Using WordPress ‘format_to_post()’ PHP function

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The format_to_post() WordPress PHP function was formerly used to escape strings before inserting into the database. However, for many years now, it has not performed this function. Instead, the wpdb::prepare() function is recommended.

Usage

To use the format_to_post() function, simply pass the text that you want to format as an argument. Here’s a simple example:

$text = "Hello, World!";
$formatted_text = format_to_post($text);
echo $formatted_text;

Parameters

  • $content (string): This is the text that you want to format. It is a required parameter.

More Information

See WordPress Developer Resources: format_to_post()
This function is deprecated, and it is recommended to use wpdb::prepare() instead.

Examples

Formatting a Simple String

In this example, we are formatting a simple string using format_to_post().

$text = "Hello, World!";
$formatted_text = format_to_post($text);
echo $formatted_text;
// Output: Hello, World!

This code takes the string “Hello, World!”, formats it using format_to_post(), and then echoes out the formatted string.

Formatting a String with Special Characters

$text = "Hello, World! #$%^&*()";
$formatted_text = format_to_post($text);
echo $formatted_text;
// Output: Hello, World! #$%^&*()

This code formats a string with special characters and then echoes out the formatted string.

Formatting a String with HTML Tags

$text = "<h1>Hello, World!</h1>";
$formatted_text = format_to_post($text);
echo $formatted_text;
// Output: <h1>Hello, World!</h1>

This code formats a string with HTML tags and then echoes out the formatted string.

Formatting a Long String

$text = "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam nec tellus id libero mollis interdum.";
$formatted_text = format_to_post($text);
echo $formatted_text;
// Output: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam nec tellus id libero mollis interdum.

This code formats a long string and then echoes out the formatted string.

Formatting a String with White Spaces

$text = "Hello,     World!";
$formatted_text = format_to_post($text);
echo $formatted_text;
// Output: Hello,     World!

This code formats a string with extra white spaces and then echoes out the formatted string.