How to use get_search_form filter in WordPress

get_search_form filter

Filters the HTML output of the search form.

To use get_search_form filter, first you have to register it using add_filter. You can write this code into 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_get_search_form_defaults which takes 2 parameters and we registered using add_filter. The first parameter get_search_form is name of the hook, The second parameter weplugins_modify_get_search_form_defaults is name of the function which need to be called, third parameter is the priority of calling the hook if same hook is used multiple times and the last parameter is the number of arguments (if any) to be passed in the registered function.

Sometime, you have to remove a registered hook so you can use remove_filter to remove get_search_form filter.

Parameters

Below are the 2 parameters required to use this hook.

• $form : (string) The search form HTML output.
• $args : (array) The array of arguments for building the search form. See get_search_form() for information on accepted arguments.

Live Examples

Example 1: Basic Usage of get_search_form Filter

Below is an example of how you can use this hook to modify the search form.

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

Example 2: Conditional Modification of Search Form

In this example, we show how to conditionally modify the search form based on certain criteria.

  function weplugins_modify_get_search_form_defaults($form, $args) { 
      if (is_home()) {
          $form = str_replace('search-field', 'home-search-field', $form);
      }
      return $form; 
  }
  // add the filter
  add_filter( "get_search_form", "weplugins_modify_get_search_form_defaults", 10, 2 );
  

Example 3: Removing the get_search_form Filter

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

  remove_filter( "get_search_form", "weplugins_modify_get_search_form_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.