How to use pre_post_update action in WordPress

pre_post_update action

Fires immediately before an existing post is updated in the database.

To use the pre_post_update action, first you have to register it using add_action. 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_execute_on_pre_post_update_event which takes 2 parameters and we registered using add_action. The first parameter pre_post_update is the name of the hook, the second parameter weplugins_execute_on_pre_post_update_event 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_action to remove the pre_post_update action.

Parameters

Below are the 2 parameters required to use this hook.

• $post_ID : (int) Post ID.
• $data : (array) Array of unslashed post data.

Live Example

Example 1: Basic Usage

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

    function weplugins_execute_on_pre_post_update_event($post_ID, $data){
        // You can write code here to be executed when this action occurs in WordPress.
        // Use the parameters received in the function arguments & implement the required additional custom functionality according to your website requirements.
    }
    // add the action
    add_action( "pre_post_update", "weplugins_execute_on_pre_post_update_event" , 10, 2);
    

Example 2: Removing a Hook

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

    remove_action( "pre_post_update", "weplugins_execute_on_pre_post_update_event", 10, 2 );
    

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

Example 3: Custom Functionality

Here’s how you can add custom functionality when a post is updated.

    function weplugins_custom_pre_post_update_event($post_ID, $data){
        // Custom functionality to run before a post is updated
        error_log("Post with ID " . $post_ID . " is about to be updated.");
    }
    // add the action
    add_action( "pre_post_update", "weplugins_custom_pre_post_update_event" , 10, 2);
    

Contact Us

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