Using WordPress ‘esc_attr_e()’ PHP function

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The esc_attr_e() WordPress PHP function displays translated text that has been safely escaped for use in an attribute. It encodes characters like <, >, &, “, ‘ (less than, greater than, ampersand, double quote, single quote) to prevent security vulnerabilities. This function will never double encode entities.

Usage

esc_attr_e($text, $domain);

In this example, $text is the text you want to translate and escape, and $domain is the unique identifier for retrieving translated strings. If the $domain is not specified, it defaults to ‘default’.

Parameters

  • $text (string) – This is the text you want to translate and escape. This parameter is required.
  • $domain (string) – This is a unique identifier for retrieving translated strings. This parameter is optional and defaults to ‘default’.

More information

See WordPress Developer Resources: esc_attr_e()
The esc_attr_e() function was implemented in WordPress 2.8.0. It is not deprecated and is actively used for safer handling and presentation of text.

Examples

Using esc_attr_e() in a form field

Let’s say you want to create a submit button and you want the title attribute to be a translated string. You could do it like this:

// In this case 'Read More' is the text to translate and 'your_text_domain' is the text domain
echo '<input title="';
esc_attr_e( 'Read More', 'your_text_domain' );
echo '" type="submit" value="submit" />';

Escaping and translating form labels

You might need to use translated strings as labels in your form. This example shows you how:

// 'Email Address' is the text to translate and 'your_text_domain' is the text domain
echo '<label>';
esc_attr_e( 'Email Address', 'your_text_domain' );
echo '</label>';

Using esc_attr_e() with default text domain

If you don’t specify a text domain, it defaults to ‘default’:

// 'Submit' is the text to translate
echo '<button>';
esc_attr_e( 'Submit' );
echo '</button>';

Escaping and translating text in hyperlink titles

This function can also be useful when adding titles to your hyperlinks:

// 'Click here' is the text to translate and 'your_text_domain' is the text domain
echo '<a href="#" title="';
esc_attr_e( 'Click here', 'your_text_domain' );
echo '">Link</a>';

Using esc_attr_e() in a custom function

You can also use this function within your own custom functions to ensure text is escaped and translated:

function custom_function($text, $domain) {
    echo '<p>';
    esc_attr_e( $text, $domain );
    echo '</p>';
}

// Call the custom function
custom_function('Hello, World!', 'your_text_domain');

In this example, ‘Hello, World!’ is the text to translate and ‘your_text_domain’ is the text domain.