current_page_item is missing inside wp_nav_menu

If you’re not actually using a custom nav menu, why are you not just outputting wp_page_menu() directly?

Problem

As-implemented, your walker will never be executed (or, more accurately, you can’t control whether or not it is executed), because you’re not passing 'theme_location' (correct usage) or 'menu' (sub-optimal usage) to the args array.

Here’s how the wp_nav_menu() output works:

  1. WordPress looks for 'menu' defined in the args array. This value corresponds to the slug of a user-created custom nav menu. So if the user creates a Menu named “Short Header Menu”, the slug would be 'short-header-menu', which would correspond to 'menu' => 'short-header'menu'. If the menu is found, it is used.
  2. WordPress looks for 'theme_location' defined in the args array. This value corresponds to the user-defined custom nav menu assigned by the user to the Theme Location. So, if the user creates a Menu named “Short Header Menu”, and assigns it to the (Theme-defined) Theme Location “Primary Menu” (defined by the Theme via register_nav_menus( array( 'primary-menu' => "Primary Menu 0 0), the 'short-header-menu' would be the menu returned. If found, it is used.
  3. If neither 'menu' nor 'theme_location' is defined the args array, WordPress queries all of the user-created custom nav menus. If the user has created custom nav menus, WordPress uses the first one that has menu items.
  4. If all of the above fail, WordPress outputs the fallback menu, as defined via 'fallback_cb'.

So, in your example, you’re not passing either 'menu' or 'theme_location' to the args array. If the user (e.g. you) hasn’t created any custom nav menus, then WordPress is outputting the 'fallback_cb', which by definition is wp_page_menu().

Now, wp_nav_menu() passes its $args array to the fallback function, but wp_page_menu() doesn’t accept a 'walker' parameter. So your custom walker is being ignored.

Solution

  1. Properly register custom nav menu Theme locations, via register_nav_menus()
  2. Create custom nav menus, via Appearance -> Menus
  3. Assign a custom nav menu to a registered Theme Location
  4. Pass the 'theme_location' parameter to your wp_nav_menu() $args array

Addendum

Note, if the sole purpose of your custom walker is to add the .current-page-item class, then you don’t need your custom walker at all. The wp_nav_menu() classes are backwards-compatible with wp_page_menu(), which means that the .current-page-item class is already output by wp_nav_menu().

Related Posts:

