显示Wordpress自定义字段$ value

Question

I am attempting to display, outside of the loop, an alternative, shortened post title using custom fields under a set of 8 post featured image thumbnails in a slidesow. I can display the corresponding post's title under these thumbnails with this snippet of code:

<?php $titletext = get_the_title(); echo( $arr[$i]['titletext'] ); ?>

And I can display the custom field within the loop:

<?php $key="short_title"; echo get_post_meta($post->ID, $key, true); ?>

But any combination of the two that I've tried outside of the loop returns nothing or returns "Array" under each thumbnail. The solution feels obvious but it's eluding me. Can someone show me how to do this correctly?

Adding more code for clarification:

    <?php if (have_posts()) : while (have_posts()) : the_post();
     global $post; ?>
        <?php if ( $responsive ) { ?>
            <li class="slide">
        <?php } else { ?>
            <div class="slide">
        <?php } ?>
                <?php
                $width = $responsive ? 560 : 558;
                $height = 340;
                $small_width = 110;
                $small_height = 63;
                $titletext = get_the_title();

                $thumbnail = get_thumbnail($width,$height,'',$titletext,$titletext,false,'Featured');

                $arr[$i]['thumbnail'] = get_thumbnail($small_width,$small_height,'',$titletext,$titletext,false,'Small');
                $arr[$i]['titletext'] = $titletext;

                $thumb = $thumbnail["thumb"];
                print_thumbnail($thumb, $thumbnail["use_timthumb"], $titletext, $width, $height ); ?>
                <div class="featured-top-shadow"></div>
                <div class="featured-bottom-shadow"></div>  
                <div class="featured-description scrollcustom">
                <div class="feat_desc">
                    <h2 class="featured-title"><a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>"><?php the_title()  ?></a></h2>

                        <p>                 <?php $key="short_title"; echo $shorttitle; ?> <?php the_content(); ?></p>
                    </div>

                </div> <!-- end .description -->

        <?php if ( $responsive ) { ?>
            </li> <!-- end .slide -->
        <?php } else { ?>
            </div> <!-- end .slide -->
        <?php } ?>
        <?php $i++; endwhile; endif; wp_reset_query(); ?>
<?php if ( $responsive ) { ?>
    </ul> <!-- end .slides -->
<?php } else { ?>
    </div> <!-- end #slides -->
<?php } ?>
</div> <!-- end #featured -->

<div id="controllers" class="clearfix">
    <ul>
        <?php for ($i = 0; $i < $featured_num; $i++) { ?>
            <li>
                <div class="controller " >
                    <a href="#"<?php if ( $i == 0 ) echo ' class="active"'; ?>>
                    <?php $titletext ?>
                        <?php print_thumbnail( $arr[$i]['thumbnail']['thumb'], $arr[$i]['thumbnail']["use_timthumb"], $arr[$i]['titletext'], $small_width, $small_height ); ?>
                    <span class="overlay"></span><br>
                                    <?php echo( $arr[$i]['titletext'] ); ?>  
                    </a>
                </div>  
            </li>   
        <?php } ?>

Answer 1

You need global $post if you're outside of the loop