Wordpress: WP_Query how to apply search criteria with custom post type

Question

I have a custom post type, photo, and need to search for photos matching the title or description with the search keyword with various criteria: contains LIKE %$search_term%, starts with LIKE $search_term% etc. I have the following query, but this doesn't filter records according to $search_term. Please direct me to the right direction to embed this requirement with this query.

$search_term = $_GET['term'];
$search_criteria = $_GET['type'];

$loop = new WP_Query( array(
    'post_type' => 'photo',
    'posts_per_page' => 12,
    'orderby'=> 'post_date'
));

Please be nice with me, I am a newbie in Wordpress and don't even know if I am asking a foolish question. But I am really stuck with it and need a solution. Any help will be appreciated a lot. Thank you everybody.

Answer 1

Add the "s" key to your existing arguments array:

$loop = new WP_Query( array(
    'post_type' => 'photo',
    'posts_per_page' => 12,
    'orderby' => 'post_date',
    's' => 'search_term'
));

Documentation can be found at: http://codex.wordpress.org/Class_Reference/WP_Query#Search_Parameter