2. Getting Started

Installation

Until the Abilities API is merged into WordPress core, it must be installed before it can be used.

As a plugin

The easiest way to try and use the Abilities API is to install it as a plugin by downloading the latest release from the GitHub Releases page.

With WP-CLI

wp plugin install https://github.com/WordPress/abilities-api/releases/latest/download/abilities-api.zip

With WP-Env

// .wp-env.json
{
  "$schema": "https://schemas.wp.org/trunk/wp-env.json",
  // ... other config ...
  "plugins": [
    "WordPress/abilities-api"
    // ... other plugins ...
  ]
  // ... more config ...
}

As a dependency

Plugin authors and developers may wish to rely on the Abilities API as a dependency in their own projects, before it is merged into core. You can do that in one of the following ways.

As a Plugin Dependency (Recommended)

The best way to ensure the Abilities API is available for your plugins is to include it as one of your Requires Plugins in your Plugin header. For example:

# my-plugin.php
/*
 *
 * Plugin Name:       My Plugin
 * Plugin URI:        https://example.com/plugins/the-basics/
 * Description:       Handle the basics with this plugin.
 * {all the other plugin header fields...}
+ * Requires Plugins:  abilities-api
 */

While this is enough to ensure the Abilities API is loaded before your plugin, if you need to ensure specific version requirements or provide users guidance on installing the plugin, you can use the methods described later on

As a Composer dependency

composer require wordpress/abilities-api

Checking availability with code

To ensure the Abilities API is loaded in your plugin:

if ( ! class_exists( 'WP_Ability' ) ) {
  // E.g. add an admin notice about the missing dependency.
  add_action( 'admin_notices', static function() {
    wp_admin_notice(
      // If it's a Composer dependency, you might want to suggest running `composer install` instead.
      esc_html__( 'This plugin requires the Abilities API to use. Please install and activate it.', 'my-plugin' ),
      'error'
    );
  } );
  return;
}

You can also check for specific versions of the Abilities API using the WP_ABILITIES_API_VERSION constant:

if ( ! defined( 'WP_ABILITIES_API_VERSION' ) || version_compare( WP_ABILITIES_API_VERSION, '0.1.0', '<' ) ) {
  // E.g. add an admin notice about the required version.
  add_action( 'admin_notices', static function() {
    wp_admin_notice(
      esc_html__( 'This plugin requires Abilities API version 0.1.0 or higher. Please update the plugin dependency.', 'my-plugin' ),
      'error'
    );
  } );
  return;
}

Basic Usage Example

The below example is for a plugin implementation, but it could also be adapted for a theme's functions.php

<?php

// 1. Define a callback function for your ability.
function my_plugin_get_site_title( array $input = array() ): string {
    return get_bloginfo( 'name' );
}

// 2. Register the ability when the Abilities API is initialized.
// Using `abilities_api_init` ensures the API is fully loaded.
add_action( 'abilities_api_init', 'my_plugin_register_abilities' );

function my_plugin_register_abilities() {
    wp_register_ability( 'my-plugin/get-site-title', array(
        'label'               => __( 'Get Site Title', 'my-plugin' ),
        'description'         => __( 'Retrieves the title of the current WordPress site.', 'my-plugin' ),
        'input_schema'        => array(
            'type'                 => 'object',
            'properties'           => array(),
            'additionalProperties' => false,
        ),
        'output_schema'       => array(
            'type'        => 'string',
            'description' => 'The site title.',
        ),
        'execute_callback'    => 'my_plugin_get_site_title',
        'permission_callback' => '__return_true', // Everyone can access this
        'meta'                => array(
            'category'    => 'site-info',
            'show_in_rest' => true, // Optional: expose via REST API
    ) );
}

// 3. Later, you can retrieve and execute the ability.
add_action( 'admin_init', 'my_plugin_use_ability' );

function my_plugin_use_ability() {
    $ability = wp_get_ability( 'my-plugin/get-site-title' );
    if ( ! $ability ) {
        // Ability not found.
        return;
    }

    $site_title = $ability->execute();
    if ( is_wp_error( $site_title ) ) {
        // Handle execution error
        error_log( 'Execution error: ' . $site_title->get_error_message() );
        return;
    }

    // `$site_title` now holds the result of `get_bloginfo( 'name' )`.
    echo 'Site Title: ' . esc_html( $site_title );
}

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