How to use gettext filter in WordPress

gettext filter

Filters text with its translation.

To use the gettext 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 weplugins_modify_gettext_defaults which takes 3 parameters and we register it using add_filter. The first parameter gettext is the name of the hook, the second parameter weplugins_modify_gettext_defaults is the name of the function that 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 gettext filter.

Parameters

Below are the 3 parameters required to use this hook:

• $translation : (string) Translated text.
• $text : (string) Text to translate.
• $domain : (string) Text domain. Unique identifier for retrieving translated strings.

Live Examples

Example 1: Basic Usage

This example demonstrates the basic usage of the gettext filter.

    add_filter( 'gettext', 'weplugins_translate_text', 10, 3 );
    function weplugins_translate_text( $translated_text, $untranslated_text, $domain ) {
        if ( 'example-domain' !== $domain ) {
            return $translated_text;
        }
        // Now do your checking for your string within the 'example-domain' domain
        return $translated_text;
    }
    

Example 2: Custom Translation

Below is an example of how you can use this hook to modify the translation conditionally.

    function weplugins_modify_gettext_defaults($translation, $text, $domain) { 
        // Update the $translation variable according to your website requirements and return this variable.
        // You can modify the $translation variable conditionally too if you want.
        return $translation; 
    }
    // Add the filter
    add_filter( "gettext", "weplugins_modify_gettext_defaults", 10, 3 );
    

Example 3: Removing a Hook Callback

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

    remove_filter( "gettext", "weplugins_modify_gettext_defaults", 10, 3 );
    

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.