Title: Change default query using request filter
Last modified: August 20, 2016

---

# Change default query using request filter

 *  [charliebrimm](https://wordpress.org/support/users/charliebrimm/)
 * (@charliebrimm)
 * [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/change-default-query-using-request-filter/)
 * I working on a site with heavy traffic so expensive queries are avoided by not
   using query_posts since it tosses the orig query. I need a way to filter the 
   request to alter the query before it fires and make it only apply to only a category
   and not interfere with other pages. I’m using something similar to:
 *     ```
       function alter_the_query( $request ) {
           $dummy_query = new WP_Query();  // the query isn't run if we don't pass any query vars
           $dummy_query->parse_query( $request );
       switch_to_blog(10)
           // this is the actual manipulation; do whatever you need here
           if ( $dummy_query->is_home() )
               $request['category_name'] = 'news';
   
           return $request;
       }
       add_filter( 'request', 'alter_the_query' );
       ```
   
 * The problem is that this query runs for every archive page (which interferes 
   with search page and other pages). I need a way to make it only apply to the 
   category.php page and then a way to filter for archive.php and others. In this
   case is_category and is_archive do not work.
 * Any suggestions are appreciated.

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

 *  [vtxyzzy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/vtxyzzy/)
 * (@vtxyzzy)
 * [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/change-default-query-using-request-filter/#post-2621033)
 * Ome method would be to set a global variable just before the query where the 
   filter is to be active and clear it just after the query. Then check for the 
   global inside the filter function.
 *  Thread Starter [charliebrimm](https://wordpress.org/support/users/charliebrimm/)
 * (@charliebrimm)
 * [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/change-default-query-using-request-filter/#post-2621049)
 * That’s not a bad idea, but where would I put that variable? The function and 
   filter are added to functions.php so that it gets run before the original query
   has fired so that’s a tough one.
 * I also need to do this for another query that is fired on the main index page
   of the site as well and a filter to alter that query to something else.
 *  [vtxyzzy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/vtxyzzy/)
 * (@vtxyzzy)
 * [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/change-default-query-using-request-filter/#post-2621052)
 * The filter is fired only when a query is submitted, not when functions.php is
   processed. If the filter is to be used in a template without a specific query_posts()
   call, you will need to repeat the call so you can set/clear the global around
   it.
 * You should be able to repeat the same query with this:
 *     ```
       global $wp_query, $my_filter_flag;
       $my_filter_flag = true;
       query_posts( $wp_query->query );
       $my_filter_flag = false;
       ```
   
 *  Thread Starter [charliebrimm](https://wordpress.org/support/users/charliebrimm/)
 * (@charliebrimm)
 * [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/change-default-query-using-request-filter/#post-2621057)
 * That makes sense. So you are saying to put this in the template file itself? 
   Or somewhere else?
 * Does this cause the original query to get tossed away and then the query is rerun?
 *  [vtxyzzy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/vtxyzzy/)
 * (@vtxyzzy)
 * [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/change-default-query-using-request-filter/#post-2621058)
 * Yes the code goes before the start of the Loop in the template file. The original
   query is just rerun and should give the same results.
 *  Thread Starter [charliebrimm](https://wordpress.org/support/users/charliebrimm/)
 * (@charliebrimm)
 * [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/change-default-query-using-request-filter/#post-2621063)
 * Hmm. That’s a bummer because I was trying to avoid running the query twice which
   is why I added it as a filter. BTW this is a network site that has 10 blogs and
   there are many instances where I am using switch_to_blog to get posts from the
   main blog. I’m trying to keep the queries down because this will be a pretty 
   high traffic site inside an enterprise.

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

The topic ‘Change default query using request filter’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [category](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/category/)
 * [filter](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/filter/)
 * [query](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/query/)
 * [wpquery](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/wpquery/)

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 6 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [charliebrimm](https://wordpress.org/support/users/charliebrimm/)
 * Last activity: [14 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/change-default-query-using-request-filter/#post-2621063)
 * Status: not resolved

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