How to use pre_comment_author_url filter in WordPress

pre_comment_author_url filter

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

To use pre_comment_author_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_pre_comment_author_url_defaults which takes 1 parameter and we registered using add_filter. The first parameter pre_comment_author_url is the name of the hook, the second parameter weplugins_modify_pre_comment_author_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 pre_comment_author_url filter.

Parameters

Below the 1 parameter is required to use this hook.

• $author_url_cookie : (string) The comment author URL cookie.

Live Example

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

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

Example 1: Basic Usage

This example shows the basic usage of the pre_comment_author_url filter.

    function weplugins_modify_pre_comment_author_url_defaults($author_url_cookie) {
        return $author_url_cookie;
    }
    add_filter( "pre_comment_author_url", "weplugins_modify_pre_comment_author_url_defaults", 10, 1 );
    

Example 2: Conditional Modification

In this example, the URL is modified only if it meets certain conditions.

    function weplugins_modify_pre_comment_author_url_conditional($author_url_cookie) {
        if (strpos($author_url_cookie, 'example.com') !== false) {
            $author_url_cookie = 'https://new-example.com';
        }
        return $author_url_cookie;
    }
    add_filter( "pre_comment_author_url", "weplugins_modify_pre_comment_author_url_conditional", 10, 1 );
    

Example 3: Logging URL Changes

This example logs the URL changes for debugging purposes.

    function weplugins_modify_pre_comment_author_url_logging($author_url_cookie) {
        error_log('Original URL: ' . $author_url_cookie);
        $author_url_cookie = 'https://new-url.com';
        error_log('Modified URL: ' . $author_url_cookie);
        return $author_url_cookie;
    }
    add_filter( "pre_comment_author_url", "weplugins_modify_pre_comment_author_url_logging", 10, 1 );
    

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

    remove_filter( "pre_comment_author_url", "weplugins_modify_pre_comment_author_url_defaults", 10, 1 );
    

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.