Bits of .NET

Modifying WP_Query output everywhere is repetitive. the_posts filter catches all query results in one place.

Add to functions.php:

add_filter('the_posts', function($posts, $query) {
    // Don't modify admin queries
    if (is_admin()) return $posts;
    
    // Example: Add reading time to all posts
    foreach ($posts as $post) {
        $word_count = str_word_count(strip_tags($post->post_content));
        $reading_time = ceil($word_count / 200);
        $post->reading_time = $reading_time . ' min read';
    }
    
    return $posts;
}, 10, 2);

// Use in templates
reading_time; ?>

Other Use Cases:

// Add view count from separate table
foreach ($posts as $post) {
    $post->view_count = get_view_count($post->ID);
}

// Inject ads every 3rd post
$posts_with_ads = [];
foreach ($posts as $i => $post) {
    $posts_with_ads[] = $post;
    if (($i + 1) % 3 === 0) {
        $ad = create_ad_post_object();
        $posts_with_ads[] = $ad;
    }
}
return $posts_with_ads;