[Support request] Replace/Filter the_content if post is in parent OR child categories

[Tesco]

I have two parent categories in my site. Each one has several child categories.

How can I replace/filter the_content if the post is inside a parent OR it’s child categories in the single.php?

[David]

Hi there,

you could create a helper function eg.

function db_category_has_parent() {
    $categories = get_the_category();
    if ($categories[0]->category_parent > 0) {
        return true;
    }
    return false;
}

This will check if the post category HAS a parent ( ie. its a child ).

Then you can use that in your the_content filter eg.

function my_content_filter_function( $content ) {
    // If single post and category has parent
    if ( is_single() && 'post' == get_post_type() && db_category_has_parent() = ) {
        // do something for child category post
    }
    // if single post in parent category 
    if ( is_single() && 'post' == get_post_type() && !db_category_has_parent() = ) {
        // do something for parent category post
    }
    return $content;
}
add_filter( 'the_content', 'my_content_filter_function');

[Tesco]

Can I replace the_content() completely by any other thing when I need?

I need to do something like this:

function my_content_filter_function( $content ) {
// If single post and category has parent
if ( is_single() && ‘post’ == get_post_type() && db_category_has_parent() = ) {
// here I will do something without calling the_content()
echo ‘blá, blá, blá…’;
}
// if single post in parent category
if ( is_single() && ‘post’ == get_post_type() && !db_category_has_parent() = ) {
// here I will do something BUT I will also call the_content()
echo ‘blá, blá, blá…’;
echo the_content();
}
return $content;
}
add_filter( ‘the_content’, ‘my_content_filter_function’);

[David]

Don’t use echo in your conditions. Just load the $content variable with what you need and then return it.
eg.

function my_content_filter_function( $content ) {
    // If single post and category has parent
    if ( is_single() && 'post' == get_post_type() && db_category_has_parent() = ) {
        // do something for child category post
        $content = 'this replaces the content';
    }
    // if single post in parent category 
    if ( is_single() && 'post' == get_post_type() && !db_category_has_parent() = ) {
        // do something for parent category post
        $content = 'this will be added before the content' . $content;
    }
    return $content;
}
add_filter( 'the_content', 'my_content_filter_function');

[Tesco]

Not quite what I expected…

What I need is to manipulate the order where the_content renders

eg.

    // let's suppose that I have 3 variables:
       $string-one ="this is the first text";
       $string-two ="this is the second text";
       $string-three = $content;
    if ( is_single() && 'post' == get_post_type() && db_category_has_parent() = ) {
        // do something for child category post
       $content = $string-one;
       $content = $content;
       $content = $string-two;
    }

OR

$content = $string-two;
 $content = $string-one;
 $content = $content;

[David]

As an aside this is NOT theme related, and there is only so far i can go in teaching how PHP and WordPress functions work.

the_content function can only be rendered once on a post.

the_content filter hook aka add_filter( 'the_content', 'my_content_filter_function'); expects there to be one value returned to it. In your function callback that value is stored in $content

If you want to combine multiple strings then you can use the concatenate operator .:

https://www.php.net/manual/en/language.operators.string.php

For example:

$content = $string-one . $content . $string-two;

or

$content = $string-one . $string-two . $content;

[Tesco]

$content = $string-one . $content . $string-two;
return $content;

I already tried that but it’s not respecting the order… It always show’s $content for last

[David]

Then thats something up with your code.
This is an example of how it works:

function my_content_filter_function( $content ) {

    $string_one = 'this is string one';
    $string_two = 'this is string two';
    if ( is_single() ) {
        $content = $string_one . $content . $string_two;
    }
    return $content;
	
}
add_filter( 'the_content', 'my_content_filter_function');

And that works.

[Author]

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