How to use plugin_action_links filter in WordPress

plugin_action_links filter

Filters the action links displayed for each plugin in the Plugins list table.

To use the `plugin_action_links` filter, you first 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_plugin_action_links_defaults` which takes 4 parameters and we registered using `add_filter`. The first parameter `plugin_action_links` is the name of the hook, The second parameter `weplugins_modify_plugin_action_links_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 `plugin_action_links` filter.

Parameters

Below are the 4 parameters required to use this hook.

• $actions : (string[]) An array of plugin action links. By default, this can include ‘activate’, ‘deactivate’, and ‘delete’. With Multisite active this can also include ‘network_active’ and ‘network_only’ items.
• $plugin_file : (string) Path to the plugin file relative to the plugins directory.
• $plugin_data : (array) An array of plugin data. See `get_plugin_data()` and the ‘plugin_row_meta’ filter for the list of possible values.
• $context : (string) The plugin context. By default, this can include ‘all’, ‘active’, ‘inactive’, ‘recently_activated’, ‘upgrade’, ‘mustuse’, ‘dropins’, and ‘search’.

Live Example

Add Settings Link to Plugin Actions

This example adds a settings link to the plugin actions.

/**
 * Add settings link to plugin actions
 *
 * @param  array  $plugin_actions
 * @param  string $plugin_file
 * @since  1.0
 * @return array
 */
function weplugins_add_plugin_link( $plugin_actions, $plugin_file ) {
    if ( 'comment-limiter/comment-limiter.php' === $plugin_file ) {
        $plugin_actions['settings'] = sprintf( '<a href="%s">%s</a>', esc_url( admin_url( 'options-general.php?page=comment-limiter' ) ), __( 'Settings', 'comment-limiter' ) );
    }
    return $plugin_actions;
}
add_filter( 'plugin_action_links', 'weplugins_add_plugin_link', 10, 2 );

Modify Plugin Action Links

Below is an example of how you can use this hook to modify plugin action links.

function weplugins_modify_plugin_action_links_defaults($actions, $plugin_file, $plugin_data, $context) { 
    // Update the $actions variable according to your website requirements and return this variable. 
    // You can modify the $actions variable conditionally too if you want.
    return $actions; 
}
// add the filter
add_filter( "plugin_action_links", "weplugins_modify_plugin_action_links_defaults", 10, 4 );

Remove a Hook Callback

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

remove_filter( "plugin_action_links", "weplugins_modify_plugin_action_links_defaults", 10, 4 );

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

Contact Us

If you need any customization or if you’re having any trouble using this hook, please contact our WordPress Development Team and we’d be happy to assist you.