How to use dashboard_recent_posts_query_args filter in WordPress

When working with WordPress, using hooks effectively can make your life so much easier. As an Indian developer, I totally get how tricky it can be to manage WordPress hooks, especially if you’re new to this. Don’t worry though, because we’re diving into one such hook today: dashboard_recent_posts_query_args filter. This little gem allows you to filter the query arguments used for the Recent Posts widget. The beauty of this is that you can customize it to fit your specific needs.

To get started with the dashboard_recent_posts_query_args filter, you first need to register it using add_filter. It’s a good practice to put this code in a custom WordPress Plugin rather than directly into the functions.php file of your theme. This way, when you update your theme, your customizations don’t get wiped out. Let’s look at some examples to see how you can use this filter in your WordPress projects.

Example 1: Modifying Query Arguments

Here’s how you can use the filter to modify the query arguments to suit your website’s requirements.

    function weplugins_modify_dashboard_recent_posts_query_args_defaults($query_args) { 
        // Update the $query_args variable according to your website requirements
        return $query_args; 
    }
    // Add the filter
    add_filter( "dashboard_recent_posts_query_args", "weplugins_modify_dashboard_recent_posts_query_args_defaults", 10, 1 );
    

Example 2: Removing the Filter

If you ever need to remove a registered hook, you can use remove_filter like this:

    remove_filter( "dashboard_recent_posts_query_args", "weplugins_modify_dashboard_recent_posts_query_args_defaults", 10, 1 );
    

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

Example 3: Applying the Filter

Below is how you apply the filter to modify the query arguments:

    apply_filters( 'dashboard_recent_posts_query_args', array $query_args )
    

Contact Us

If you’re having any trouble using this hook or need customization, feel free to contact us. We’d be happy to assist you with your WordPress development needs.