Can wp_list_comments output into variable?

Question

Is there any way how to output wp_list_comments() into a variable?

Something like $output = wp_list_comments(array('reverse_top_level' => false ), $comments);

I am writing a plugin and it would be handy to use standard WordPress function instead of writing my own.

Answer 1

In the default usage this is impossible due to the nature of the default comment walker which always directly outputs. But the function allows to provide a custom walker.

Further reading about custom walkers: Codex Class reference example custom walker class

You could also use output buffering to save it into a variable (this is considered to be dirty):

ob_start();
wp_list_comments(array('reverse_top_level' => false ), $comments);
$variable = ob_get_clean();

Answer 2

According to Function Reference for wp_list_comments, you can set the arg Echo to false to return the list.

I imagine the default walker will not echo the code if this is set to false.

wp_list_comments(array('reverse_top_level' => false, 'echo' => false), $comments);