How to use pre_comment_author_name filter in WordPress

pre_comment_author_name filter

When this filter hook is evaluated in wp_filter_comment(), the comment author’s name string is passed.

To use pre_comment_author_name 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_pre_comment_author_name_defaults which takes 1 parameter and we registered using add_filter. The first parameter pre_comment_author_name is the name of the hook, the second parameter weplugins_modify_pre_comment_author_name_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 pre_comment_author_name filter.

Parameters

• $author_cookie : (string) The comment author name cookie.

Live Example

Example 1: Basic Usage

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

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

Example 2: Conditional Modification

This example demonstrates how to conditionally modify the comment author name.

    function weplugins_modify_pre_comment_author_name_conditional($author_cookie) {
        if($author_cookie == 'Anonymous') {
            $author_cookie = 'Guest';
        }
        return $author_cookie;
    }
    // add the filter
    add_filter("pre_comment_author_name", "weplugins_modify_pre_comment_author_name_conditional", 10, 1);
    

Example 3: Removing the Hook

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

    remove_filter("pre_comment_author_name", "weplugins_modify_pre_comment_author_name_defaults", 10, 1);
    

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

Contact Us

If you need customization or are having any trouble using this hook, please contact us and we’d be happy to assist you.