Using WordPress ‘get_comment_author’ PHP filter

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The get_comment_author WordPress PHP filter allows you to modify the comment author’s name before it’s displayed on your website.

Usage

add_filter('get_comment_author', 'your_custom_function', 10, 3);
function your_custom_function($author, $comment_id, $comment) {
  // your custom code here
  return $author;
}

Parameters

  • $author (string) – The comment author’s username.
  • $comment_id (string) – The comment ID as a numeric string.
  • $comment (WP_Comment) – The comment object.

More information

See WordPress Developer Resources: get_comment_author

Examples

Anonymize Comment Author

Replace the author’s name with “Anonymous” for all comments.

add_filter('get_comment_author', 'anonymize_comment_author', 10, 3);
function anonymize_comment_author($author, $comment_id, $comment) {
  return 'Anonymous';
}

Add User Role to Comment Author

Display the user’s role next to their name in the comments.

add_filter('get_comment_author', 'add_user_role_to_comment_author', 10, 3);
function add_user_role_to_comment_author($author, $comment_id, $comment) {
  $user = get_user_by('email', $comment->comment_author_email);
  if ($user) {
    $user_role = ucfirst(array_shift($user->roles));
    $author = $author . ' (' . $user_role . ')';
  }
  return $author;
}

Highlight Admin Comments

Add “Admin” in bold next to the admin’s name in comments.

add_filter('get_comment_author', 'highlight_admin_comments', 10, 3);
function highlight_admin_comments($author, $comment_id, $comment) {
  if (user_can($comment->user_id, 'manage_options')) {
    $author = $author . ' **(Admin)**';
  }
  return $author;
}

Replace Name with Custom Field

Display a custom field value instead of the author’s name.

add_filter('get_comment_author', 'replace_name_with_custom_field', 10, 3);
function replace_name_with_custom_field($author, $comment_id, $comment) {
  $custom_name = get_comment_meta($comment_id, 'custom_name', true);
  if ($custom_name) {
    $author = $custom_name;
  }
  return $author;
}

Add Emoji to Comment Author

Add a smiley emoji to the end of the comment author’s name.

add_filter('get_comment_author', 'add_emoji_to_comment_author', 10, 3);
function add_emoji_to_comment_author($author, $comment_id, $comment) {
  return $author . ' 😊';
}