How to Use Custom Gravatars Icons in WordPressHow to customise the default Gravatars in Wordpress 2.7 using built in WordPress filters to show your own set of custom gravatars images.
When the feature to display user avatars, known as Gravatar support, was added to WordPress, the default "mystery man" was the only graphic available unless the commenter had previously signed up for Gravatar.
Soon after, there was an option to specify a default image, followed by the Identicon, Wavatar and MonsterID. In WordPress 2.7, the new comments overhaul does not allow custom Gravatars to be defined since they are all wrapped up into wp_list_comments.
Let's look at the original method for showing Gravatars:
if(function_exists('get_avatar'))
{
echo get_avatar($comment, $size = '32', $default = get_bloginfo('template_directory') . '/images/gravatar.png');
} This was a nice, simple template function where you pass in the comment (from within the loop), the size for the avatar in pixels, and a filename for the default image.
We must use a different approach since we can no longer directly call to get_avatar. But don't worry, the good guys at WordPress have made it easy for us with a nice filter we can hook into.
function addgravatar($avatar_defaults)
{
$avatar = get_bloginfo('template_directory') . '/images/gravatar.png';
$avatar_defaults[$avatar] = 'Tutorial Gravatar';
return $avatar_defaults;
}
add_filter('avatar_defaults', 'addgravatar'); The filter, aptly named avatar_defaults, is a powerful tool. It allows you to add a new filename to the array of available filenames, giving you the flexibility to customize your avatars. This example assumes that the image is called gravatar.png and is located inside the images folder of your current theme. If this isn't the case, you can easily amend the filename. We also need to give the avatar a name; in this case, I called it "Your Paranormal" as this is the site I am writing it for. The last line adds the new function to the filters list.
When you go into the WordPress administration screen under Discussion, you will see your new default avatar listed, which will be selectable. It's a straightforward process that you'll master in no time.
Isn't that nicer than a hard-coded hack in the theme? A hard-coded hack refers to a modification made directly to the theme's code, which can be difficult to maintain and update. The new method, using the 'avatar_defaults' filter, allows for a more flexible and manageable way to set default avatars.
