get_metadata_raw()

get_metadata_raw() — Retrieves raw metadata value for the specified object.

Inputs: $meta_type (string): Type of object metadata is for. Accepts ‘blog’, ‘post’, ‘comment’, ‘term’, ‘user’, or any other object type with an associated meta table. $object_id (int): ID of the object metadata is for. $meta_key (string): Optional. Metadata key. If not specified, retrieve all metadata for the specified object. Default empty string. $single (bool): Optional. If true, return only the first value of the specified $meta_key. This parameter has no effect if $meta_key is not specified. Default false.

Returns mixed: An array of values if $single is false. The value of the meta field if $single is true. False for an invalid $object_id (non-numeric, zero, or negative value), or if $meta_type is not specified. Null if the value does not exist. Only stored values are returned. Unlike get_metadata(), a default registered with register_meta() is never consulted, so a value is always a string unless it was stored serialized, in which case the array or object retains its original type. When $meta_key is not specified, the values are returned exactly as they are held in the object cache, which means they are still serialized.