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Free Plugin by Scott Reilly v2.5

Stealth Update

Adds the ability to update a post without having WordPress automatically update the post's post_modified timestamp.

Stealth Update

The facts

Rating
5★ from 5
Active installs
100+
Price
Free
Last updated
13 Apr 2016
Added
Sep 2010
Requires WP
3.6
Tested up to
WP 4.5.33
Downloads
7,374

Our analysis

AI-assisted

Stealth Update is a WordPress plugin that allows you to update a post without changing its post_modified timestamp. This can be useful for minor edits, such as fixing typos or making small formatting changes, where you do not want the update to be publicly recorded.

The plugin adds a 'Stealth update?' checkbox to the 'Publish' box on the post editing screen. Once checked, the post will be updated without altering the modification date. It also records when a post is stealth updated, so future edits will have the checkbox checked by default.

Best for: This plugin suits users who need to make minor updates to their posts without drawing attention to the changes.

What it does well

  • Allows updates without changing post_modified timestamp
  • Useful for small edits or corrections
  • Records stealth updates for future reference
  • Customizable via filters

Where it falls short

  • Limited information on customization options
  • Last updated in April 2016

Verdict

Stealth Update provides a straightforward solution for managing post updates discreetly. However, its last update was in 2016, which may raise concerns about ongoing support.

From the developer

Scott Reilly's own description of Stealth Update, lightly tidied.

This plugin allows you to choose to update a post without having WordPress automatically update the post’s post_modified timestamp.

WordPress maintains a post field called post_modified which tracks the date the post was last edited. This value is used by feeds to indicate the latest update to each post or to report the latest updated post. Plugins and themes may also reference the post modification date to call attention to posts that have been updated. However, if an update is such that you don’t want it to be recorded in the post_modified date field (perhaps due to the update being a small formatting/editing change or fixing a typo, or if you just want to keep quiet about an update), then this plugin is for you.

This plugin adds a “Stealth update?” checkbox to the “Publish” box of any post’s or page’s “Edit Post” admin page.

Note: The plugin records when a post is stealth updated, so subsequent edits of the post will have the “Stealth update?” checkbox checked by default.

Links: Plugin Homepage | Plugin Directory Page | Author Homepage

Filters

The plugin is further customizable via two filters. Typically, these customizations would be put into your active theme’s functions.php file, or used by another plugin.

c2c_stealth_update_meta_key (filter)

The ‘c2c_stealth_update_meta_key’ filter allows you to override the name of the custom field key used by the plugin to store a post’s stealth update status. This isn’t a common need.

Arguments:

  • $custom_field_key (string): The custom field key to be used by the plugin. By default this is ‘_stealth-update’.

Example:

/**
 * Defines a custom meta key to be used by Stealth Update.
 *
 * @param string $custom_field_key The default custom field key name.
 * @return string
 */
function override_stealth_update_key( $custom_field_key ) {
    return '_my_custom_stealth-update';
}
add_filter( 'c2c_stealth_update_meta_key', 'override_stealth_update_key' );

c2c_stealth_update_default (filter)

The ‘c2c_stealth_update_default’ filter allows you to override the default state of the ‘Stealth Update?’ checkbox.

Arguments:

Read the full description on the official page →

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