Database & Meta Reference

WP ULike stores votes in custom database tables and syncs counters to meta. From 5.2+, new installs (and migrated sites) use the Pulse ledger. Pro adds view tracking, sessions, and standard WordPress meta keys.

Table prefix: {wpdb->prefix} (typically wp_).

Overview for site owners: Pulse Storage Engine.

Pulse ledger (5.2+)

Important columns

Modes: legacy → dual → pulse. See helpers wp_ulike_pulse_mode(), wp_ulike_pulse_read_mode(), wp_ulike_use_pulse_queries().

Legacy vote log tables

Still present on older sites until Storage Upgrade cleanup. Fresh Pulse-only installs may never create them for new votes.

Legacy log row fields

• user_id — WordPress user ID (0 for guests)
• item_id — post, comment, activity, or topic ID
• status — like, unlike, dislike, undislike
• ip — visitor IP (may be anonymized or empty)
• date_time — vote timestamp
• fingerprint — guest vote fingerprint (when used)

Pro may add GeoIP columns on insert: country_code, device, os, browser.

Pro-only tables

Counter meta (wp_ulike_meta API)

WP ULike maintains fast counter values in {prefix}ulike_meta. Use the meta API functions rather than querying directly:

wp_ulike_get_meta_data($item_id, 'post', 'like_amount', true);
wp_ulike_update_meta_data($item_id, 'post', 'like_amount', 42, 'like');

Meta groups: post, comment, activity, topic, user, statistics.

Only active like / dislike counters are cached in meta. Period filters and removed statuses (unlike / undislike) recount from the ledger (Pulse or legacy logs). Passing period "all" is treated as all-time (meta-safe), not as a date filter.

User meta group stores serialized vote history keyed by user_{type}_status.

Standard WordPress meta [pro]

When Enable Standard Meta Data is on under Posts or Comments settings, counters sync to native meta:

$likes = get_post_meta($post_id, 'like_amount', true);

Schema Generator post meta [pro]

Per-post structured data lives in post meta — not included in settings backup:

• wp_ulike_pro_meta_box — main schema config flag
• wp_ulike_pro_{key} — type-specific schema fields (~50 keys)
• FAQ repeater data, star rating overrides, review counts

Use Tools → Schema Generator or the post editor panel to manage these.

Editor panel meta [pro]

Per-post display overrides (when Show Display Panel In Post Editor is enabled):

Stored in post/comment meta via serialized format when Enable Serialized Data Storage is on. Run Convert to Serialized Format under Maintenance after enabling on upgraded sites.

REST field: votes_info [pro]

When Standard Meta Data is enabled, WordPress core REST responses for posts and comments include:

"votes_info": {
  "like_amount": 42,
  "dislike_amount": 3,
  "likers_ids": [1, 5, 12]
}

Available on GET /wp-json/wp/v2/posts/{id} and GET /wp-json/wp/v2/comments/{id} when meta is enabled for that type.

Options stored outside backup scope

Maintenance & GDPR impact

See Maintenance Tools and GDPR tool.

Related: Pulse WP-CLI · Backup and Restore · Developer Functions