How to use comments_per_page filter in WordPress

Ever wondered how to control the number of comments listed per page in your WordPress comments list table? With the `comments_per_page` filter, it’s super easy! This filter lets you specify the number of comments to display, making comment management a breeze. Let’s dive into how you can use this hook with some practical examples.

comments_per_page filter

Filters the number of comments listed per page in the comments list table.

To use the `comments_per_page` filter, first you have 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 `weplugins_modify_comments_per_page_defaults` which takes 2 parameters and we registered using `add_filter`. The first parameter `comments_per_page` is the name of the hook, the second parameter `weplugins_modify_comments_per_page_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 `comments_per_page` filter.

Parameters

Below are the 2 parameters required to use this hook.

• $comments_per_page: (int) The number of comments to list per page.
• $comment_status: (string) The comment status name. Default ‘All’.

Live Examples

Example 1: Increase comments-per-page limit when viewing spam comments

Below is an example of how you can use this hook to increase the comments-per-page limit when viewing spam comments.

/**
 * Increase comments-per-page limit when viewing spam comments.
 *
 * @see WP_Comments_List_Table::get_per_page()
 *
 * @param int    $comments_per_page The number of comments to list per page.
 * @param string $comment_status    The current comment status view. Default is 'all'.
 * @return int The filtered number of comments to list per page.
 */
function weplugins_spam_comments_per_page( $comments_per_page, $comment_status ) {
    if ( 'spam' === $comment_status ) {
        return 50; // Increase the number of comments per page to 50 when viewing spam comments.
    }
    return $comments_per_page;
}
add_filter( 'comments_per_page', 'weplugins_spam_comments_per_page', 10, 2 );

Example 2: Modify the comments-per-page limit based on status

Here’s another example of modifying the comments-per-page limit based on the comment status.

function weplugins_modify_comments_per_page_defaults($comments_per_page, $comment_status) {
    if ( 'approved' === $comment_status ) {
        return 20; // Set the number of comments per page to 20 for approved comments.
    }
    return $comments_per_page;
}
// Add the filter
add_filter( 'comments_per_page', 'weplugins_modify_comments_per_page_defaults', 10, 2 );

Example 3: Remove a registered hook

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

remove_filter( 'comments_per_page', 'weplugins_modify_comments_per_page_defaults', 10, 2 );

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.