How to use delete_attachment action in WordPress

delete_attachment action

Fires before an attachment is deleted, at the start of wp_delete_attachment().

To use delete_attachment 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 execute_on_delete_attachment_event which takes 2 parameters and we registered using add_action. The first parameter delete_attachment is the name of the hook, The second parameter execute_on_delete_attachment_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 delete_attachment action.

Parameters

Below are the 2 parameters required to use this hook.

• $post_id : (int) Attachment ID.
• $post : (WP_Post) Post object.

Live Examples

Example 1: Basic Usage of delete_attachment Hook

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

    function weplugins_execute_on_delete_attachment_event($post_id, $post) {
        // 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("delete_attachment", "weplugins_execute_on_delete_attachment_event", 10, 2);
    

Example 2: Removing the Hook Callback

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

    remove_action("delete_attachment", "weplugins_execute_on_delete_attachment_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: Logging Attachment Deletion

In this example, we log the attachment deletion event to a custom log file.

    function weplugins_log_attachment_deletion($post_id, $post) {
        $log_message = "Attachment Deleted: ID " . $post_id . ", Title " . $post->post_title;
        error_log($log_message, 3, WP_CONTENT_DIR . '/uploads/attachment_deletion.log');
    }
    add_action("delete_attachment", "weplugins_log_attachment_deletion", 10, 2);
    

Contact Us

If you’re having any trouble using this hook or need customization, please contact our WordPress Development Team and we’d be happy to assist you.