Hooks & Alter Functions

When to Use

When you need to programmatically modify BEF behavior — changing options, setting slider ranges dynamically, or altering widget availability.

Decision: Available Hooks

Hook	Defined In	Purpose
hook_better_exposed_filters_options_alter()	better_exposed_filters.api.php	Alter BEF options before form build
better_exposed_filters_better_exposed_filters_{type}_widget_info	Plugin manager	Alter plugin definitions (add/remove/modify widgets)
hook_form_views_ui_config_item_form_alter()	better_exposed_filters.module	Adds token info to filter expose settings

Pattern: hook_better_exposed_filters_options_alter

/**
 * Implements hook_better_exposed_filters_options_alter().
 */
function my_module_better_exposed_filters_options_alter(array &$options, ViewExecutable $view, DisplayPluginBase $displayHandler) {
  // Set dynamic slider min/max based on content.
  if ($view->id() === 'products' && $view->current_display === 'page_1') {
    $options['filter']['field_price_value']['slider_options']['bef_slider_min'] = 500;
    $options['filter']['field_price_value']['slider_options']['bef_slider_max'] = 5000;
  }
}

Pattern: Plugin Info Alter

/**
 * Alter filter widget plugin definitions.
 */
function my_module_better_exposed_filters_better_exposed_filters_filter_widget_info_alter(&$definitions) {
  // Remove a widget from the options.
  unset($definitions['bef_sliders']);

  // Change a widget's class.
  $definitions['bef']['class'] = 'Drupal\my_module\Plugin\better_exposed_filters\filter\EnhancedRadioButtons';
}

Replace filter with sort or pager for those widget types.

Pattern: Theme-Level Alter

The better_exposed_filters_options alter hook is also invoked at the theme level, allowing themes to modify BEF behavior without a custom module.

Common Mistakes

• Wrong hook name — The options alter hook is hook_better_exposed_filters_options_alter, not hook_better_exposed_filters_alter.
• Modifying wrong array level — The $options array has nested structure: $options['filter']['field_name']['config_key']. Check the exact key path.

See Also

• Custom Widget Plugins — creating custom plugins
• Sliders Widget — slider-specific options
• Reference: web/modules/contrib/better_exposed_filters/better_exposed_filters.api.php