---
title: Using Date filtering
description: Example using Date filtering
url: https://developers.wpengine.com/docs/smart-search/plugin/date-query/
image: https://developers.wpengine.com/og/docs/smart-search/plugin/date-query.png
---

# Using Date filtering

# Smart Search

## Date filtering

### `date_query`

Filter based on date.

Parameters

array $wp_date_queries: An array of date queries. See [WP_Date_Query](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wp_date_query/). Each query can contain the following keys:

- relation (optional): The logical relation between queries (AND or OR). Default is AND.
- year
- month
- day
- hour (optional)
- minute (optional)
- second (optional)
- before (optional): A date or array specifying the upper bound of the date range.
- after (optional): A date or array specifying the lower bound of the date range.
- inclusive (optional): A boolean indicating whether the date range is inclusive. Default is true.
- comparison (optional): Accepts ‘=’, ‘!=’, ‘>’, ‘>=’, ‘<’, ‘<=’. Default ‘=’. Currently we do not support ‘IN’, ‘BETWEEN’, ‘NOT IN’ and ‘NOT BETWEEN’.

#### Description

This filter prevents posts and pages outside the date ranges from being returned. WPE Smart Search respects these date filters.

#### Examples

You would want to only show posts from `1/1/2021` OR before `2024-01-13` inclusive OR before `2023-12-12` at exactly `12:12:12`.

The following arrays can be built with this [WP_Date_Query Generator](https://generatewp.com/wp_date_query/).

```php
add_action( 'pre_get_posts', function( $query ) {
  // Ensure this only modifies the main query on the front-end.
  if ( ! is_admin() && $query->is_main_query() && $query->is_search() ) {
    // Set up date query arguments.
    $date_query_args = array(
      'relation' => 'OR',
      array(
        'year'    => 2021,
        'month'   => 1,
        'day'     => 1,
        'compare' => '=',
      ),
      array(
        'before'    => '2024-01-13',
        'inclusive' => true,
      ),
      array(
        'year'    => 2023,
        'month'   => 12,
        'day'     => 12,
        'hour'    => 12,
        'minute'  => 12,
        'second'  => 12,
        'compare' => '<',
      ),
    );
    // Apply the date query to the main query.
    $query->set( 'date_query', $date_query_args );
  }
});
```

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