WordPress Plugin API – Introduction & Registering Event Hooks

The Event (hook) Management System, which is part of the Plugin API, is a crucial component of WordPress. It is what allows you as a developer to extend, modify, and enhance the WordPress Core by hooking into the code when an event fires. It allows you to interact with it and each other’s custom plugins and themes. Understanding this component and each of the constructs available within it is essential for you to successfully build custom websites. In this hands-on lab, you will learn about the Plugin API, Event Management System within it, and the hook registration process.

What You Will Learn

In this lab, you will learn:

• What hooks are and why they exist
• Difference between an action and filter hook event
• How callbacks are registered
• Why the priority level is important
• Getting some arguments back to work with

Prerequisites

In order to do this lab, you will need your local sandbox site spun up and ready to go. See this Help Center article to get your sandbox ready.

These Docx will help you as you go through the WordPress source code:

• PHP data type: array
• PHP construct: callables
• PHP construct: callback

What to Do Next?

Coming Soon

WordPress Plugin API – Loading Plugins

WordPress auto discovers the main plugin file for each plugin and then loads it. How does it do this? How does it know which file is the main one in your plugin directory? In this Pro Lab, you'll go into WordPress Core, walk through the code, and then reverse engineer it. This lab will help you to know how your plugin files are being read, discovered, and loaded.

Learn more

Check out the WordPress Fundamentals Library for more hands-on labs, insights, Docx, and more.

Check out the series page for more labs: WordPress Event-Driven (Hook) Engine