WPBeginner

Beginner's Guide for WordPress

  • Blog
    • Beginners Guide
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Showcase
    • Themes
    • Tutorials
    • WordPress Plugins
  • Start Here
    • How to Start a Blog
    • Create a Website
    • Start an Online Store
    • Best Website Builder
    • Email Marketing
    • WordPress Hosting
    • Business Name Ideas
  • Deals
    • Bluehost Coupon
    • SiteGround Coupon
    • WP Engine Coupon
    • HostGator Coupon
    • Domain.com Coupon
    • Constant Contact
    • View All Deals »
  • Glossary
  • Videos
  • Products
X
☰
Beginner's Guide for WordPress / Start your WordPress Blog in minutes
Choosing the Best
WordPress Hosting
How to Easily
Install WordPress
Recommended
WordPress Plugins
View all Guides

WPBeginner» Blog» Tutorials» How to Automatically Link Twitter Usernames in WordPress

How to Automatically Link Twitter Usernames in WordPress

Last updated on November 16th, 2012 by Editorial Staff
34 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
Free WordPress Video Tutorials on YouTube by WPBeginner
How to Automatically Link Twitter Usernames in WordPress

Two years ago, Twitter launched Twitter Anywhere API which made it really easy for us to mention twitter usernames and have them be automatically linked to the right profile. It also allowed for beautiful hovercards with additional info. Sadly Twitter has decided to retire the Anywhere API on December 6th, 2012. Since we regularly mention user’s twitter handles in our post content, it only made sense to come up with a way to automatically link twitter usernames in WordPress. Instead of relying on a third-party script, we decided to write a short and simple plugin to take care of the job. In this article, we will show you how to automatically link twitter usernames in WordPress when you mention it after the @ sign like so: @wpbeginner.

All you have to do is open a blank .php file and call it wpb-twitlinks.php. Then copy the code below and save it in there. Upload the file into your plugins folder, and simply activate the plugin.

<?php 
/*
Plugin Name: WPB Linkify Twitter Usernames
Description: Automatically link Twitter usernames in WordPress
Author: Syed Balkhi
Author URI: https://www.wpbeginner.com
*/

function twtreplace($content) {
	$twtreplace = preg_replace('/([^a-zA-Z0-9-_&])@([0-9a-zA-Z_]+)/',"$1<a href=\"http://twitter.com/$2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">@$2</a>",$content);
	return $twtreplace;
}

add_filter('the_content', 'twtreplace');   

//For Comments props to Julien Maury
add_filter('comment_text', 'twtreplace');

?>

Note, since we only use this on our single post and pages, we only have the filter for the_content. You can always extend this feature to excerpts as well by adding the following line:

add_filter('the_excerpt', 'twtreplace'); 

We are not saying that this is the only method that exists. There probably are bunch of jQuery solutions available. This is the fastest and most effective solution in our opinion.

34 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
Popular on WPBeginner Right Now!
  • How to Start Your Own Podcast (Step by Step)

    How to Start Your Own Podcast (Step by Step)

  • Google Analytics in WordPress

    How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress for Beginners

  • Revealed: Why Building an Email List is so Important Today (6 Reasons)

    Revealed: Why Building an Email List is so Important Today (6 Reasons)

  • Checklist

    Checklist: 15 Things You MUST DO Before Changing WordPress Themes

About the Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi. Trusted by over 1.3 million readers worldwide.

The Ultimate WordPress Toolkit

10 Comments

Leave a Reply
  1. Chris Hawkes says:
    Feb 22, 2014 at 11:22 am

    nice code! is there something similar for twitter # hash tags that will link to those on twitter as well?

    Reply
  2. Julien Maury says:
    Jan 11, 2013 at 5:31 pm

    Just want to share cool tip. If you want to add some interactivity use web intents. It’s really easy : just add intent/user?screen_name= before $2 (in href) and enjoy !

    Reply
  3. Ivan says:
    Nov 16, 2012 at 9:50 am

    This is very useful tips.

    But, what happened to @username that already has a link to twitter?

    Reply
    • Editorial Staff says:
      Nov 16, 2012 at 6:39 pm

      Hmm not sure. It should work.

      Reply
  4. Julien Maury says:
    Nov 3, 2012 at 12:55 pm

    You could also add :

    add_filter(‘comment_text’, ‘twtreplace’);

    to get the same in the comment section

    Reply
    • Editorial Staff says:
      Nov 6, 2012 at 10:13 am

      Great tip, updating the post now :)

      Reply
  5. Patrice Albertus says:
    Oct 27, 2012 at 8:36 am

    Thanks for this filter, another tweak I will keep in mw WP toolbox.
    But there’s twitter Anywhere feature that do the job as well, and also adds some direct follow or twitter card as well. Very usefull and already integrated in some WP plugins.

