How to use add_attachment action in WordPress

add_attachment action

Fires once an attachment has been added.

To use the add_attachment action, first you have to register it using add_action. You can write this code into the functions.php of your activated theme or in a custom WordPress Plugin.

We at WePlugins always prefer to create a custom WordPress Plugin while using hooks so nothing breaks when you update your WordPress Theme in the future.

In the below live example, we have defined a function weplugins_execute_on_add_attachment_event which takes 1 parameter and we registered it using add_action. The first parameter add_attachment is the name of the hook, the second parameter weplugins_execute_on_add_attachment_event is the name of the function which needs to be called, the third parameter is the priority of calling the hook if the same hook is used multiple times and the last parameter is the number of arguments (if any) to be passed in the registered function.

Sometimes, you have to remove a registered hook, so you can use remove_action to remove the add_attachment action.

Parameters

Below is the 1 parameter required to use this hook.

• $post_ID : (int) Attachment ID.

Live Example

Below is an example of how you can use this hook.

Example 1: Basic Usage

In this example, we define a function that gets called when an attachment is added.

function weplugins_execute_on_add_attachment_event($post_ID){
   // You can write code here to be executed when this action occurs in WordPress.
   // Use the parameters received in the function arguments & implement the required additional custom functionality according to your website requirements.
}
// add the action
add_action("add_attachment", "weplugins_execute_on_add_attachment_event", 10, 1);

Example 2: Logging Attachment Details

This example demonstrates how to log the details of the attachment when it is added.

function weplugins_log_attachment_details($post_ID) {
    $attachment = get_post($post_ID);
    error_log("Attachment added: " . $attachment->post_title);
}
add_action( "add_attachment", "weplugins_log_attachment_details", 10, 1);

Example 3: Sending Notification Email

Here, we send a notification email to the admin whenever an attachment is added.

function weplugins_notify_admin_on_attachment($post_ID) {
    $admin_email = get_option('admin_email');
    $subject = "New Attachment Added";
    $message = "A new attachment has been added. Attachment ID: $post_ID";
    wp_mail($admin_email, $subject, $message);
}
add_action( "add_attachment", "weplugins_notify_admin_on_attachment", 10, 1);

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

remove_action("add_attachment", "weplugins_execute_on_add_attachment_event", 10, 1);

Please make sure to provide the same callback function name, priority, and number of arguments while removing the hook callback.

Contact Us

If you’re having any trouble using this hook, please contact our WordPress Development Team and we’d be happy to assist you.