How to Get a List of Hooks in a WordPress Plugin

Introduction In WordPress, hooks are used to modify or extend the functionality of themes and plugins. They are divided into two types: Actions: Allow executing custom code at specific points (e.g., init, wp_footer). Filters: Modify data before it is displayed (e.g., the_content, wp_title). If you're working with a plugin and need to find its hooks, here are several methods to list them. 1. Manually Searching the Plugin Files One of the simplest ways is searching for add_action() and add_filter() inside the plugin’s files. Using Terminal (Linux/macOS) grep -r "add_action" /path/to/plugin/ grep -r "add_filter" /path/to/plugin/ Using Command Prompt (Windows) findstr /S /I "add_action" "C:\path\to\plugin\." findstr /S /I "add_filter" "C:\path\to\plugin\." Using a Code Editor VS Code: Press Ctrl + Shift + F and search add_action or add_filter. Notepad++: Use Find in Files (Ctrl + Shift + F). 2. Using a Debugging Plugin Plugins like Query Monitor can help list active hooks. Steps to Use Query Monitor Install and activate Query Monitor. Open your website and inspect the Query Monitor panel. Navigate to the Hooks & Actions section to see executed hooks. 3. Logging Hooks with Custom Code To capture hooks in real-time, you can log them using: function log_all_hooks($hook) { error_log($hook); // Save to debug.log } add_action('all', 'log_all_hooks');

Feb 21, 2025 - 23:59

In WordPress, hooks are used to modify or extend the functionality of themes and plugins. They are divided into two types:

Actions: Allow executing custom code at specific points (e.g., init, wp_footer).
Filters: Modify data before it is displayed (e.g., the_content, wp_title).

If you're working with a plugin and need to find its hooks, here are several methods to list them.

One of the simplest ways is searching for add_action() and add_filter() inside the plugin’s files.

grep -r "add_action" /path/to/plugin/
grep -r "add_filter" /path/to/plugin/

findstr /S /I "add_action" "C:\path\to\plugin\*.*"
findstr /S /I "add_filter" "C:\path\to\plugin\*.*"

Plugins like Query Monitor can help list active hooks.

To capture hooks in real-time, you can log them using:

function log_all_hooks($hook) {
    error_log($hook);  // Save to debug.log
}
add_action('all', 'log_all_hooks');