How to use previous_posts_link_attributes filter in WordPress

Alright folks, let’s talk about the previous_posts_link_attributes filter. This nifty little hook lets you tweak the anchor tag attributes for the previous posts page link. If you’ve ever wanted to customize those attributes, this is the hook for you!

To get started with the previous_posts_link_attributes filter, you first need to register it using add_filter. You can do this in the functions.php file of your active theme or, better yet, in a custom WordPress plugin. At WePlugins, we always recommend creating a custom plugin so your changes remain intact even if you update your theme in the future.

In the examples below, we define a function called weplugins_modify_previous_posts_link_attributes_defaults which takes one parameter. We then register this function using add_filter. Remember, if you ever need to remove a registered hook, you can use remove_filter to remove the previous_posts_link_attributes filter.

Live Example 1

Here’s a basic example of how you can use this hook:

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

Live Example 2

Let’s say you want to add a custom class to the anchor tag:

    function weplugins_custom_previous_posts_link_class($attributes) {
        // Add custom class to the attributes
        $attributes .= ' class="custom-class"';
        return $attributes;
    }
    // Add the filter
    add_filter( "previous_posts_link_attributes", "weplugins_custom_previous_posts_link_class", 10, 1 );
    

Live Example 3

Or maybe you want to add a data attribute for some JavaScript functionality:

    function weplugins_custom_previous_posts_link_data($attributes) {
        // Add custom data attribute
        $attributes .= ' data-custom="value"';
        return $attributes;
    }
    // Add the filter
    add_filter( "previous_posts_link_attributes", "weplugins_custom_previous_posts_link_data", 10, 1 );
    

If you ever need to remove a hook callback, here’s how you can do it:

    remove_filter( "previous_posts_link_attributes", "weplugins_modify_previous_posts_link_attributes_defaults", 10, 1 );
    

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