How to use esc_xml filter in WordPress

esc_xml filter

Text passed to esc_xml() is stripped of invalid or special characters before output. HTML named character references are converted to their equivalent code points.

To use the esc_xml filter, you first 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_esc_xml_defaults which takes 2 parameters and we registered using add_filter. The first parameter esc_xml is the name of the hook, the second parameter weplugins_modify_esc_xml_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 esc_xml filter.

Parameters

Below are the 2 parameters required to use this hook.

• $safe_text : (string) The text after it has been escaped.
• $text : (string) The text prior to being escaped.

Live Example

apply_filters( 'esc_xml', string $safe_text, string $text )

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

Example 1: Modify Escaped XML Text

In this example, we modify the escaped XML text to meet our website requirements.

    function weplugins_modify_esc_xml_defaults($safe_text, $text) { 
        // Update the $safe_text variable according to your website requirements and return this variable. You can modify the $safe_text variable conditionally too if you want.
        return $safe_text; 
    }
    // add the filter
    add_filter( "esc_xml", "weplugins_modify_esc_xml_defaults", 10, 2 );
    

Example 2: Remove Escaped XML Text Filter

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

remove_filter( "esc_xml", "weplugins_modify_esc_xml_defaults", 10, 2 );

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, we conditionally modify the escaped XML text based on specific criteria.

    function weplugins_conditional_modify_esc_xml($safe_text, $text) {
        if (strpos($text, 'specific-string') !== false) {
            $safe_text = str_replace('specific-string', 'replacement-string', $safe_text);
        }
        return $safe_text;
    }
    // add the filter
    add_filter( "esc_xml", "weplugins_conditional_modify_esc_xml", 10, 2 );
    

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.