The get_the_modified_date WordPress PHP filter allows you to modify the date a post was last updated.
Usage
add_filter('get_the_modified_date', 'your_custom_function', 10, 3);
function your_custom_function($the_time, $format, $post) {
// your custom code here
return $the_time;
}
Parameters
$the_time(string|int|false) – The formatted date or false if no post is found.$format(string) – PHP date format.$post(WP_Post|null) – WP_Post object or null if no post is found.
More information
See WordPress Developer Resources: get_the_modified_date
Examples
Change date format
Change the modified date format to a custom format.
add_filter('get_the_modified_date', 'change_modified_date_format', 10, 3);
function change_modified_date_format($the_time, $format, $post) {
$new_format = 'F j, Y';
$the_time = get_post_modified_time($new_format, false, $post, true);
return $the_time;
}
Append custom text
Add custom text before the modified date.
add_filter('get_the_modified_date', 'append_custom_text', 10, 3);
function append_custom_text($the_time, $format, $post) {
$custom_text = 'Last updated on: ';
return $custom_text . $the_time;
}
Add custom timezone
Display the modified date in a custom timezone.
add_filter('get_the_modified_date', 'custom_timezone_modified_date', 10, 3);
function custom_timezone_modified_date($the_time, $format, $post) {
$timezone = 'America/New_York';
$date_obj = new DateTime(get_post_modified_time('Y-m-d H:i:s', true, $post), new DateTimeZone('UTC'));
$date_obj->setTimezone(new DateTimeZone($timezone));
return $date_obj->format($format);
}
Display human-readable date
Show the modified date in a human-readable format, like “2 days ago”.
add_filter('get_the_modified_date', 'human_readable_modified_date', 10, 3);
function human_readable_modified_date($the_time, $format, $post) {
$modified_time = get_post_modified_time('U', true, $post);
return human_time_diff($modified_time) . ' ago';
}
Hide modified date for specific posts
Hide the modified date for specific post IDs.
add_filter('get_the_modified_date', 'hide_modified_date_for_specific_posts', 10, 3);
function hide_modified_date_for_specific_posts($the_time, $format, $post) {
$hidden_post_ids = array(1, 2, 3);
if (in_array($post->ID, $hidden_post_ids)) {
return '';
}
return $the_time;
}