How to use date_i18n filter in WordPress

date_i18n filter

Filters the date formatted based on the locale.

To use date_i18n 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_date_i18n_defaults which takes 4 parameters and we registered using add_filter. The first parameter date_i18n is the name of the hook, the second parameter weplugins_modify_date_i18n_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 date_i18n filter.

Parameters

Below are the 4 parameters required to use this hook.

• $date : (string) Formatted date string.
• $format : (string) Format to display the date.
• $timestamp : (int) A sum of Unix timestamp and timezone offset in seconds. Might be without offset if input omitted timestamp but requested GMT.
• $gmt : (bool) Whether to use GMT timezone. Only applies if timestamp was not provided. Default false.

Live Example 1: Basic Usage

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

	function weplugins_modify_date_i18n_defaults($date, $format, $timestamp, $gmt) { 
		// Update the $date variable according to your website requirements and return this variable. 
		// You can modify the $date variable conditionally too if you want.
		return $date; 
	}
	// add the filter
	add_filter("date_i18n", "weplugins_modify_date_i18n_defaults", 10, 4);
	

Live Example 2: Custom Date Format

In this example, we modify the date format to a custom format.

	function weplugins_custom_date_format($date, $format, $timestamp, $gmt) { 
		// Change the date format to 'd-m-Y' format
		$custom_format = date('d-m-Y', $timestamp);
		return $custom_format;
	}
	// add the filter
	add_filter("date_i18n", "weplugins_custom_date_format", 10, 4);
	

Live Example 3: Conditional Modification

In this example, we modify the date conditionally based on the timestamp.

	function weplugins_conditional_date_modification($date, $format, $timestamp, $gmt) { 
		// Modify the date only if the timestamp is a specific value
		if ($timestamp > strtotime('2023-01-01')) {
			$date = 'Modified Date';
		}
		return $date;
	}
	// add the filter
	add_filter("date_i18n", "weplugins_conditional_date_modification", 10, 4);
	

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

	remove_filter("date_i18n", "weplugins_modify_date_i18n_defaults", 10, 4);
	

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

Contact Us

If you’re having any trouble using this hook, please contact our team and we’d be happy to assist you.