How do I get WordPress' REST API to include user metadata? - wordpress

Question

I've set up a WordPress site and added a couple of users. When I look directly in the wp_usermeta table in the database, there are several records there, so the users do also have some metadata.
According to the documentation, meta should be included when requesting users, but when I request /wp-json/wp/v2/users all the meta fields are an empty array.
What am I missing? How can I get metadata about users through the REST API?

Answer 1

I managed to find an even easier way to accomplish this, based on this part of the docs.
Not sure where it's best practice to put this code. Since I already have an API-related plugin, I just added the code there.
// legend: <type>, <meta_key>, <config>
register_meta('user', 'nickname', array(
"type" => "string",
"show_in_rest" => true // this is the key part
));
Now I just have to figure out which specific keys I need :)

Answer 2

This is not mine, founded at:
https://wordpress.stackexchange.com/questions/270154/getting-user-meta-data-from-wp-rest-api
Wrote here for future reference into StackOverflow:
Look into register_rest_field() to register meta with the rest api.
add_action( 'rest_api_init', 'adding_user_meta_rest' );
function adding_user_meta_rest() {
register_rest_field( 'user',
'collapsed_widgets',
array(
'get_callback' => 'user_meta_callback',
'update_callback' => null,
'schema' => null,
)
);
}
And then put your get_user_meta bit in the callback.
function user_meta_callback( $user, $field_name, $request) {
return get_user_meta( $user[ 'id' ], $field_name, true );
}
The WP_REST_Meta_Fields class may provide more useful insight as well.
Update: on registering custom routes
A quick and dirty partial example. Cobbled out of some stuff sitting in front of me, but it is not a working example.
May help as you read through docs. Follow the connection between the first register_rest_route, it's GET method's callback, my_get_callback, below, and the callback method's use of the WP_Rest_Request class. It should help to draw a connection of the steps. The docs I mentioned in the comments will get into other args, params, etc., and of course the permissions_callback stuff.
Hope it helps.
class My_Extend_Rest extends WP_REST_Controller {
public function __construct() {
add_action( 'rest_api_init', array( $this, 'register_routes' ) );
}//end __construct
public function register_routes() {
$version = '1';
$namespace = 'my-fancy-namespace/v' . $version;
$base = 'my-route-base';
// so, site.com/wp-json/my-fancy-namespace/v2/my-route-base/
register_rest_route( $namespace, '/'. $base, array(
array(
'methods' => 'GET',
'callback' => array( $this, 'my_get_callback' ),
'permission_callback' => array( $this, 'key_permissions_check' ),
),
array(
'methods' => 'POST',
'callback' => array( $this, 'my_post_callback' ),
'permission_callback' => array( $this, 'key_permissions_check' ),
),)
);
$base2 = 'my-second-base';
// so, site.com/wp-json/my-fancy-namespace/v2/my-second-base/
register_rest_route( $namespace, '/'. $base2, array(
array(
'methods' => 'GET',
'callback' => array( $this, 'my_get_callback_two' ),
'permission_callback' => array( $this, 'key_permissions_check' ),
),
array(
'methods' => 'POST',
'callback' => array( $this, 'my_post_callback_two' ),
'permission_callback' => array( $this, 'key_permissions_check' ),
),)
);
}//register_routes
public function key_permissions_check() {
//do permissions check stuff
}
public function my_get_callback( WP_REST_Request $request ) {
//do stuff with $request
//see the methods mentioned in the comment
}//end
}//end class