WordPress Register Columns

A lightweight library for registering custom columns in WordPress admin tables. This library provides a clean, simple API for adding display-only columns to posts, users, taxonomies, comments, and media without the bloat of inline editing or complex UI components.

Features

• Simple API: Register custom columns with minimal code
• Column Positioning: Position columns before or after existing columns
• Sortable Columns: Support for text and numeric sorting
• Display Callbacks: Full control over column content rendering
• Permission Callbacks: Control column visibility based on user capabilities
• Width Control: Set custom column widths
• Multiple Post Types: Register same columns across multiple post types or taxonomies
• Lightweight: No AJAX, no inline editing, just clean display functionality

Requirements

• PHP 7.4 or higher
• WordPress 5.0 or higher

Installation

Install via Composer:

composer require arraypress/wp-register-columns

Basic Usage

Post Columns

Register custom columns for posts or custom post types:

register_post_columns( 'post', [
    'views' => [
        'label'            => __( 'Views', 'textdomain' ),
        'meta_key'         => 'post_views',
        'sortable'         => true,
        'numeric'          => true,
        'position'         => 'after:title',
        'display_callback' => function( $value, $post_id ) {
            return number_format_i18n( (int) $value );
        },
        'width' => '80px'
    ]
] );

Multiple Post Types

Register the same columns across multiple post types:

register_post_columns( [ 'post', 'page', 'custom_post_type' ], [
    'status' => [
        'label'            => __( 'Status', 'textdomain' ),
        'meta_key'         => 'custom_status',
        'position'         => 'before:date',
        'display_callback' => function( $value, $post_id ) {
            return ucfirst( $value );
        }
    ]
] );

User Columns

Register custom columns for users:

register_user_columns( [
    'points' => [
        'label'            => __( 'Points', 'textdomain' ),
        'meta_key'         => 'user_points',
        'sortable'         => true,
        'numeric'          => true,
        'position'         => 'after:email',
        'display_callback' => function( $value, $user_id ) {
            return number_format_i18n( (int) $value );
        }
    ]
] );

Taxonomy Columns

Register custom columns for taxonomies:

register_taxonomy_columns( [ 'category', 'post_tag' ], [
    'color' => [
        'label'            => __( 'Color', 'textdomain' ),
        'meta_key'         => 'term_color',
        'position'         => 'after:name',
        'display_callback' => function( $value, $term_id ) {
            if ( empty( $value ) ) {
                return '—';
            }
            return sprintf(
                '<span style="display:inline-block;width:20px;height:20px;background:%s;border-radius:50%%;"></span>',
                esc_attr( $value )
            );
        }
    ]
] );

Comment Columns

Register custom columns for comments:

register_comment_columns( [
    'rating' => [
        'label'            => __( 'Rating', 'textdomain' ),
        'meta_key'         => 'comment_rating',
        'sortable'         => true,
        'numeric'          => true,
        'position'         => 'after:author',
        'display_callback' => function( $value, $comment_id ) {
            return str_repeat( '★', (int) $value );
        }
    ]
] );

Media Columns

Register custom columns for media library:

register_media_columns( [
    'dimensions' => [
        'label'            => __( 'Dimensions', 'textdomain' ),
        'position'         => 'after:title',
        'display_callback' => function( $attachment_id ) {
            $meta = wp_get_attachment_metadata( $attachment_id );
            if ( empty( $meta['width'] ) || empty( $meta['height'] ) ) {
                return '—';
            }
            return sprintf( '%d × %d', $meta['width'], $meta['height'] );
        },
        'width' => '100px'
    ]
] );

Column Configuration Options

Each column accepts the following configuration options:

Option	Type	Description
label	string	Column header label
meta_key	string	Meta key to retrieve value from
position	string	Column position (e.g., 'after:title', 'before:date')
sortable	bool	Whether the column is sortable
numeric	bool	Whether to sort numerically
sortby	string	Custom orderby parameter for sorting
display_callback	callable	Function to render column content
permission_callback	callable	Function to check if user can see column
width	string	CSS width value (e.g., '100px', '10%')

