Fallback Thumbnail Image?

Hi undergroundnetwork

Normally only posts with a post thumbnail (featured image) are found as related posts. Did you use filters to display posts without a post thumbnail?

Would you like the fallback image be one you’ve uploaded in the media library or one you’ve uploaded to a directory in your (child) theme?

Whoops.. didn’t realize I had posted the message! I wasn’t done writing it! Sorry about that!

I’ve used some of WordPress’s code to implement where it grabs the first attached image and makes it a fallback:

/***************************************************
::attached image
::https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Function_Reference/get_children#Examples
:: Put - if ( ! has_post_thumbnail() { echo_first_image($post->ID); } in the template.
***************************************************/

function echo_first_image( $postID ) {
	$args = array(
		'numberposts' => 1,
		'order' => 'ASC',
		'post_mime_type' => 'image',
		'post_parent' => $postID,
		'post_status' => null,
		'post_type' => 'attachment',
	);

	$attachments = get_children( $args );

	if ( $attachments ) {
		foreach ( $attachments as $attachment ) {
			$image_attributes = wp_get_attachment_image_src( $attachment->ID, 'thumbnail' )  ? wp_get_attachment_image_src( $attachment->ID, 'thumbnail' ) : wp_get_attachment_image_src( $attachment->ID, 'full' );

			echo '<img src="' . wp_get_attachment_thumb_url( $attachment->ID ) . '" class="current">';
		}
	}
}

I was just seeing if there was a way I could implement it into your code.
I’m also in the process of adding in a default fallback image if there is not even an attached image.

That goes something like:

if ( ! $attachments ) {
echo '<img src="' . wp_get_attachment_thumb_url( some-defult-image-id-here ) . '" class="current">';
}

I was going to try to implement the code and put it here for you, but I’m not that good of a coder.

Thanks!

First of, if you use the format ‘thumbnails’ there should be no related posts found without a thumbnail.

1. Do you want to use the first attached image instead of the post thumbnail (for posts with a post thumbnail)?
2. Or do you want to search for related posts regardless if they have a post thumbnail, show the fallback if the post doesn’t have a (first) image attached?

I’d like the plugin to grab ALL related posts, by using your code:

$args = array(
       'post_thumbnail' => 0,
    );

1 – If there IS a featured image, it will show it like it already does.

2 – If there is no featured image, then it should grab the first attached image if there is one. Which my code above does.

3 – If there is no attached image, then it will grab a default (fallback) image that I have set.

I’ll try to write the code now and post it here if you want to add it to your plugin.

Thanks!

Charles

Aha, that makes sense ??

Are you displaying the related posts yourself, with the km_rpbt_related_posts_by_taxonomy() function? Or are you using the widget or/and shortcode?

I guess you use the function. I appreciate if you post the code you have now. My time today is limited. I have some time tomorrow to help you with this.

I’m using the echo shortcode approach..

<?php echo do_shortcode( '[related_posts_by_tax]' ); ?>

I’m using the code above for my lists of posts, where i have:

if ( has_post_thumbnail() {
the_post_thumbnail()
} else {
echo_first_image($post->ID);
}

I don’t have the fallback image as part of the code yet.

Charles

OK, I’m using the functions.. and it won’t show related posts even if I tell it to show posts without thumbnails:

<?php // first get the related post objects with the km_rpbt_related_posts_by_taxonomy() function.

// check if the function already exists
if ( function_exists( 'km_rpbt_related_posts_by_taxonomy' ) ) {

    $args = array(
        'posts_per_page' => 3,
        'post_thumbnail' => 0,
    );

    $taxonomies = array( 'category', 'post_tag' );
    $post_id =  $post->ID; // post id available inside the loop.

    $related_posts = km_rpbt_related_posts_by_taxonomy( $post_id , $taxonomies, $args );

    // check if related post were found
    if ( $related_posts ) {

        $args = array(
            'columns'    => 3,
            'size'       => 'thumbnail', // Default "thumbnail", "medium", "large", "full"
        );

        // display the related post thumbnail gallery
        echo km_rpbt_related_posts_by_taxonomy_gallery( $args, $related_posts );
    }
} ?>

It just shows 2 posts and the 3rd is blank. Is there something I am doing wrong?

That’s because the km_rpbt_related_posts_by_taxonomy_gallery() function function doesn’t show an image for related posts that have no post thumbnail. The good thing is you can add a filter to the gallery images.

Try it with this in your theme’s functions.php

// Filter the post thumbnail image link
add_filter( 'related_posts_by_taxonomy_post_thumbnail_link', 'rpbt_related_post_image', 10, 4 );

function rpbt_related_post_image( $image, $attr, $related, $args ) {

	if ( !empty( $image ) ) {
		// Post thumbnail found.
		return $image;
	}

	$image_args = array(
		'numberposts' => 1,
		'order' => 'ASC',
		'post_mime_type' => 'image',
		'post_parent' => $related->ID,
		'post_status' => null,
		'post_type' => 'attachment',
	);

	$attachments = get_children( $image_args );

	if ( !empty( $attachments ) ) {
		// Attached images found
		$attachments = array_values( $attachments );
		$id = (int) $attachments[0]->ID;

		// first attachment image
		$image = wp_get_attachment_image( $id , $args['size'], false, $attr['describedby'] );
	} else {
		// fallback image
		// Change 1790 to the id you want as fallback image
		$image = wp_get_attachment_image( 1790, $args['size'], false, $attr['describedby'] );
	}

	$image = $image ? "<a href='{$attr['permalink']}' title='{$attr['title']}'>{$image}</a>" : '';

	return $image;
}

btw:
consider creating a child theme instead of editing your theme directly – if you upgrade the theme all your modifications will be lost. Or create a plugin with the code above.

Hi undergroundnetwork

With some extra code you can use the fallback images in the widget and shortcode as well. Read about it here

Fantastic! That is so great that you did that! Will try it out when I get back to my conputer.

You are by far one of the most helpful plugin developers there is which is why you fully deserve 5 stars and have been getting them.

And your plugin is so lightweight, and just works so well.

Thank you for everything!

Charles

You’re welcome ?? I hope it solves your issue. Let me know here.

Thanks for the great review ??

Just put the code for the shortcode version and it works perfectly!

Oh.. I just noticed a couple typos on your website, the beginning php tags on this page do not have the question marks, I think you need them unless I am mistaken.

<php km_rpbt_related_posts_by_taxonomy( $post_id, $taxonomies, $args  ); ?>

and

<php km_rpbt_related_posts_by_taxonomy_gallery( $args, $related_posts  ); ?>

Just wanted to point them out just in case.

Thanks!

Great to hear.

And thanks for the typos. I’ve updated the examples.