Admin Hooks

Core Admin Hooks

1. admin_init
   • Early hook for registering settings, capabilities, etc.
   • “The admin’s init hook”
2. admin_menu
   • Add top-level/submenu pages
   • Pro Tip: Use add_menu_page() here
3. admin_head-{hook_suffix}
   • Inject CSS/JS into specific admin pages
   • Example: admin_head-toplevel_page_my-plugin

---

🖥️ Page-Specific Hooks

4. load-{hook_suffix}
   • Pre-render setup for specific pages
   • Example: load-edit.php (Posts list screen)
5. admin_notices
   • Display admin notices/errors globally
   • Bonus: Use get_current_screen() to target specific screens
6. in_admin_header
   • Insert content at the top of admin pages (before notices)

---

📝 Post/Editor Hooks

7. save_post
   • Trigger actions when posts are saved
   • Advanced: Use $post->post_status checks
8. add_meta_boxes
   • Register custom meta boxes for post types
9. admin_enqueue_scripts
   • Enqueue scripts/styles ONLY in admin
   • Critical: Always check $hook_suffix

---

🗃️ List Table Hooks

10. manage_{post_type}_posts_columns
    • Modify columns in post list tables
    • Example: manage_product_posts_columns
11. manage_{post_type}_posts_custom_column
    • Render custom column content
    • Paired with the above hook
12. bulk_actions-{screen}
    • Add/remove bulk actions
    • Example: bulk_actions-edit-post

---

⚙️ User & Dashboard Hooks

13. show_user_profile / edit_user_profile**
    • Add fields to user profiles
14. wp_dashboard_setup
    • Modify the WordPress dashboard
    • Example: Remove default widgets
15. admin_bar_menu
    • Modify the admin toolbar
    • Pro Tip: Check is_admin() for context

---

🛠️ Advanced Power Hooks

16. plugin_action_links_{plugin}
    • Add links to plugins list (e.g., “Settings”)
    • Example: plugin_action_links_my-plugin/my-plugin.php
17. admin_post_{action}
    • Handle custom admin form submissions
    • Security: Always include nonce checks
18. upgrader_process_complete
    • Run code after updates (plugins/themes/core)
19. wp_ajax_{action} / wp_ajax_nopriv_{action}**
    • Handle AJAX requests (admin/front-end respectively)
20. admin_xml_ns
    • Add XML namespaces to admin head (rare but useful for integrations)

---

🎯 When to Use Which Hook?

Scenario	Recommended Hook
Adding a settings page	admin_menu
Saving post meta	save_post
Modifying post columns	manage_{type}_posts_columns
Adding help tabs	load-{page}
Admin notices	admin_notices
Custom admin AJAX	wp_ajax_{action}

💡 Pro Tips

• Debug hooks with:phpadd_action(‘all’, function($hook) { if (strpos($hook, ‘admin’) !== false) { error_log(“Admin hook fired: {$hook}”); } });
• Always check capabilities:phpif (!current_user_can(‘manage_options’)) return;
• Prefix your hooks to avoid collisions:phpadd_action(‘admin_init’, ‘myplugin_admin_init’);

add_action('all', function($hook) {
    if (strpos($hook, 'admin') !== false) {
        error_log("Admin hook fired: {$hook}");
    }
});

if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) return;

add_action('admin_init', 'myplugin_admin_init');