How to use delete_option action in WordPress

delete_option action

Fires immediately before an option is deleted.

To use delete_option 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_delete_option_event which takes 1 parameter and we registered using add_action. The first parameter delete_option is the name of the hook, the second parameter weplugins_execute_on_delete_option_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_option action.

Parameters

Below the 1 parameter is required to use this hook.

• $option : (string) Name of the option to delete.

Live Example 1

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

        function weplugins_execute_on_delete_option_event($option){
            // 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_option", "weplugins_execute_on_delete_option_event" , 10, 1);
    

Live Example 2

To remove a hook callback, use the example below.

        remove_action( "delete_option", "weplugins_execute_on_delete_option_event", 10, 1 );
    

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

Live Example 3

You can also add more complex logic within the hook function, for example, logging the deletion event:

        function weplugins_log_delete_option_event($option){
            // Log the option deletion in a custom log file
            error_log("Option deleted: " . $option, 3, WP_CONTENT_DIR . "/deletion_log.log");
        }
        // add the action
        add_action( "delete_option", "weplugins_log_delete_option_event" , 10, 1);
    

Contact Us

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