Yoast Metadata API to adjust/override the meta description

Question

I wanted to use the following function to override the Yoast meta description:

add_filter('wpseo_metadesc','custom_meta');
function custom_meta( $desc ){

    if (/* do your test here to check template or any other values*/) {
        $desc = "Change the description";
    } 

    return $desc;
}

However, Yoast SEO support recommends the Metadata API.

From this page, I understand I can use the wpseo_metadesc filter to adjust the Meta_Description_Presenter, but I am unsure how it is done; I am not a programmer.

I'd love some assistance to create some functions.php code that will grab the first 160 characters of the content if the meta description hasn't been set already.

Help appreciated. Steve

Answer 1

I think you're on the right track here. You can use the wpseo_metadesc filter to alter the meta description any way you want. Check out below code, maybe it'll help you with your function.

add_filter( 'wpseo_metadesc', 'my_custom_meta_description' );
function my_custom_meta_description($description) {
    if ( !$description || empty($description) ) {
        global $post;
        $content = get_the_content($post->ID);
        if ( $content && !empty($content) ) {
            $description = substr($content, 0, 160);
        }
    }
    return $description;
}

I haven't tested the function so you may need to customize it for your need.