Add maxlength attribute to WordPress post title

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Is there a hook I can use to append a maxlength attribute to WordPress post titles? I am familiar with sub string function techniques (e.g. http://www.doc4design.com/articles/wordpress-5ways-shorten-titles/), but that’s not the same. I’ve also seen the Limit Post Titles plugin which again works well, but still doesn’t enforce the limit.

I want to limit the character length from the onset, e.g.:

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<input type="text" autocomplete="off" spellcheck="true" id="title" value="" size="30" maxlength="60" name="post_title" />

Having not found anything on this subject, I assume there might be reasoning as to why this is not a good idea? If so, I would be interested in knowing why.

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2 comments

  1. From looking at the code, I don’t think there is a filter you can hook into the add a maxlength attribute to the title field.

    You could use javascript to add the attribute:

    add_action('admin_footer', function() {
?>
    <script>jQuery('input#title').attr('maxlength', 60);</script>
<?php
});

    Note that if you really need to enforce the limit, the maxlength attribute is not sufficient. It’s trivial to bypass the restriction.

    You’ll also need to use the save_post action to validate the title.

    I assume there might be reasoning as to why this is not a good idea

    It is a good idea to enforce restrictions in the frontend. Letting the user know that their input does not fall within an expected range prior to submitting a form is generally preferable to giving them an error message after submitting the form. You just have to bear in mind that those restrictions must be verified in the backend.

  2. I used Mathew Tinsley’s answer in my project. And I added a message in the title label informing the user of the limit.

    add_action('admin_footer', function() {
?>
<script>
  jQuery('input#title').attr('maxlength', 60);</script>
  jQuery('label#title-prompt-text').text("Add Title (max 60 characters)");
</script>
<?php
});

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