`benecaster_export_ttl_days`

Filter Free Since v1.42.0

Filters how many days a generated data-export file is kept in wp-content/uploads/benecaster/exports/ before the nightly benecaster_export_ttl_cleanup cron deletes it. Default: 7.

Return 0 to disable auto-deletion entirely — appropriate when retention is managed externally, by a backup system or a compliance process. Negative values clamp to 0.

⚠ The BENECASTER_EXPORT_TTL_DAYS constant is read BEFORE this filter and short-circuits it. If that constant is defined in wp-config.php, this filter never runs. The constant is the operator’s hard override; the filter is the developer’s default. If your callback appears to do nothing, check for the constant first — that is the usual explanation.

Fires once per admin Export list request and once per daily cron tick, so it must be cheap.

Parameters

Name	Type	Default	Description
`$days`	`int`	—	The current TTL in days. `7` unless already filtered.

Returns: int

Examples

Keep exports for 30 days

add_filter( 'benecaster_export_ttl_days', function ( int $days ): int {
    return 30;
} );

Disable auto-deletion, retaining exports indefinitely

add_filter( 'benecaster_export_ttl_days', function ( int $days ): int {
    // Retention is handled by our backup process; never unlink here.
    return 0;
} );

Notes

⚠ Lengthening the TTL keeps personal data on disk for longer. Exports contain subscriber email addresses and token records, so a long retention window is a deliberate privacy decision rather than a convenience one — and it interacts with any retention commitment in your privacy policy.

WP-Cron fires on traffic, so on a quiet site files may outlive the TTL you set here. Treat the value as an intention rather than a guarantee; use a server cron where the timing matters.

.htaccess in the exports directory is never deleted regardless of this value.

[benecaster_recipe name="tune-export-file-retention"]