How to use pre_insert_term filter in WordPress

Have you ever wanted to customize the way terms are inserted into your WordPress database? Well, the pre_insert_term filter is here to help! This nifty hook lets you modify a term before it’s sanitized and added to the database. You can use this hook by registering it with add_filter in your theme’s functions.php file or better yet, in a custom WordPress Plugin. At WePlugins, we always recommend creating a custom plugin to keep your customizations safe during theme updates.

Sometimes, you might even need to remove a registered hook, and that’s where remove_filter comes into play.

Parameters

Below are the 2 parameters required to use this hook:

• $term : (string|WP_Error) The term name to add, or a WP_Error object if there’s an error.
• $taxonomy : (string) Taxonomy slug.

Live Example 1: Basic Usage

Let’s see how you can use the pre_insert_term hook to modify a term before insertion.

    function weplugins_modify_pre_insert_term_defaults($term, $taxonomy) { 
        // Update the $term variable according to your website requirements and return this variable.
        return $term; 
    }
    // add the filter
    add_filter( "pre_insert_term", "weplugins_modify_pre_insert_term_defaults", 10, 2 );
    

Live Example 2: Conditional Modification

Here’s how you can conditionally change the term based on the taxonomy.

    function weplugins_conditional_modify_term($term, $taxonomy) { 
        if ($taxonomy == 'category') {
            $term = 'Modified Category Term';
        }
        return $term; 
    }
    // add the filter
    add_filter( "pre_insert_term", "weplugins_conditional_modify_term", 10, 2 );
    

Live Example 3: Removing a Hook

To remove a hook callback, use the example below. Make sure to provide the same callback function name, priority, and number of arguments while removing the hook callback.

    remove_filter( "pre_insert_term", "weplugins_modify_pre_insert_term_defaults", 10, 2 );
    

Contact Us

If you’re having any trouble using this hook or need some customization, feel free to contact us. We’re here to help!