Pagination with custom queries in Wordpress - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ component_behavior

intermediate

What is the output of this WordPress custom query pagination code?

Consider this WordPress loop with a custom query and pagination. What will be the output on the second page?

Wordpress

<?php
$paged = (get_query_var('paged')) ? get_query_var('paged') : 1;
$args = [
  'post_type' => 'post',
  'posts_per_page' => 3,
  'paged' => $paged
];
$query = new WP_Query($args);
if ($query->have_posts()) :
  while ($query->have_posts()) : $query->the_post();
    the_title('<h2>', '</h2>');
  endwhile;
  echo paginate_links(['total' => $query->max_num_pages, 'current' => $paged]);
endif;
wp_reset_postdata();
?>

A Throws a fatal error because 'paginate_links' requires a query argument

B Displays posts 1 to 3 again because 'paged' is ignored, with pagination links

C Shows no posts because 'paged' is not set correctly, but pagination links appear

D Displays posts 4 to 6 with their titles and pagination links for total pages

💡 Hint

Check how the 'paged' parameter controls which posts appear on each page.

The 'paged' variable is set from the query var and passed to WP_Query. This makes the query fetch posts for the current page. So on page 2, posts 4 to 6 show. Pagination links are generated using the total pages from the query.

📝 Syntax

intermediate

Which option correctly sets up pagination for a custom WP_Query?

Choose the correct way to pass the current page number to a custom WP_Query for pagination.

A

$paged = get_query_var('page') ?: 1;
$args = ['paged' => $paged];

B

$paged = $_GET['page'] ?? 1;
$args = ['paged' => $paged];

C

$paged = get_query_var('paged') ?: 1;
$args = ['paged' => $paged];

D

$paged = get_query_var('paged') ?: 0;
$args = ['paged' => $paged];

💡 Hint

WordPress uses 'paged' query var for pagination, not 'page'.

The correct query var for pagination is 'paged'. Using get_query_var('paged') returns the current page number or empty if none. Using the null coalescing operator ?: sets it to 1 if empty. This is the standard way to get the current page for pagination.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Why does this custom query pagination always show the first page posts?

Look at this code snippet. Why does pagination not work and always show the first page posts?

Wordpress

<?php
$args = [
  'post_type' => 'post',
  'posts_per_page' => 5
];
$query = new WP_Query($args);
if ($query->have_posts()) :
  while ($query->have_posts()) : $query->the_post();
    the_title('<h3>', '</h3>');
  endwhile;
  echo paginate_links(['total' => $query->max_num_pages]);
endif;
wp_reset_postdata();
?>

A The 'paged' parameter is missing from the query args, so it always fetches page 1

B The 'posts_per_page' is too high, causing pagination to fail

C The 'paginate_links' function is called without 'current' parameter, causing wrong page

D The loop is missing wp_reset_postdata(), causing pagination to reset

💡 Hint

Check if the query knows which page to fetch.

Without the 'paged' argument, WP_Query always fetches the first page of posts. Pagination links may appear but clicking them won't change the posts shown because the query ignores the page number.

❓ state_output

advanced

What is the value of $query->max_num_pages after this custom query runs?

Assuming there are 12 published posts, what is the value of $query->max_num_pages after this query?

Wordpress

<?php
$args = [
  'post_type' => 'post',
  'posts_per_page' => 5,
  'paged' => 1
];
$query = new WP_Query($args);
// What is $query->max_num_pages?
?>

A 3

B 2

C 5

D 12

💡 Hint

Divide total posts by posts per page and round up.

There are 12 posts and 5 posts per page. 12 divided by 5 is 2.4, rounded up to 3 pages total. So max_num_pages is 3.

🧠 Conceptual

expert

Which option correctly explains why 'paged' must be passed to WP_Query for pagination?

Why is it necessary to pass the 'paged' parameter to a custom WP_Query when implementing pagination?

A 'paged' is only needed for default queries, not custom WP_Query instances

B 'paged' tells WP_Query which page of results to fetch; without it, the query always returns the first page

C 'paged' controls the number of posts per page; without it, no posts are returned

D 'paged' enables WordPress to cache query results for faster pagination

💡 Hint

Think about how WordPress knows which posts to show on page 2, 3, etc.

The 'paged' parameter tells WP_Query which page of posts to retrieve. If omitted, WP_Query defaults to page 1, so pagination links won't change the posts shown. This is essential for custom queries to support pagination.