    Reply
    • Editorial Staff says:
      Nov 1, 2012 at 11:57 am

      Not sure if you read the article. Twitter is shutting off their Anywhere API on Dec. 6th. This is why we wrote this filter.

      Reply
  6. Brad says:
    Oct 26, 2012 at 10:06 am

    Well done! Im glad people make these plugins for twitter

    Reply
  7. Loreen Liberty says:
    Oct 25, 2012 at 10:59 am

    THANKS!!! This is awesome of you to do for everyone!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Thanks for choosing to leave a comment. Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated according to our comment policy, and your email address will NOT be published. Please Do NOT use keywords in the name field. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation.

Over 1,320,000+ Readers

Get fresh content from WPBeginner

Featured WordPress Plugin
OptinMonster
OptinMonster
Convert website visitors into email subscribers. Learn More »
How to Start a Blog How to Start a Blog
I need help with ...
Starting a
Blog
WordPress
Performance
WordPress
Security
WordPress
SEO
WordPress
Errors
Building an
Online Store
Useful WordPress Guides
    • 7 Best WordPress Backup Plugins Compared (Pros and Cons)
    • How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress
    • Why You Need a CDN for your WordPress Blog? [Infographic]
    • 30 Legit Ways to Make Money Online Blogging with WordPress
    • Self Hosted WordPress.org vs. Free WordPress.com [Infograph]
    • Free Recording: WordPress Workshop for Beginners
    • 24 Must Have WordPress Plugins for Business Websites
    • How to Properly Move Your Blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org
    • 5 Best Contact Form Plugins for WordPress Compared
    • Which is the Best WordPress Popup Plugin? (Comparison)
    • Best WooCommerce Hosting in 2020 (Comparison)
    • How to Fix the Internal Server Error in WordPress
    • How to Install WordPress - Complete WordPress Installation Tutorial
    • Why You Should Start Building an Email List Right Away
    • How to Properly Move WordPress to a New Domain Without Losing SEO
    • How to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting for Your Website
    • How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform (Comparison)
    • WordPress Tutorials - 200+ Step by Step WordPress Tutorials
    • 5 Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins Compared
    • 5 Best WordPress Membership Plugins (Compared)
    • 7 Best Email Marketing Services for Small Business (2020)
    • How to Choose the Best Domain Registrar (Compared)
    • The Truth About Shared WordPress Web Hosting
    • When Do You Really Need Managed WordPress Hosting?
    • 5 Best Drag and Drop WordPress Page Builders Compared
    • How to Switch from Blogger to WordPress without Losing Google Rankings
    • How to Properly Switch From Wix to WordPress (Step by Step)
    • How to Properly Move from Weebly to WordPress (Step by Step)
    • Do You Really Need a VPS? Best WordPress VPS Hosting Compared
    • How to Properly Move from Squarespace to WordPress
    • How to Register a Domain Name (+ tip to get it for FREE)
    • HostGator Review - An Honest Look at Speed & Uptime (2020)
    • SiteGround Reviews from 4196 Users & Our Experts (2020)
    • Bluehost Review from Real Users + Performance Stats (2020)
    • How Much Does It Really Cost to Build a WordPress Website?
    • How to Create an Email Newsletter the RIGHT WAY (Step by Step)
    • Free Business Name Generator (A.I Powered)
    • How to Create a Free Business Email Address in 5 Minutes (Step by Step)
    • How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress for Beginners
    • How to Move WordPress to a New Host or Server With No Downtime
    • Why is WordPress Free? What are the Costs? What is the Catch?
    • How to Make a Website in 2020 – Step by Step Guide
Deals & Coupons (view all)
Webnus
Webnus Coupon
Get 20% OFF on Webnus themes and plugins for WordPress.
Media Temple
Media Temple Coupon
Get 20% OFF on all Media Temple hosting plans.
Featured In
About WPBeginner®

WPBeginner is a free WordPress resource site for Beginners. WPBeginner was founded in July 2009 by Syed Balkhi. The main goal of this site is to provide quality tips, tricks, hacks, and other WordPress resources that allows WordPress beginners to improve their site(s).
Join our team: We are Hiring!

Site Links
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • FTC Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Free Blog Setup
  • Free Business Tools
Our Sites
  • OptinMonster
  • MonsterInsights
  • WPForms
  • SeedProd
  • Nameboy
  • RafflePress
  • Smash Balloon

Copyright © 2009 - 2021 WPBeginner LLC. All Rights Reserved. WPBeginner® is a registered trademark.

Managed by Awesome Motive | WordPress hosting by SiteGround | WordPress CDN by MaxCDN | WordPress Security by Sucuri.