WordPress - Check if user is logged in from external PHP file

Question

I'm trying to check if WordPress user is logged in or not from an external PHP file and here is my code

<?php 
/*Load up wordpress externally*/
define( 'WP_USE_THEMES', false );
define( 'COOKIE_DOMAIN', false );
define( 'DISABLE_WP_CRON', true );
require('../../trading/wp-load.php');

if ( is_user_logged_in() ){
    $user =  wp_get_current_user();
    print_r($user);

}else{
    echo 'logged out';
}

?>

I always get 'logged out' message, even though the user is logged in. Any idea how can I fix this?

Thanks

Answer 1

When is this custom php file loaded? According to the Action Reference - You need to wait until at least the init hook before the user is authenticated.

I would try:

add_action( 'init', 'FDI_logged_in' );
function FDI_logged_in(){
    if( is_user_logged_in() ){
        $user = wp_get_current_user();
        print_r( $user );
    } else {
        echo 'logged out';
    }
}

Answer 2

I thought your code was correct so I tested it (changing only the line "require('../../trading/wp-load.php');" to match my installation) and it worked as expected so code itself is correct and something else is wrong.

For WordPress (in a standard configuration) to know a user is logged it must receive a cookie. Can you add a

var_dump( $_COOKIE );

to your script and verify a cookie like ''wordpress_logged_in_ ...' is being received.

WordPress has hooks so user verification can be customised. Of course in a customised installation the above may not be true.