Display Callbacks

Display callbacks receive different parameters based on the table type:

With Meta Key

'display_callback' => function( $value, $object_id ) {
    // $value is the meta value
    // $object_id is the post/user/term/comment ID
    return esc_html( $value );
}

Without Meta Key

'display_callback' => function( $object_id ) {
    // $object_id is the post/user/term/comment ID
    // Retrieve any data you need
    return 'Custom output';
}

Advanced Sorting

Sort by Meta Key

'meta_key'  => 'views_count',
'sortable'  => true,
'numeric'   => true

Sort by Custom Field

'sortby'    => 'meta_value_datetime',
'sortable'  => true

Sort by Post Property

'sortby'    => 'comment_count',
'sortable'  => true,
'numeric'   => true

Permission Control

Control column visibility based on user capabilities:

register_post_columns( 'post', [
    'internal_notes' => [
        'label'               => __( 'Internal Notes', 'textdomain' ),
        'meta_key'            => 'internal_notes',
        'position'            => 'after:title',
        'permission_callback' => function() {
            return current_user_can( 'edit_others_posts' );
        }
    ]
] );

Removing Existing Columns

Remove unwanted default columns:

register_post_columns( 'post', [
    'custom_column' => [
        'label'    => __( 'Custom', 'textdomain' ),
        'position' => 'after:title'
    ]
], [ 'tags', 'comments' ] ); // Remove tags and comments columns

Examples

Featured Image Column

register_post_columns( 'post', [
    'thumbnail' => [
        'label'            => '',
        'position'         => 'before:title',
        'display_callback' => function( $post_id ) {
            $thumbnail_id = get_post_thumbnail_id( $post_id );
            if ( ! $thumbnail_id ) {
                return '—';
            }
            return wp_get_attachment_image( $thumbnail_id, [ 50, 50 ] );
        },
        'width' => '60px'
    ]
] );

Word Count Column

register_post_columns( 'post', [
    'word_count' => [
        'label'            => __( 'Words', 'textdomain' ),
        'sortable'         => true,
        'numeric'          => true,
        'position'         => 'after:title',
        'display_callback' => function( $post_id ) {
            $content = get_post_field( 'post_content', $post_id );
            $count   = str_word_count( strip_tags( $content ) );
            return number_format_i18n( $count );
        }
    ]
] );

Last Login Column (Users)

register_user_columns( [
    'last_login' => [
        'label'            => __( 'Last Login', 'textdomain' ),
        'meta_key'         => 'last_login',
        'sortable'         => true,
        'position'         => 'after:role',
        'display_callback' => function( $value, $user_id ) {
            if ( empty( $value ) ) {
                return '—';
            }
            return human_time_diff( (int) $value ) . ' ago';
        }
    ]
] );

Best Practices

1. Use Permission Callbacks: Always check capabilities when displaying sensitive data
2. Escape Output: Use appropriate escaping functions in display callbacks
3. Handle Empty Values: Always check for empty values in display callbacks
4. Use Width Sparingly: Only set width when necessary
5. Performance: For expensive operations in display callbacks, consider caching

Comparison with Original Library

This library is a complete rewrite focused on simplicity:

Removed:

• ❌ AJAX inline editing
• ❌ Metadata update/delete callbacks
• ❌ Sanitize callbacks
• ❌ Factory pattern complexity
• ❌ Built-in display helpers

Kept:

• ✅ Clean column registration
• ✅ Positioning system
• ✅ Sortable columns
• ✅ Display callbacks
• ✅ Permission callbacks
• ✅ Width control

Result: ~80% less code with clearer, more maintainable architecture.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

GPL-2.0-or-later

Author

David Sherlock - ArrayPress

Support

• Documentation
• Issue Tracker