WPBeginner

Beginner's Guide for WordPress

  • Blog
    • Beginners Guide
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Showcase
    • Themes
    • Tutorials
    • WordPress Plugins
  • Start Here
    • How to Start a Blog
    • Create a Website
    • Start an Online Store
    • Best Website Builder
    • Email Marketing
    • WordPress Hosting
  • Deals
  • Glossary
  • Videos
  • Products
X
☰
Beginner's Guide for WordPress / Start your WordPress Blog in minutes
Choosing the Best
WordPress Hosting
How to Easily
Install WordPress
Recommended
WordPress Plugins
View all Guides

WPBeginner» Glossary» L» Loop

What is: Loop

47 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

The loop, or WordPress loop or simply loop, is PHP code that displays WordPress posts. The loop is used in WordPress themes to display a list of posts in a web page.

Inside the loop there are some functions that are run by default to display posts. Theme developers can format the output by using template tags to customize how each post inside the loop is displayed. There are several Template tags that work only inside the WordPress loop and can be used to format, arrange, and publish post data. The WordPress loop is arguably one of the most important aspects of the WordPress code and at the core of most queries in one way or another.

Understanding the WordPress Loop – Infographic

We have created an infographic to break down the WordPress Loop for beginners.

Infographic - Understanding the WordPress Loop

An example usage of a simple WordPress loop:

<?php

// checks if there are any posts that match the query
if (have_posts()) :

  // If there are posts matching the query then start the loop
  while ( have_posts() ) : the_post();

    // the code between the while loop will be repeated for each post
    ?>

    <h2 id="post-<?php the_ID(); ?>"><a href="<?php the_permalink() ?>" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to <?php the_title(); ?>"><?php the_title(); ?></a></h2>

    <p class="date-author">Posted: <?php the_date(); ?> by <?php the_author(); ?></p>

    <?php the_content(); ?>

    <p class="postmetadata">Filed in: <?php the_category(); ?> | Tagged: <?php the_tags(); ?> | <a href="<?php comments_link(); ?>" title="Leave a comment">Comments</a></p>

    <?php

    // Stop the loop when all posts are displayed
 endwhile;

// If no posts were found
else :
?>
<p>Sorry no posts matched your criteria.</p>
<?php
endif;
?>

Additional Reading

  • How to Display Any Number of Posts in a WordPress Loop
  • How to Exclude Latest Post from the WordPress Post Loop
  • Theme
  • Template
  • Template Tag
47 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Popular on WPBeginner Right Now!
  • Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress

    How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress

  • How to Start Your Own Podcast (Step by Step)

    How to Start Your Own Podcast (Step by Step)

  • Revealed: Why Building an Email List is so Important Today (6 Reasons)

    Revealed: Why Building an Email List is so Important Today (6 Reasons)

  • Google Analytics in WordPress

    How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress for Beginners

About the Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi. Page maintained by Syed Balkhi.

Over 600,000+ Readers

Get fresh content from WPBeginner

Featured WordPress Plugin
MonsterInsights
MonsterInsights
Google Analytics made easy for WordPress. Learn More »
How to Start a Blog How to Start a Blog
I need help with ...
Starting a
Blog
WordPress
Performance
WordPress
Security
WordPress
SEO
WordPress
Errors
Building an
Online Store
Useful WordPress Guides
    • 7 Best WordPress Backup Plugins Compared (Pros and Cons)
    • How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress
    • Why You Need a CDN for your WordPress Blog? [Infographic]
    • 25 Legit Ways to Make Money Online Blogging with WordPress
    • Self Hosted WordPress.org vs. Free WordPress.com [Infograph]
    • Free Recording: WordPress Workshop for Beginners
    • 24 Must Have WordPress Plugins for Business Websites
    • How to Properly Move Your Blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org
    • 5 Best Contact Form Plugins for WordPress Compared
    • Which is the Best WordPress Popup Plugin? (Comparison)
    • Best WooCommerce Hosting in 2019 (Comparison)
    • How to Fix the Internal Server Error in WordPress
    • How to Install WordPress - Complete WordPress Installation Tutorial
    • Why You Should Start Building an Email List Right Away
    • How to Properly Move WordPress to a New Domain Without Losing SEO
    • How to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting for Your Website
    • How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform (Comparison)
    • WordPress Tutorials - 200+ Step by Step WordPress Tutorials
    • 5 Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins Compared
    • 5 Best WordPress Membership Plugins (Compared)
    • 7 Best Email Marketing Services for Small Business (2019)
    • Which is the Best WordPress Slider? Performance + Quality Compared
    • The Truth About Shared WordPress Web Hosting
    • When Do You Really Need Managed WordPress Hosting?
    • 5 Best Drag and Drop WordPress Page Builders Compared
    • How to Switch from Blogger to WordPress without Losing Google Rankings
    • How to Properly Switch From Wix to WordPress (Step by Step)
    • How to Properly Move from Weebly to WordPress (Step by Step)
    • Do You Really Need a VPS? Best WordPress VPS Hosting Compared
    • How to Properly Move from Squarespace to WordPress
    • 5 Best VPN Services for WordPress Users (Compared)
    • HostGator Review - An Honest Look at Speed & Uptime (2019)
    • SiteGround Reviews from 1032 Users & Our Experts (2019)
    • Bluehost Review from Real Users + Performance Stats (2019)
    • How Much Does It Really Cost to Build a WordPress Website?
    • How to Start a Podcast with WordPress (Step by Step)
    • How to Choose the Best Domain Name (8 Tips and Tools)
    • How to Setup a Professional Email Address with Google Apps and Gmail
    • How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress for Beginners
    • How to Move WordPress to a New Host or Server With No Downtime
    • Why is WordPress Free? What are the Costs? What is the Catch?
    • How to Make a Website in 2019 – Step by Step Guide
Deals & Coupons (view all)
Dreamhost
DreamHost Coupon
Get 40% OFF on DreamHost and get a Free Domain.
Elegant Themes
Elegant Themes Deal
Get all 87 amazingly beautiful WordPress themes by Elegant Themes for only $69. That is like $0.79 per theme!
Featured In
About WPBeginner®

WPBeginner is a free WordPress resource site for Beginners. WPBeginner was founded in July 2009 by Syed Balkhi. The main goal of this site is to provide quality tips, tricks, hacks, and other WordPress resources that allows WordPress beginners to improve their site(s).

Site Links
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • FTC Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Free Blog Setup
Our Sites
  • OptinMonster
  • MonsterInsights
  • WPForms
  • SeedProd
  • Nameboy
  • Awesome Motive

Copyright © 2009 - 2019 WPBeginner LLC. All Rights Reserved. WPBeginner® is a registered trademark.

WordPress hosting by HostGator | WordPress CDN by MaxCDN | WordPress Security by Sucuri.