Configuration

Every snippet has a snippet.json that declares where and when its files load, so the files themselves hold only the code. Edit it in the editor like any other file, or through Snippet configuration in the workspace, which writes the same file into the draft; save to apply either.

Minimal setup

The smallest valid configuration is an empty object:

{}

With it, every PHP file runs on init outside wp-admin, and every CSS, SCSS and JavaScript file loads on the front end.

snippet.json must be strict JSON holding an object. A trailing comma, a comment or a top-level array makes it invalid, and an invalid snippet does not run at all: the file tree marks it Snippet (invalid snippet.json), the configuration dialog asks you to fix the file first, and WP-CLI lists it as disabled.

The configuration dialog writes only the fields you change, each in the form snippet.json already holds it, so a key saved as one string stays one string while it holds one value. Its Contexts and Environments cards offer a switch per context and per environment type, with any other stored value kept as a switch of its own, and Tags takes one tag per line.

Metadata

Whether it runs

Schedule

schedule limits a snippet to a period and, within it, to recurring times. It has no field in the configuration dialog, so write it in snippet.json:

{
  "schedule": {
    "timezone": "Europe/Berlin",
    "start": "2026-11-27 00:00",
    "end": "2026-12-01 23:59",
    "recurring": {
      "type": "weekly",
      "days": ["friday", "saturday"],
      "start_time": "09:00",
      "end_time": "18:00"
    }
  }
}

• timezone is a PHP timezone name; without it, or when it is invalid, times are UTC.
• start and end are date and time strings PHP can read. Before start or after end the snippet does not run; an unreadable value is ignored.
• recurring.type is daily, weekly, monthly or time_range. daily and time_range run between start_time and end_time (HH:MM or H:MM, both required); a window whose end comes before its start, such as 22:00 to 02:00, runs across midnight. weekly also takes days as weekday names, and monthly takes days as days of the month ([1, 15]). An unknown type is ignored.
• A schedule, or a part of it, that is not shaped as above is ignored like an unreadable value; it never stops the site.

Where it runs

context (string or array) is where the files load. The default is frontend, which the sleekByte/snippets/defaults/context filter changes.

Byte tells the block editor apart from the rest of wp-admin through the current admin screen. Before current_screen there is none, so on an earlier hook such as init it treats every post.php?post=<id>&action=edit request as the block editor and no other; give admin and block-editor PHP files a hook from current_screen on when the difference matters.

hook (string) is the WordPress action PHP files run on. The default is init, which the sleekByte/snippets/defaults/hook filter changes; CSS, SCSS and JavaScript files ignore hook. Byte registers snippet files during after_setup_theme, so muplugins_loaded, plugins_loaded, setup_theme and after_setup_theme itself never run a file, and the configuration dialog and WP-CLI refuse them.

Conditions

conditions decides on each request whether the files load. It is a list of groups: the snippet loads when any group matches, and a group matches when all of its conditions do.

{
  "hook": "wp",
  "conditions": [
    [
      {
        "parameter": "userRole",
        "operator": "equals",
        "value": "administrator"
      },
      { "parameter": "isSingle", "operator": "equals", "value": true }
    ],
    [
      {
        "parameter": "postType",
        "operator": "equals",
        "value": ["post", "page"]
      }
    ]
  ]
}

Each condition has a parameter, an operator (default equals), a value and an optional negate, which reverses the result. The configuration dialog’s Conditions card edits the same groups.

When conditions are checked

A condition reads WordPress’s state at the moment it is checked, and a value WordPress has not worked out yet reads as empty or false, so the condition fails and the file is skipped without an error.

• PHP files are checked when their hook fires.
• CSS, SCSS and JavaScript files with conditions are checked on the hook that enqueues their context: wp_enqueue_scripts, admin_enqueue_scripts or enqueue_block_editor_assets. The main query and the admin screen are known by then, so every parameter works for them.

On archive pages the post parameters read the first post of the main query, such as the first product of the shop page; combine them with isSingle or isPage to target single views.

Parameters

Every parameter a condition can test. Label is its name in the Conditions card, Type decides which operators the card offers for it, and Example is a value it can be compared with.

The card offers currentBlogId, isMainSite and isNetworkAdmin only on a multisite network. option:, meta: and themeMod: take the name after the colon; they are not in the card’s list, so write them in snippet.json, and they compare whatever value WordPress stores.

The device, browser and system values come from the user agent string, which browsers simplify: Windows 11 reports windows-10 and current Macs report macos-catalina, so match the family with startsWith, such as windows or macos. Current Edge, Opera and Samsung Internet report edge, opera and samsung, and Chrome, Firefox and Edge on iOS report chrome, firefox and edge.

By default ipAddress is the direct connection address. Behind a trusted reverse proxy that overwrites forwarded headers, define the constant in wp-config.php:

define('SLEEK_BYTE_TRUSTED_PROXY', true);

Byte then uses the first of CF-Connecting-IP, Client-IP and X-Forwarded-For that is present, taking the first address of a list. Byte checks only that the constant is defined, whatever its value. Do not define it where visitors can send those headers directly, because they can be forged.

Operators

The Conditions card offers the operators of the parameter’s type, under these labels; a parameter without a type, such as option:<name>, gets those of string:

In snippet.json any operator works with any parameter, compared as follows; an unknown operator does not match:

Weekdays during business hours:

{
  "conditions": [
    [
      {
        "parameter": "timeOfDay",
        "operator": "greaterThanOrEqual",
        "value": 9
      },
      { "parameter": "timeOfDay", "operator": "lessThan", "value": 17 },
      {
        "parameter": "dayOfWeek",
        "operator": "equals",
        "value": [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
      }
    ]
  ]
}

Everyone except subscribers:

{
  "conditions": [
    [
      {
        "parameter": "userRole",
        "operator": "equals",
        "value": "subscriber",
        "negate": true
      }
    ]
  ]
}

External assets

assets loads stylesheets and scripts from other hosts, keyed by the WordPress handle they register under. They load in the snippet’s contexts, before the snippet’s own files, and follow the snippet’s conditions.

{
  "assets": {
    "alpinejs": {
      "url": "https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/alpinejs@3/dist/cdn.min.js",
      "version": "3",
      "dependencies": [],
      "local": true
    }
  }
}

The configuration dialog’s Assets card edits the same list, and its download button fetches a copy straight away through Actions_downloadAsset, which accepts only public HTTP and HTTPS addresses and files up to 5 MB.

Per-file options

files maps a file’s path inside the snippet to options that override the snippet’s for that file. The configuration dialog’s Files card lists every file of the snippet.

{
  "context": ["frontend"],
  "files": {
    "admin/settings.php": { "context": ["admin"], "hook": "admin_init" },
    "assets/admin.css": { "context": ["admin"] },
    "assets/app.js": { "dependencies": ["jquery"], "module": true }
  }
}

A file’s conditions replace the snippet’s rather than adding to them. To require both, repeat the snippet’s conditions inside each of the file’s groups.

{
  "hook": "wp",
  "conditions": [
    [
      { "parameter": "postType", "operator": "equals", "value": "product" },
      { "parameter": "isSingle", "operator": "equals", "value": true }
    ]
  ],
  "files": {
    "product/gallery.php": {},
    "checkout/fields.php": {
      "conditions": [
        [
          {
            "parameter": "requestUri",
            "operator": "contains",
            "value": "checkout"
          }
        ]
      ]
    }
  }
}

product/gallery.php loads on single product pages and runs on wp, because postType and isSingle need the main query. checkout/fields.php carries its own condition, so it loads on addresses that contain checkout instead.