How to pass extra variables in URL with WordPress

📝 Blog Post - How to Pass Extra Variables in URL with WordPress

Are you struggling to pass an extra variable in the URL to your WordPress installation? 😫 Don't worry, you're not alone! Many WordPress users face this issue when trying to include additional information in their URLs. But fear not! In this blog post, we'll address common problems and provide you with easy solutions to pass those extra variables. Let's dive right in! 💪

The Issue: Extra Variables in the URL

One common scenario is when you want to pass an extra variable, such as "?c=123," in your URL. For example, /news?c=123. However, you might have noticed that it only works on the website root (www.example.com?c=123), but fails to work when the URL contains additional information (www.example.com/news?c=123). This can be frustrating, particularly if you rely on this information for your WordPress installation.

The Solution: Adjusting Your Functions.php File

To fix this issue, we need to make some adjustments to your functions.php file located in your theme directory. Let's walk through the steps:

1. Open your WordPress dashboard and navigate to "Appearance" > "Theme Editor."

2. On the right-hand side, find and click on "Theme Functions" (functions.php) under "Theme Files."

3. Carefully add the following code to your functions.php file:

   if (isset($_GET['c'])) { setcookie("cCookie", $_GET['c']); } if (isset($_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER'])) { setcookie("rCookie", $_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER']); }

4. Once you've added the code, click the "Update File" button to save the changes.

The code snippet above checks if the variable c is present in the URL. If it is, the setcookie function is used to store its value in a cookie called cCookie. Additionally, the code checks if the HTTP_REFERER ($_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER']) is present and stores it in another cookie called rCookie. Remember, you can adjust the code according to your specific needs!

💡 Pro Tips:

• If you only need to access these variables within PHP and not store them in cookies, you can use the $_GET superglobal directly instead of setting cookies.

• Ensure that you're working with a child theme if you plan to make changes in the functions.php file. This will prevent your changes from being overwritten during theme updates.

Testing Your Extra Variable

Now that you've made the necessary changes, it's time to test if the extra variable is being passed correctly.

1. Open any page on your WordPress website (e.g., /news).

2. Append ?c=123 to the URL (e.g., /news?c=123).

3. Check if the variable values are correctly stored in the cookies cCookie and rCookie.

🌟 Congratulations! You've successfully passed an extra variable in the URL with WordPress! Now you can retrieve and utilize these variables within your theme or plugins to add custom functionality to your website. ✨

📣 Call-to-Action

We hope this guide has helped you overcome the challenge of passing extra variables in the WordPress URL. If you found this blog post helpful, make sure to share it with other WordPress enthusiasts who might be facing similar issues. And don't forget to leave a comment below with any questions or feedback you may have – we'd love to hear from you!

Happy WordPressing! 🎉🚀