benecaster_avatar_fallback
Filters the avatar URL used when a subscriber has no uploaded avatar and site-wide Gravatar is disabled. Return a fully qualified URL to serve a custom fallback image — for example, an initials-based avatar generated from the subscriber’s display name. Return `null` to let WordPress fall through to its own default avatar (typically the ‘mystery person’ silhouette).
This filter is bypassed entirely when site-wide Gravatar is enabled. In that case, WordPress’s Gravatar URL is used without calling this filter.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
$url |
?string |
— | Current fallback URL — null by default |
$user_id |
int |
— | WordPress user ID |
Examples
Serve initials-based avatar as fallback
add_filter( 'benecaster_avatar_fallback', function ( ?string $url, int $user_id ): ?string {
$user = get_userdata( $user_id );
if ( ! $user ) {
return $url;
}
$initial = strtoupper( mb_substr( $user->display_name ?: $user->user_email, 0, 1 ) );
// Return a URL to your initials image generator service
return 'https://example.com/avatars/initials?letter=' . urlencode( $initial );
}, 10, 2 );