  1. Why does the ‘wp_nav_menu’ function work only until a menu is created?
  2. Default Nav Highlight
  3. define css class in functions.php
  4. Why don’t ‘wp_nav_menu’ CSS classes work until a menu is created?
  5. Custom styles.css sheet for visual editor
  6. Is my code correct to enqueue CSS on a specific page?
  7. header_image() with CSS
  8. Not all CSS elements transferring via parent to child?
  9. How do I hook into the container of wp_nav_menu?
  10. Split Media Queries in different files!
  11. Some questions about how proper add 2 CSS file in a WordPress theme?
  12. New custom menu created. how to apply it?
  13. problem loading stylesheets to wp_head dynamically
  14. Dropline menus — seperators between children only?
  15. Filter nav menu items HTML tags and wrap inner text with span
  16. retrieves menu and converts it to a readable array
  17. Functions php shortcode for displaying main menu with no child items
  18. Nav menus all outputting the same links
  19. Secondary Menu and Logged In Users
  20. Change menu based on page template via functions.php
  21. Show some menu sub items as dropdown under a menu item
  22. How to add custom li item to wordpress menu
  23. How to insert class in each list of categories?
  24. Add Login/Logout Menu Item to Primary Nav “My Account” Submenu [Woocommerce] [closed]
  25. Parent theme styles overriding child theme CSS [closed]
  26. I can’t add CSS with functions.php
  27. Theme JS is available but theme CSS isn’t
  28. Proper Way to Load stylesheet on Condition
  29. This code works, but the way I integrated it is breaking the media uploader. How can I integrate it properly?
  30. why is this function firing on all child menu items as well?
  31. Custom styles in Tiny MCE with an external CSS file
  32. why can’t i add front.css to my frontpage.php
  33. get_template_directory_uri() links to child theme not parent
  34. Different methods of adding menu support to custom theme
  35. Adding a section in line at the end of the main navigation menu in php
  36. Multiple navigation menu in same location
  37. remove/hide wp-editor
  38. Getting out side of wp root folder from function.php using absolute path
  39. wp_nav_menu work in functions.php but not in the theme
  40. How to register a menu based on a ACF condition
  41. How to hightlight all ancestor menu items of a child page NOT displayed in menu
  42. Page Template Won’t Load Correct CSS File
  43. search form leads to 404
  44. Unable to add extra elements to the main navi (wp_nav_menu_items)
  45. How Can I add a menu to the theme from withen the function.php file
  46. Custom Menu in Admin doesn’t change menu in browser
  47. How would I make a function to dynamically determine if user is logged to change navigation menu text?
  48. Conditional custom menu?
  49. wp_nav_menu displaying all pages
  50. how to changes mobile menu toggle breakpoint in WordPress
  51. Warning at top of website & top menu gone
  52. Completely Disable WordPress RSS Feeds
  53. How to display an image before title text in menu items
  54. Advanced method to control cache of enqueued style/script
  55. Bizarre Child Menu Issue on WP Site
  56. Combine page types and Custom Taxonomy in a functions.php command
  57. Header menu aligned right on all pages except for single-post page [closed]
  58. Can’t load assets
  59. How to reference different css (bootstrap) stylesheets for the header and body of a page?
  60. Can we have conditional CSS styling?
  61. CSS style and app.js not loading
  62. Post content overflows on my mobile phone
  63. Stylesheet does not load despite functions.php
  64. Remove clickable Link of WordPress Site Logo from Woocommerce Single Product page
  65. How to automatically add counted number to navigation menu items?
  66. How do I make a custom “Read More Blogs” button for my blog page
  67. function class doesnt work
  68. Help using ShortCodes to style whole chunks of the post
  69. Combine multiple menus using the filter wp_nav_menu_items
  70. Setting Up Child Theme To Take Priority
  71. how to remove a tag in the_category function
  72. Reference multiple style sheets, clearing styles for permalink page, custom fields for css
  73. Menu and category highlighting for a single post
  74. CSS disabled after getting rid of emoji
  75. WordPress Toggle Menu has stopped working
  76. How to add styles in existing function?
  77. Woocommerce – Switching Price for Category
  78. Adding a class to the body of an inactive site using multisite
  79. Conditionally apply css for a specific template part
  80. How do I dequeue a Stylesheet, stored in an ‘Assets’ folder?
  81. Child Theme not loading multiple stylesheets
  82. How to add widget in main menu
  83. Correct way of Enqueue self hosted fonts in sass project
  84. Help with is_page() and calling css for specific pages in a Child Theme
  85. Child theme style.css didn’t work properly but the Customize Additional CSS did [closed]
  86. How to automatically add custom classes to headings in content area
  87. Language Switch Function
  88. Insert menu into theme location depending on user logged in/out status
  89. Adding custom field in menu options [duplicate]
  90. Modify sub_menu function to show pages below a specifically set page
  91. Changing the color of post title [closed]
  92. wp_nav_walker that interacts with widgets to setup mega menu
  93. Preventing PHP Execution in Parent Theme
  94. Adding a filter with custom function to the menu / navigation
  95. Random text changing to weird icons in both admin & front end
  96. Functions.php in child theme that loads CSS file breaks website
  97. Syling Custom Fields echo’s from from functions.php
  98. functions.php / replacing div’s with new ones?
  99. How to add a class name to the ancestor of a post?
  100. Function Reference for custom link in Admin Menu Management Page
Hata!: SQLSTATE[HY000] [1045] Access denied for user 'divattrend_liink'@'localhost' (using password: YES)