advanced custom fields can't do nested loops repeater inside repeater have_rows() not doing anything

Question

I have a repeater inside a repeater and I need to loop what is in it.

I'm following this: https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/resources/have_rows/

This is my field structure:

agenda_section_events (parent/repeater)
    agenda_event_time_pacific (text)
    agenda_event_time_eastern (text)
    agenda_event_title (text)
    agenda_event_speakers (repeater)
        agenda_event_speaker_headashot (image array)
        agenda_event_speaker_name (text)
        agenda_event_speaker_title (text)
        agenda_event_speaker_content (wysiwyg editor)

So with that in mind, as I understand it, I need to loop over agenda_section_events and inside that I need to get rows https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/resources/have_rows/

So that code looks like this:

<div class="tc__agenda-items">
  <?php foreach($agendaSectionEvents as $agendaSectionEvent): ?>
    <div class="tc__agenda-item">
      <div class="tc__agenda-time">
        <div class="tc__agenda-time--pacific">
          <?php echo $agendaSectionEvent['agenda_event_time_pacific'] ?>
        </div>
        <div class="tc__agenda-time--eastern">
          <?php echo $agendaSectionEvent['agenda_event_time_eastern'] ?>
        </div>
      </div>
      <h3><?php echo $agendaSectionEvent['agenda_event_title'] ?></h3>
      <div class="tc__agenda-speaker-list">
        <!-- DEBUG LINE - BUT ITS EMPTY -->
        <div style="color: red;"><?php echo have_rows('agenda_event_speakers') ?></div>
        <?php if(have_rows('agenda_event_speakers')): ?>
          <div class="tc__agenda-speaker">
            <?php while(have_rows('agenda_event_speakers')): ?>
              <div class="tc__agenda-speaker-headshot">
                <img src="<?php the_sub_field('agenda_event_speaker_headashot')['url'] ?>" alt="<?php the_sub_field('agenda_event_speaker_headashot')['alt'] ?>">
              </div>
              <div class="tc__agenda-speaker-info">
                <h4><?php the_sub_field('agenda_event_speaker_name') ?></h4>
                <p><?php the_sub_field('agenda_event_speaker_title') ?></p>
              </div>
            <?php endwhile ?>
          </div>
        <?php endif ?>
      </div>
      <a href="#">Learn More</a>
    </div>
  <?php endforeach ?>
</div>

I'm really confused because all my field names are right, and the fields inside the second loop are sub fields but nothing is showing.

Why would that be?

I then thought its because I did a have rows inside a for each so then I tried doing a while inside a while like the acf docs

  <div class="tc__agenda-items">
    <?php while(have_rows('agenda_section_events')): ?>
      <div class="tc__agenda-item">
        <div class="tc__agenda-time">
          <div class="tc__agenda-time--pacific">
            <?php echo $agendaSectionEvent['agenda_event_time_pacific'] ?>
          </div>
          <div class="tc__agenda-time--eastern">
            <?php echo $agendaSectionEvent['agenda_event_time_eastern'] ?>
          </div>
        </div>
        <h3><?php echo $agendaSectionEvent['agenda_event_title'] ?></h3>
        <div class="tc__agenda-speaker-list">
          <!-- DEBUG LINE - BUT ITS EMPTY -->
          <div style="color: red;"><?php echo have_rows('agenda_event_speakers') ?></div>
          <?php if(have_rows('agenda_event_speakers')): ?>
            <div class="tc__agenda-speaker">
              <?php while(have_rows('agenda_event_speakers')): ?>
                <div class="tc__agenda-speaker-headshot">
                  <img src="<?php the_sub_field('agenda_event_speaker_headashot')['url'] ?>" alt="<?php the_sub_field('agenda_event_speaker_headashot')['alt'] ?>">
                </div>
                <div class="tc__agenda-speaker-info">
                  <h4><?php the_sub_field('agenda_event_speaker_name') ?></h4>
                  <p><?php the_sub_field('agenda_event_speaker_title') ?></p>
                </div>
              <?php endwhile ?>
            </div>
          <?php endif ?>
        </div>
        <a href="#">Learn More</a>
      </div>
    <?php endwhile ?>
  </div>
<?php endif ?>

Since implementing this change, now the page just...doesn't load!? What!?

How do you do a nested for loop in advanced custom fields?

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 29 '21 at 06:02

You need to add the_row(); inside your while loops. All ACF loops are formatted the same, nested or not. Something I do to keep it easy is make the if/while/the_row stuff all one line, see below:

Start loops like this:

<?php if (have_rows('agenda_section_events')): while (have_rows('agenda_section_events')) : the_row(); ?>

End loops like this:

<?php endwhile; endif; ?>

You can go wild with the number of loops you want to nest, just simply copy the parent loop lines and create a nested one, then change your row to the nested one of course.

I adjusted your code below, give this a shot.

You should also define your subfield array values inside the loop you're using it with, just keeps things cleaner – or just use the_sub_field to echo your subfield values since its a short function anyway.

<div class="tc__agenda-items">
<?php if (have_rows('agenda_section_events')): ?>
 <?php while (have_rows('agenda_section_events')) : the_row(); ?>
    <div class="tc__agenda-item">
        <div class="tc__agenda-time">
            <div class="tc__agenda-time--pacific">
                <?php echo $agendaSectionEvent['agenda_event_time_pacific'] ?>
            </div>
            <div class="tc__agenda-time--eastern">
                <?php echo $agendaSectionEvent['agenda_event_time_eastern'] ?>
            </div>
        </div>
        <h3><?php echo $agendaSectionEvent['agenda_event_title'] ?></h3>
        <div class="tc__agenda-speaker-list">
            <!-- DEBUG LINE - BUT ITS EMPTY -->
            <div style="color: red;"><?php // echo have_rows('agenda_event_speakers') ?></div>
            <?php if (have_rows('agenda_event_speakers')) ?>
            <div class="tc__agenda-speaker">
                <?php while (have_rows('agenda_event_speakers')) : the_row(); ?>
                <div class="tc__agenda-speaker-headshot">
                    <img src="<?php the_sub_field('agenda_event_speaker_headashot')['url'] ?>" alt="<?php the_sub_field('agenda_event_speaker_headashot')['alt'] ?>">
                </div>
                <div class="tc__agenda-speaker-info">
                    <h4><?php the_sub_field('agenda_event_speaker_name') ?></h4>
                    <p><?php the_sub_field('agenda_event_speaker_title') ?></p>
                </div>
                <?php endwhile ?>
            </div>
            <?php endif ?>
        </div>
        <a href="#">Learn More</a>
    </div>
    <?php endwhile ?>
<?php endif ?>

Ok thanks for helping out, is the behavior of `the_sub_filed` different for images? — kawnah, Jul 29 '21 at 15:13
@kawnah no worries :). And no it's the same it just depends on your field output. So if you set the field output to "array" (which is the best option in my opinion) then you can do things like this to get the URL: `` or like this for the image alt `` Are you messing with one image? Or are you using a gallery field? — Evan, Jul 29 '21 at 16:11
so I asked a new question about it https://stackoverflow.com/questions/68578792/advanced-custom-fields-the-sub-fieldurl-but-it-doesnt-return-the-url but that parameter isn't returning the URL, it's returning the entire array — kawnah, Jul 29 '21 at 16:19

advanced custom fields can't do nested loops repeater inside repeater have_rows() not doing anything

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