Wordpress: Flush Rewrite Rules on Theme Activation

Properly managing rewrite rules in WordPress is crucial for permalink functionality, especially when switching themes. This snippet ensures that rewrite rules are flushed and correctly set when a new theme is activated.

Using the after_switch_theme hook, the snippet triggers the flush_rewrite_rules function to clear the rewrite rules and regenerate them according to the new theme's settings and requirements.

This operation is essential to prevent 404 errors and other routing issues when custom post types or taxonomies are registered by the theme, which might not be recognized under the old rewrite rules.

The snippet advises caution, as flushing rewrite rules is a resource-intensive operation and should only be done when absolutely necessary, such as during theme activation or deactivation.

Best practices for testing and implementing theme activation hooks are shared, ensuring that developers can safely make changes to permalink structures without impacting site performance or user experience.