Define variables inside while loop?

PHP
1

I am working with the code below. I need to make a “related posts” section. I can’t figure out how to declare a variable inside a while loop.

Basically, I need to check if the post has a thumbnail, if not I need to set it to a default thumbnail instead (I made a function for this of post_default_thumb(); )

I tried setting the variable like I would in a foreach loop, but it just dumps the variable no matter what.

I tried:

        <?php $post_thumbnail_img = the_post_thumbnail();
			if ($post_thumbnail_img){
			$related_thumb = $post_thumbnail_img; }
			else {
            $related_thumb = post_default_img();
            }
        	var_dump ();
        	?>
        

<?php
//for use in the loop, list 3 post titles related to first tag on current post
$tags = wp_get_post_tags($post->ID);
if ($tags) {
echo '<h5> Related Posts </h5>';
$first_tag = $tags[0]->term_id;
$args=array(
'tag__in' => array($first_tag),
'post__not_in' => array($post->ID),
'posts_per_page'=>3,
'caller_get_posts'=>1
);
$my_query = new WP_Query($args);
if( $my_query->have_posts() ) {
while ($my_query->have_posts()) : $my_query->the_post(); ?>

        
<a href="<?php the_permalink() ?>" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to <?php the_title_attribute(); ?>"> 
<?php the_post_thumbnail(); ?>
        </a>
<a href="<?php the_permalink() ?>" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to <?php the_title_attribute(); ?>"> 
<?php the_title(); ?></a>
 
<?php
endwhile;
}
wp_reset_query();
}
?>
2

Same way you declare any other variable. A while loop is not a new scope of reference in PHP. Variables declared inside the loop are part of the scope that contains the loop.

var_dump needs a context for it to dump. You would var_dump($related_thumb);.

3

I have something screwed up, because the code below dumps out a single iteration like I would expect ( a related post), but before that, it’s dumping out the $post_thumbnail_img AND post_default_img() (with no other post data such as the title.

<?php
//for use in the loop, list 3 post titles related to first tag on current post
$tags = wp_get_post_tags($post->ID);
if ($tags) {
echo '<h5> Related Posts </h5>';
$first_tag = $tags[0]->term_id;
$args=array(
'tag__in' => array($first_tag),
'post__not_in' => array($post->ID),
'posts_per_page'=>3,
'caller_get_posts'=>1
);
$my_query = new WP_Query($args);
if( $my_query->have_posts() ) {
while ($my_query->have_posts()) : $my_query->the_post(); ?>
        
              <?php $post_thumbnail_img = the_post_thumbnail();
			if ($post_thumbnail_img){
			$related_thumb = $post_thumbnail_img; }
			else {
            $related_thumb = post_default_img();
            }
        	var_dump ($related_thumb);
        	?>

        
<a href="<?php the_permalink() ?>" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to <?php the_title_attribute(); ?>"> 
<?php the_post_thumbnail(); ?>
        </a>
<a href="<?php the_permalink() ?>" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to <?php the_title_attribute(); ?>"> 
<?php the_title(); ?></a>
 
<?php
endwhile;
}
wp_reset_query();
}
?>
4

If I’m following this right, you first dump the $related_thumb, which will either be the thumb or a default image, then here:-

…You call the the_post_thumbnail() function regardless of its outcome.

I don’t know the content of this function, but could not the logic which determines whether to use the default image or not be built into it?

5

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