How to use filesystem_method filter in WordPress

filesystem_method filter

Filters the filesystem method to use.

To use the filesystem_method 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 modify_filesystem_method_defaults which takes 4 parameters and we registered using add_filter. The first parameter filesystem_method is the name of the hook, the second parameter modify_filesystem_method_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 filesystem_method filter.

Parameters

Below are the 4 parameters required to use this hook.

• $method : (string) Filesystem method to return.
• $args : (array) An array of connection details for the method.
• $context : (string) Full path to the directory that is tested for being writable.
• $allow_relaxed_file_ownership : (bool) Whether to allow Group/World writable.

Live Example

apply_filters( 'filesystem_method', string $method, array $args, string $context, bool $allow_relaxed_file_ownership )

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

Example 1: Modify Filesystem Method Defaults

In this example, we modify the filesystem method according to specific requirements of the site.

    function weplugins_modify_filesystem_method_defaults($method, $args, $context, $allow_relaxed_file_ownership) { 
        // Update the $method variable according to your website requirements and return this variable. You can modify the $method variable conditionally too if you want.
        return $method; 
    }
    // add the filter
    add_filter("filesystem_method", "weplugins_modify_filesystem_method_defaults", 10, 4);
    

Example 2: Remove Filesystem Method Filter

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

    remove_filter("filesystem_method", "weplugins_modify_filesystem_method_defaults", 10, 4);
    

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

Example 3: Custom Condition for Filesystem Method

Here, we set a custom condition to modify the filesystem method only if the context matches a specific directory.

    function weplugins_custom_filesystem_method($method, $args, $context, $allow_relaxed_file_ownership) { 
        if ($context === '/specific/directory') {
            $method = 'direct';
        }
        return $method; 
    }
    // add the filter
    add_filter("filesystem_method", "weplugins_custom_filesystem_method", 10, 4);