The excerpt_length hook is a WordPress filter that allows you to modify the length of the excerpt for your posts. By default, WordPress limits the length of the excerpt to 55 words. However, you can use this hook to change that limit to suit your needs.
The excerpt_length hook takes a single parameter: the default length of the excerpt in words. By modifying this value, you can control how long or short your excerpts will be. This is particularly useful if you want to display a specific amount of content in your excerpts, such as displaying a short preview of a blog post.
To use the excerpt_length hook, you need to add a custom function to your WordPress theme’s functions.php file. In this function, you can modify the default excerpt length as desired. Here’s an example code snippet that sets the excerpt length to 30 words:
function custom_excerpt_length($length) {
return 30;
}
add_filter('excerpt_length', 'custom_excerpt_length');In the above code, the custom_excerpt_length function is defined to change the default excerpt length to 30 words. Then, the add_filter function is used to hook this custom function onto the excerpt_length filter.
Once you’ve added this code to your theme’s functions.php file, the excerpt length for your posts will be adjusted accordingly. You can modify the value in the custom_excerpt_length function to set a different length for your excerpts.
Remember, the excerpt_length hook is a powerful tool for customizing the length of your post excerpts in WordPress, allowing you to provide just the right amount of information to your readers.