How to use notify_moderator filter in WordPress

notify_moderator filter

Filters whether to send the site moderator email notifications, overriding the site setting.

To use the notify_moderator 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_notify_moderator_defaults which takes 2 parameters and we registered using add_filter. The first parameter notify_moderator is the name of the hook, the second parameter weplugins_modify_notify_moderator_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 notify_moderator filter.

Parameters

Below are the 2 parameters required to use this hook.

• $maybe_notify : (bool) Whether to notify the blog moderator.
• $comment_ID : (int) The id of the comment for the notification.

Live Example

apply_filters( 'notify_moderator', bool $maybe_notify, int $comment_ID )

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

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

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

	remove_filter( "notify_moderator", "weplugins_modify_notify_moderator_defaults", 10, 2 );
	

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

Example 1: Custom Notification Conditions

In this example, we only notify the moderator if the comment contains a specific keyword.

	function weplugins_notify_moderator_keyword($maybe_notify, $comment_ID) {
		$comment = get_comment($comment_ID);
		if (strpos($comment->comment_content, 'important') !== false) {
			$maybe_notify = true;
		} else {
			$maybe_notify = false;
		}
		return $maybe_notify;
	}
	add_filter('notify_moderator', 'weplugins_notify_moderator_keyword', 10, 2);
	

Example 2: Notify Only for Specific Post Types

This example ensures the moderator is notified only for comments on posts of a specific type.

	function weplugins_notify_moderator_post_type($maybe_notify, $comment_ID) {
		$comment = get_comment($comment_ID);
		$post = get_post($comment->comment_post_ID);
		if ($post->post_type == 'special_post_type') {
			$maybe_notify = true;
		} else {
			$maybe_notify = false;
		}
		return $maybe_notify;
	}
	add_filter('notify_moderator', 'weplugins_notify_moderator_post_type', 10, 2);
	

Example 3: Notify Based on Comment Author Email

Here, we notify the moderator only if the comment author has a specific email domain.

	function weplugins_notify_moderator_email($maybe_notify, $comment_ID) {
		$comment = get_comment($comment_ID);
		if (strpos($comment->comment_author_email, '@specificdomain.com') !== false) {
			$maybe_notify = true;
		} else {
			$maybe_notify = false;
		}
		return $maybe_notify;
	}
	add_filter('notify_moderator', 'weplugins_notify_moderator_email', 10, 2);
	

Contact Us

If you’re having any trouble using this hook or need customization, please contact us. We’re here to help!