How to use plugins_url filter in WordPress

plugins_url filter

Filters the URL to the plugins directory.

To use the `plugins_url` 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_plugins_url_defaults` which takes 3 parameters and we registered using `add_filter`. The first parameter `plugins_url` is the name of the hook, the second parameter `weplugins_modify_plugins_url_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 `plugins_url` filter.

Parameters

Below are the 3 parameters required to use this hook.

• $url: (string) The complete URL to the plugins directory including scheme and path.
• $path: (string) Path relative to the URL to the plugins directory. Blank string if no path is specified.
• $plugin: (string) The plugin file path to be relative to. Blank string if no plugin is specified.

Live Example 1: Basic URL Modification

In this example, we will modify the URL of the plugins directory to meet specific requirements.

function weplugins_modify_plugins_url_defaults($url, $path, $plugin) { 
    // Update the $url variable according to your website requirements and return this variable. You can modify the $url variable conditionally too if you want.
    return $url; 
}
// add the filter
add_filter("plugins_url", "weplugins_modify_plugins_url_defaults", 10, 3);

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

remove_filter("plugins_url", "weplugins_modify_plugins_url_defaults", 10, 3);

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

Live Example 2: Conditional URL Modification

This example demonstrates how to modify the URL conditionally based on the plugin’s path.

function weplugins_modify_plugins_url_conditionally($url, $path, $plugin) { 
    if (strpos($plugin, 'specific-plugin') !== false) {
        // Modify URL for specific plugin
        $url = 'https://example.com/specific-plugin/';
    }
    return $url; 
}
// add the filter
add_filter("plugins_url", "weplugins_modify_plugins_url_conditionally", 10, 3);

Live Example 3: Adding Query Parameters to URL

In this example, we add query parameters to the URL for additional functionality.

function weplugins_modify_plugins_url_add_query($url, $path, $plugin) { 
    // Add query parameters to the URL
    $url = add_query_arg('version', '1.0', $url);
    return $url; 
}
// add the filter
add_filter("plugins_url", "weplugins_modify_plugins_url_add_query", 10, 3);

If you’re having any trouble using this hook, please feel free to reach out.

Contact Us

If you need any customization or help with this hook, contact us.