How to use plugin_auto_update_debug_string filter in WordPress

plugin_auto_update_debug_string Filter

Filters the text string of the auto-updates setting for each plugin in the Site Health debug data.

To use the plugin_auto_update_debug_string 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_plugin_auto_update_debug_string_defaults which takes 4 parameters and we registered it using add_filter. The first parameter plugin_auto_update_debug_string is the name of the hook, the second parameter weplugins_modify_plugin_auto_update_debug_string_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 plugin_auto_update_debug_string filter.

Parameters

Below are the 4 parameters required to use this hook.

• $auto_updates_string : (string) The string output for the auto-updates column.
• $plugin_path : (string) The path to the plugin file.
• $plugin : (array) An array of plugin data.
• $enabled : (bool) Whether auto-updates are enabled for this item.

Live Example

apply_filters('plugin_auto_update_debug_string', string $auto_updates_string, string $plugin_path, array $plugin, bool $enabled)

Example 1: Simple Modification

Below is an example of how you can use this hook to modify the auto-updates string.

    function weplugins_modify_plugin_auto_update_debug_string_defaults($auto_updates_string, $plugin_path, $plugin, $enabled) {
        // Update the $auto_updates_string variable according to your website requirements and return this variable.
        // You can modify the $auto_updates_string variable conditionally too if you want.
        return $auto_updates_string;
    }
    // add the filter
    add_filter("plugin_auto_update_debug_string", "weplugins_modify_plugin_auto_update_debug_string_defaults", 10, 4);
    

Example 2: Conditional Modification

In this example, the auto-updates string is modified only for specific plugins.

    function weplugins_modify_plugin_auto_update_debug_string_conditionally($auto_updates_string, $plugin_path, $plugin, $enabled) {
        if ($plugin['Name'] == 'Specific Plugin Name') {
            $auto_updates_string = 'Auto-updates are enabled for this plugin.';
        }
        return $auto_updates_string;
    }
    // add the filter
    add_filter("plugin_auto_update_debug_string", "weplugins_modify_plugin_auto_update_debug_string_conditionally", 10, 4);
    

Example 3: Removing the Hook

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

    // remove the filter
    remove_filter("plugin_auto_update_debug_string", "weplugins_modify_plugin_auto_update_debug_string_defaults", 10, 4);
    

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

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