get_avatar filter in WordPress 4.4, how to filter properly

Question

Old code in my plugin replaced the get_avatar. It stopped working with the release of WP 4.4, therefore, I decided to try to learn how to use add_filter instead.

There are other posts discussing the number of arguments / parameters being passed, etc. I've even looked at WordPress plugins in the repository which use add_filter, however, even a stripped down file is only loading the $avatar_defaults rather than the add_filter location.

Here is my "stripped down" version to test how to filter get_avatar. You'll see the method set_avatar should try to load a test.png but instead is loading the xenforo_logo.og.png for any non-Gravatar account.

class XenWord_Avatars {

    public function construct() {
        $this->hooks();
    }

    public function hooks() {
        add_filter( 'get_avatar', array( $this, 'set_avatar' ), 10, 5 );
    }

    public function set_avatar( $avatar, $id_or_email, $size, $default, $alt ) {

        if ( is_admin() ) {
            $screen = get_current_screen();
            if ( is_object($screen) && in_array( $screen->id, array( 'dashboard', 'edit-comments' ) ) && $default == 'mm') {
                $default = get_option( 'avatar_default', 'mystery' );
            }
        }

        if ( $default != 'XenForo' ) {
            return $avatar;
        }

        if ( $default == 'XenForo' ) {

            $newAvatar = plugins_url( '../admin/images/test.png', __FILE__ );
            return $newAvatar;
        }

        return $avatar;
    }

}

$xenword_avatars = new XenWord_Avatars();

/**
 * Add Custom Avatar (Discussion Settings)
 *
 * @param $avatar_defaults
 *
 * @return mixed
 * @throws Zend_Exception
 */
 function xenword_avatar_defaults( $avatar_defaults ) {

    // Get Avatar from plugin folder
    $new_avatar = plugins_url( '../admin/images/xenforo_logo.og.png', __FILE__ );
    $avatar_defaults[$new_avatar] = "XenForo";

    // Remove default avatars
    //unset ( $avatar_defaults['mystery'] );
    //unset ( $avatar_defaults['blank'] );
    //unset ( $avatar_defaults['gravatar_default'] );
    //unset ( $avatar_defaults['identicon'] );
    //unset ( $avatar_defaults['wavatar'] );
    //unset ( $avatar_defaults['monsterid'] );
    //unset ( $avatar_defaults['retro'] );
    return $avatar_defaults;
}

add_filter( 'avatar_defaults', 'xenword_avatar_defaults' );

Can anyone see anything obviously wrong with what is done in the above code? Once I figure out what is wrong then I can extend this method so that it gets the avatar from XenForo based on the user account.

Answer 1

Hopefully this will help someone else in the future.

Number of Parameters

Change the number of parameters in the set_avatar method to 6. The $args was added as the 6th.

Fix the options-discussion.php page

Next, the options-discussion.php page wasn't showing avatars properly and so the is_admin block of code needed to be added.

    public function set_avatar( $avatar, $id_or_email, $size = '96', $default = '', $alt = false, $args ) {

        if ( ! get_option( 'show_avatars' ) ) {
             return false;
        }

        // Properly show Avatars and Gravatars on the options-discussion.php page
        if ( is_admin() ) {
            $screen = get_current_screen();
            if ( is_object( $screen ) && in_array( $screen->id, array( 'dashboard', 'options-discussion' ) ) && ( $default != 'XenForo' ) ) {
                return $avatar;
            }
        }
    }

Debug in many places to check is_numeric, is_object, etc.

Next, a Zend_debug showed $id_or_email an object was being returned and this helped tremendously. In each of the conditionals, work to the $id.

After the conditional, use the $id to grab userinfo, and ultimately the URL ($out).

Return $avatar

The return $avatar is important, therefore, the ending lines require setting a url ($out).

        $avatar = "<img alt='{$safe_alt}' src='{$out}' class='avatar avatar-{$size} photo' height='{$size}' width='{$size}' />";
        return $avatar;

I hope this helps others trying to filter avatars rather than replace the get_avatar.