Custom query with orderby meta_value of custom field

This issue in general is cleared up as of WordPress 4.2 by using named queries. e.g.

$args = array(
  'post_type' => 'services',
  'orderby'   => 'order_clause',
  'meta_query' => array(
       'order_clause' => array(
            'key' => 'order_in_archive',
            'value' => 'some_value',
            'type' => 'NUMERIC' // unless the field is not a number
)));

For me, I wanted to order by a numeric field and I had to use 'type' => 'NUMERIC' inside the meta query.

The WP Codex is actually confusing when addressing this problem.

You do not actually need the meta_query param to use the orderby, instead it uses the meta_key param, which although by WP Codex is deprecated is has been established here: How do you use orderby with meta_query in Wordpress 3.1? that orderyby still needs the meta_key.

so it should be

query_posts( array(
  'post_type' => 'services',
  'order' => 'ASC',
  'orderby' => 'meta_value',
  'meta_key' => 'order_in_archive'
) )

It´s easy:

Here is my code:

query_posts(array( 
        'post_type' => 'directors',
        'posts_per_page' => -1,
        'order'    => 'ASC',
        'orderby'  => 'director_weight',
        'meta_key' => 'director_weight'
) );

The main detail is: include meta_key, my code didn´t order unless meta_key is included, and that’s all:

Here is the full code of a list of directors pictures order by director_weight:

<?php 
    query_posts(array( 
        'post_type' => 'directors',
        'posts_per_page' => -1,
        'order'    => 'ASC',
        'orderby'  => 'director_weight',
        'meta_key' => 'director_weight'
    ) );
    while (have_posts()) : the_post();
?>  
    <li <?php echo get_field('director_weight') ?>>
        <img src="https://wordpress.stackexchange.com/questions/15477/<?php echo get_field("director_imagen') ?>">
    </li>
<?php
    endwhile;
    wp_reset_query();
?>

Don’t use query_posts.

$meta_query = new WP_Meta_Query( $meta_query_args );

$meta_query_args = array(
   'post_type' => 'services',
    'order'     => 'ASC',
    'meta_key' => 'your_key',
    'orderby'   => 'meta_value', //or 'meta_value_num'
    'meta_query' => array(
                    array('key' => 'order_in_archive',
                        'value' => 'some_value'
)));

Use the WP_Meta_Query parameters

Following solution works:

$args = array(
    'post_type' => 'services',
    'order' => 'ASC',
    'orderby'   => 'order_clause',   
    'meta_query' => array(
        'order_clause' => array(
            'key' => 'order_in_archive'
        )
    )
);

You needed to provide the key of the meta_query sub array order_clause for your orderby value.

I found this to work quite well.

<?php 
query_posts(
array(  'posts_per_page' => '-1',
        'post_type' => 'services',
        'order'     => 'DESC',
        'meta_key' => '_order',
        'orderby'   => 'meta_value_num', //or 'meta_value_num'
      )
);

I had a set of custom event dates I needed to sort by date descending. Since my custom event date was stored in my wp_postmeta table, and was typically different to the post_date or modified dates, this worked for me:

  $args = array(
    'post_type' => 'events', // my post type - yours can be 'posts'
    'post_status' => 'publish', // only get posts with this status
    'orderby' => 'meta_value', // orderby the meta_value of the following meta_key
    'meta_key' => 'my_custom_eventdate', // the custom meta_key name
    'order'=> 'DESC' // sort descending
  );

  $posts = new WP_Query($args);

You can then loop through $posts like so:

foreach($posts->posts as $p){

    $post_id = $p->ID;
    // and so on ...

    // # example of how I retrieve my event date
    $event = get_post_meta($post_id, 'my_custom_eventdate', true);
}