_select_field")
      number: metaValue(key: "number_field")
      date: metaValue(key: "date_picker_field")
    }
  }
}

​Querying basic field types

​Querying content field types

​Querying choice field types

​Querying relational field types

​Querying date field types