In WordPress theme and development, Hooks are purposes that can be useful to an Action or a Filter in WordPress. Actions and Filters in WordPress are purposes that can be developed by theme and plugin designers to modify the default WordPress functionality. Functions used to adjust Actions/Filters in WordPress can be hooked into WordPress.
However, it is vital to note that actions and filters are not similar. Action hooks are functions accomplished when a certain event occurs in WordPress. Filter hooks allow you to change definite functions. The difference of opinion used to hook both filters and actions look the same. But they are diverse in functionality and how they act.
The motive of the Hooks
The main purpose of hooks is to run a function by itself. Besides, this method also has the facility to modify, spread, or limit the functionality of a theme or plugin.
Sometimes hooks are used in making the plugin mechanism of an application. It is not only used in content management systems (CMS) like WordPress but usually it is used in e-commerce and other sites, which is an enterprise.
Hooks are classified into two groups – action and filter. For adding any process action hook is used, while filter hook functions to alter or develop the value of a process.
How to Use Hooks in WordPress?
Using hooks in WordPress needs knowledge of HTML and PHP Developer. Even though you are a complete novice, creating both action and filter hooks might not be as tough as you think. You only have to visit your post page, then shift to the text editor. When you have reached there, you can paste the hooks which you have copied from other sites, or you can paste the hooks created by yourself.
How to Unlock Action and Filter Hooks?
If you want to deactivate the command from add_action or add_filter in your WordPress code, then you can apply remove_action and remove_filter. These codes are usually a way to eliminate particular actions or filter functions. It helps you to alter a plugin that has too many needless hooks, which might disturb your site’s optimization. It can come to your mind that why not just remove these needless codes? Well, it certainly is a doable option if you apply your codes. However, in WordPress, you sometimes work with someone else’s plugins or themes. It means that you are creating a threat or lethal error if you delete the improper lines.
Why the Need for Hooks?
Hooks are created into WordPress and are used to change or add any functionality to the main system. Let’s assume for a second that there is no option of hooks in WordPress, and let’s also assume that you work with a lot of scheduled posts, and you would like to send an email to yourself when a post is published. How would you do that? Without hooks, you won’t be able to edit the main files. Then you would look for the code that is answerable for publishing a post, and just after the activity that acts, you would paste your code.
This is detrimental for various reasons. The two big ones are updates and unmanageable code. If you edit core WordPress files, your code will act just fine but will be deleted, when you update WordPress to the developed version. You would have to remember or check all of your modifications and then put them back in. Alternatively, you just don’t update WordPress, but that can cause your risk in the future. Even if you do try to keep a record of changes and update WordPress, you are left with a non-standard situation with unmanageable code.
