wp_get_attachment_image_src() - a WordPress Function to Returns Array of Image Data

wp_get_attachment_image_src() is a WordPress Function retrieve an image to represent an attachment. In practical use wp_get_attachment_image_src is very useful for displaying an attached image if you don’t need image meta or the alt attribute.

Table of Contents

1 Source:
2 Usage:
- 2.1 Parameters
3 Example:

Source:

File: wp-includes/media.php

function wp_get_attachment_image_src( $attachment_id, $size = 'thumbnail', $icon = false ) {

// Get a thumbnail or intermediate image if there is one.

$image = image_downsize( $attachment_id, $size );

if ( ! $image ) {

$src = false;

if ( $icon ) {

$src = wp_mime_type_icon( $attachment_id );

if ( $src ) {

/** This filter is documented in wp-includes/post.php */

$icon_dir = apply_filters( 'icon_dir', ABSPATH . WPINC . '/images/media' );

$src_file = $icon_dir . '/' . wp_basename( $src );

list( $width, $height ) = wp_getimagesize( $src_file );

}

if ( $src && $width && $height ) {

$image = array( $src, $width, $height, false );

}

return apply_filters( 'wp_get_attachment_image_src', $image, $attachment_id, $size, $icon );

}

Usage:

1	wp_get_attachment_image_src( $attachment_id = 18 );

Parameters

$attachment_id (int) (Required) Image attachment ID.
$size (string|int[]) (Optional) Image size. Accepts any registered image size name, or an array of width and height values in pixels (in that order). Default value: ‘thumbnail’
$icon (bool) (Optional) Whether the image should fall back to a mime type icon. Default value: false.

By default, wp_get_attachment_image_src return an array of image with 4 values url, width, height, is_intermediateIf there is no image, the function returns false.

Example:

Get URL, width, the height of image with attachment id 18:

$img_attributes = wp_get_attachment_image_src( $attachment_id = 18 );

if ( $img_attributes ) : ?>

<img src="<?php echo $img_attributes[0]; ?>" width="<?php echo $img_attributes[1]; ?>" height="<?php echo $img_attributes[2]; ?>" />

<?php endif; ?>

To get the original size URL of an image in the function wp_get_attachment_image_src use:

1 2	$img_atts = wp_get_attachment_image_src(18, 'full'); // 18 is ID of attachment, NOT post ID <img src="<?php echo $img_atts[0]; ?>"

Size option: If you want to get the URL of an attachment in custom size, you can declare $size according to array(width, height)

The example below used wp_get_attachment_image_src to takes the thumbnail size image and the custom size is 640x400

$thumbnail_url_custom = wp_get_attachment_image_src(get_post_thumbnail_id($post_id), array('640','400'), true ); // Custom size 640x400

$thumbnail_url_thumb = wp_get_attachment_image_src(get_post_thumbnail_id($post_id), 'thumbnail', true ); // Thumbnail size

$thumbnail_url_thumb = $thumbnail_url_thumb[0]; // Somthing like: https://huyhoa.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/how-to-get-post-id-150x150.jpg

$thumbnail_url_custom = $thumbnail_url_custom[0]; // Somthing like: https://huyhoa.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/how-to-get-post-id-640x400.jpg

Please note that if the thumbnail size 640×400 does not exist, wp_get_attachment_image_src will not working and return false.

In some cases, the array $size will not working in wp_get_attachment_image_src function. The reason is that $size does not exist, so you have to add that $size support by use adds image size function in your functions.php file like this.

add_action( 'after_setup_theme', 'huyhoa_theme_setup' );

function huyhoa_theme_setup() {

add_image_size( 'category-thumb', 180 ); // 300 pixels wide (and unlimited height)

add_image_size( 'homepage-thumb', 120, 120, true ); // (cropped to 120px x 120px)

}

Then you can use this code to get the image URL with the defined size

1	wp_get_attachment_image_src( $thumbnail_id, 'category-thumb', '', true );

Another example of getting the attachment URL for the medium-sized image

1	wp_get_attachment_image_src( $thumbnail_id, 'medium')[0];

Alt text: wp_get_attachment_image_src function will not return an image attachment’s Alt text. If you want to get alt text, you should use wp_get_attachment_image() a function instead.

Bonus: In case you want to get an attachment ID from an image URL, please use this function: