How to use getarchives_where filter in WordPress

Ever wondered how to filter the SQL WHERE clause when retrieving archives in WordPress? The getarchives_where filter is your go-to hook for this task. Let’s dive into how you can use this hook to customize your WordPress site.

Before you can use the getarchives_where filter, you need to register it using add_filter. You can add this code to your theme’s functions.php file or, even better, in a custom WordPress plugin to ensure your customizations remain intact during theme updates.

In this guide, we’ll look at three live examples, each demonstrating a different use case for the getarchives_where filter. Let’s get started!

Live Example #1: Filtering Archives by Category

This example shows how to filter archives by a specific category.

	add_filter('getarchives_where', 'weplugins_custom_archive_by_category_where');
	add_filter('getarchives_join', 'weplugins_custom_archive_by_category_join'); // You must add `join` to keep it works. Adding only `where` will return nothing
	
	function weplugins_custom_archive_by_category_where($x) {
	    global $wpdb;
	    $current_term_slug = get_query_var('news_category');
	    if (!empty($current_term_slug)) {
	        $current_term = get_term_by('slug', $current_term_slug, 'news_category');
	        // Your custom logic here
	    }
	    return $x;
	}
	

Live Example #2: Modifying Default Arguments

Here’s how you can modify the default arguments using the getarchives_where filter.

	function weplugins_modify_getarchives_where_defaults($sql_where, $parsed_args) {
	    // Update the $sql_where variable according to your website requirements and return this variable.
	    return $sql_where;
	}
	
	// Add the filter
	add_filter('getarchives_where', 'weplugins_modify_getarchives_where_defaults', 10, 2);
	

Live Example #3: Removing a Hook Callback

If you need to remove a previously registered hook, you can use the remove_filter function as shown below.

	remove_filter('getarchives_where', 'weplugins_modify_getarchives_where_defaults', 10, 2);
	

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

Below are the 2 parameters required to use this hook:

• $sql_where: (string) Portion of SQL query containing the WHERE clause.
• $parsed_args: (array) An array of default arguments.

If you’re having any trouble using this hook, please don’t hesitate to contact our WordPress Development Team and we’d be happy to assist you.