How to use illegal_user_logins filter in WordPress

illegal_user_logins filter

Filters the list of disallowed usernames.

To use the illegal_user_logins 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 modify_illegal_user_logins_defaults which takes 1 parameter and we registered it using add_filter. The first parameter illegal_user_logins is the name of the hook, the second parameter modify_illegal_user_logins_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 illegal_user_logins filter.

Parameters

• $usernames: (array) Array of disallowed usernames.

Live Example

apply_filters( 'illegal_user_logins', array $usernames )

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

    function weplugins_modify_illegal_user_logins_defaults($usernames) { 
        // Update the $usernames variable according to your website requirements and return this variable. You can modify the $usernames variable conditionally too if you want.
        return $usernames; 
    }
    // add the filter
    add_filter( "illegal_user_logins", "weplugins_modify_illegal_user_logins_defaults", 10, 1 );
    

Example 1: Adding Custom Disallowed Usernames

This example demonstrates how to add custom disallowed usernames.

    function weplugins_add_custom_illegal_usernames($usernames) {
        $usernames[] = 'admin';
        $usernames[] = 'test';
        return $usernames;
    }
    add_filter('illegal_user_logins', 'weplugins_add_custom_illegal_usernames', 10, 1);
    

Example 2: Removing a Hook Callback

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

    remove_filter( "illegal_user_logins", "weplugins_modify_illegal_user_logins_defaults", 10, 1 );
    

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

Example 3: Conditional Username Filtering

In this example, certain usernames are disallowed only if a specific condition is met.

    function weplugins_conditional_illegal_usernames($usernames) {
        if (is_admin()) {
            $usernames[] = 'administrator';
        }
        return $usernames;
    }
    add_filter('illegal_user_logins', 'weplugins_conditional_illegal_usernames', 10, 1);