*Just curious* I erroneously used hook add_action() instead of add_filter() and there was no error and the result was correct. Why is that?

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While working on a project I used the incorrect hook type add_action() which does not exist, yet there was no error notice and the correct result returned. I only realized it was wrong while searching for the method along with the $hook_name name in the package and it was not found, and when I checked the code reference page, it showed that it is add_filter().

Why does it still work?

1 Answer
1

add_action() uses add_filter() behind the hood.

function add_action( $hook_name, $callback, $priority = 10, $accepted_args = 1 ) {
    return add_filter( $hook_name, $callback, $priority, $accepted_args );
}

Source: https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/add_action/

So basically it doesn’t matter if you use add_filter or add_action.
But it doesn’t mean you should, using the appropriate function for a event will make your code easier to follow and understand, if you always use add_filter or add_action for every single event it can create a lot of confusion.

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