Auto-Generate Post Title from ACF Fields

Automatically set the post title and slug from ACF field values on save, removing the need for editors to type a title.

php hooks
|

Automatically set the post title and slug from ACF field values on save, removing the need for editors to type a title.

Use acf/save_post to generate a title from field values after they’re saved:

<?php
add_action( 'acf/save_post', function ( $post_id ) {
    if ( get_post_type( $post_id ) !== 'staff' ) {
        return;
    }

    $first_name = get_field( 'first_name', $post_id );
    $last_name  = get_field( 'last_name', $post_id );

    if ( ! $first_name || ! $last_name ) {
        return;
    }

    $title = $first_name . ' ' . $last_name;

    // Remove this action to prevent infinite loop.
    remove_action( 'acf/save_post', __FUNCTION__, 20 );

    wp_update_post( [
        'ID'         => $post_id,
        'post_title' => $title,
        'post_name'  => sanitize_title( $title ),
    ] );

    add_action( 'acf/save_post', __FUNCTION__, 20 );
}, 20 );

A more complex example — generate a title with a date:

<?php
add_action( 'acf/save_post', function ( $post_id ) {
    if ( get_post_type( $post_id ) !== 'event' ) {
        return;
    }

    $name = get_field( 'event_name', $post_id );
    $date = get_field( 'event_date', $post_id );

    if ( ! $name ) {
        return;
    }

    $title = $name;
    if ( $date ) {
        $title .= ' — ' . date( 'j M Y', strtotime( $date ) );
    }

    remove_action( 'acf/save_post', __FUNCTION__, 20 );

    wp_update_post( [
        'ID'         => $post_id,
        'post_title' => $title,
        'post_name'  => sanitize_title( $title ),
    ] );

    add_action( 'acf/save_post', __FUNCTION__, 20 );
}, 20 );

Tip: Hide the default title field in the editor by setting “Supports > Title” to false in your custom post type registration, since editors won’t need to enter it manually.

Related Snippets

php hooks

Add Custom Validation to an ACF Field

Use the acf/validate_value filter to add custom server-side validation with error messages.

add_filter( 'acf/validate_value/name=description', function ( $valid, $value, $field, $input_name ) {
    if ( $valid !== true ) {
        return $valid;
    }
php hooks

Dynamically Populate an ACF Select Field's Choices

Use the acf/load_field filter to populate a select, checkbox, or radio field with dynamic options.

add_filter( 'acf/load_field/name=related_service', function ( $field ) {
    $field['choices'] = [];

    $posts = get_posts( [
php hooks

Get All Fields from a Field Group Programmatically

Use acf_get_fields() to retrieve all field definitions from a specific field group for dynamic forms, exports, or documentation.

$fields = acf_get_fields( 'group_event_details' );

if ( $fields ) {
    foreach ( $fields as $field ) {
php hooks

Programmatically Update ACF Fields

Use update_field() and update_sub_field() to set ACF field values from code, with the correct value formats for each field type.

$post_id = 123;

// Text, textarea, number, email, URL.
update_field( 'company_name', 'Acme Corp', $post_id );

Stay Updated

Get ACF tips and new extensions in your inbox

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.