What is the meaning of the various post messages?

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I’m confused about some of the messages that can appear on a post entry/edit screen in the admin area:

$messages['post'] = array(
         0 => '', // Unused. Messages start at index 1.
         1 => __( 'Post updated.' ) . $view_post_link_html,
         2 => __( 'Custom field updated.' ),
         3 => __( 'Custom field deleted.' ),
         4 => __( 'Post updated.' ),
        /* translators: %s: date and time of the revision */
         5 => isset($_GET['revision']) ? sprintf( __( 'Post restored to revision from %s.' ), wp_post_revision_title( (int) $_GET['revision'], false ) ) : false,
         6 => __( 'Post published.' ) . $view_post_link_html,
         7 => __( 'Post saved.' ),
         8 => __( 'Post submitted.' ) . $preview_post_link_html,
         9 => sprintf( __( 'Post scheduled for: %s.' ), '<strong>' . $scheduled_date . '</strong>' ) . $scheduled_post_link_html,
        10 => __( 'Post draft updated.' ) . $preview_post_link_html,
);

For instance, what is the difference between indices 1 and 4? When is one called, versus the other? Also, what is the difference between indices 7, 8, and 10? They sound like they would appear if you’re saving a draft of a post that has not yet been published (which would trigger #6.)

I haven’t been able to find any kind of guide for which message occurs at what time.

Thanks for shedding some light on the subject!

1 Answer
1

Good question! Let’s shed some light at this.

First of all, it’s worth noting that these messages can be overridden via the post_updated_messages filter. Thus, they could be slightly different depending on which plugins you use.

There are different functions responsible for appending &message=<number> to the URL (which determines the message being shown). You might have never seen this query parameter because WordPress removes it on page load (see wp_removable_query_args()). This way, you’ll never see the message again when you simply reload the page.

  1. Used when updating an already published post.
    Function: redirect_post()
  2. Used when you add a new meta value to a post and click on “Add Custom Field”.
    Appears to be only used when JS is disabled.
    Function: redirect_post()
  3. Used when you delete a single meta value by clicking “Delete”.
    Appears to be only used when JS is disabled.
    Function: redirect_post()
  4. This appears to be the fallback message when the origin of the request is unclear.
    The user will be redirected to the edit post screen.
    Function: redirect_post()
  5. Used when restoring a specific post revision.
    File: wp-admin/revision.php
  6. Default message when you publish a new post. Includes the the link to view it.
    Function: redirect_post()
  7. This message doesn’t appear to be used right now.
    I might be wrong, tough. I’ll update this if it turns out it is used.
  8. Default message when you save a post as “Pending Review”.
    Usually the case when you don’t have the capability to publish posts on your own.
    Function: redirect_post()

  9. Default message when you schedule a post for a future date.
    Function: redirect_post()

  10. Default message when you you edit a draft post. Includes the link to preview it.
    Function: redirect_post()

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