How to use comment_save_pre filter in WordPress

comment_save_pre filter

Filters the comment content before it is updated in the database.

To use the comment_save_pre filter, you first need to register it using add_filter. 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 modify_comment_save_pre_defaults which takes one parameter and we registered it using add_filter. The first parameter comment_save_pre is the name of the hook, the second parameter modify_comment_save_pre_defaults 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_filter to remove the comment_save_pre filter.

Parameters

Below is the one parameter required to use this hook.

• $comment_content : (string) The comment data.

Live Example

apply_filters( 'comment_save_pre', string $comment_content )

Example 1: Basic Usage

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

        function weplugins_modify_comment_save_pre_defaults($comment_content) { 
            // Update the $comment_content variable according to your website requirements and return this variable. You can modify the $comment_content variable conditionally too if you want.
            return $comment_content; 
        }
        // add the filter
        add_filter( "comment_save_pre", "weplugins_modify_comment_save_pre_defaults", 10, 1 );
    

Example 2: Removing a Hook

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

remove_filter( "comment_save_pre", "weplugins_modify_comment_save_pre_defaults", 10, 1 );

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

Example 3: Conditional Modification

Here’s an example where the comment content is modified conditionally.

        function weplugins_modify_comment_save_pre_conditionally($comment_content) { 
            if (strpos($comment_content, 'badword') !== false) {
                $comment_content = str_replace('badword', '***', $comment_content);
            }
            return $comment_content; 
        }
        // add the filter
        add_filter( "comment_save_pre", "weplugins_modify_comment_save_pre_conditionally", 10, 1 );
    

Contact Us

If you’re having any trouble using this hook or need customization, please Contact Us and we’d be happy to assist you.