How to use pre_update_option filter in WordPress

pre_update_option filter

Filters an option before its value is (maybe) serialized and updated.

To use pre_update_option 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_update_option_defaults which takes 3 parameters, and we registered it using add_filter. The first parameter pre_update_option is the name of the hook, the second parameter weplugins_modify_pre_update_option_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_update_option filter.

Parameters

Below are the 3 parameters required to use this hook.

• $value : (mixed) The new, unserialized option value.
• $option : (string) Name of the option.
• $old_value : (mixed) The old option value.

Live Example

apply_filters( 'pre_update_option', mixed $value, string $option, mixed $old_value )

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

Example 1: Modifying Option Value

In this example, we modify the option value before it’s saved.

    function weplugins_modify_pre_update_option_defaults($value, $option, $old_value) { 
        // Update the $value variable according to your website requirements and return this variable. 
        // You can modify the $value variable conditionally too if you want.
        return $value; 
    }
    // add the filter
    add_filter( "pre_update_option", "weplugins_modify_pre_update_option_defaults", 10, 3 );
    

Example 2: Conditional Value Modification

This example shows how to conditionally modify the option value before saving it.

    function weplugins_conditional_pre_update_option($value, $option, $old_value) { 
        if ($option == 'specific_option_name') {
            // Modify $value if the option is 'specific_option_name'
            $value = 'new_value';
        }
        return $value; 
    }
    // add the filter
    add_filter( "pre_update_option", "weplugins_conditional_pre_update_option", 10, 3 );
    

Example 3: Logging Option Changes

This example demonstrates how to log the changes of an option before it’s saved.

    function weplugins_log_pre_update_option($value, $option, $old_value) { 
        error_log("Option {$option} is being updated from {$old_value} to {$value}");
        return $value; 
    }
    // add the filter
    add_filter( "pre_update_option", "weplugins_log_pre_update_option", 10, 3 );
    

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

remove_filter( "pre_update_option", "weplugins_modify_pre_update_option_defaults", 10, 3 );

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