, instead of * waiting for CSS + layout to discover it (and past any loading="lazy" the * theme set). WP Rocket's LCP edge in the GTmetrix comparison came entirely * from this. Page-builder heroes (Elementor etc.) are rendered outside * the_content, so the Lazy module's eager-first-N never sees them — this * module works on the full page buffer instead. * * Two Free behaviors (FEATURES.md rows 115 basic preload, 125/356 preconnect): * - LCP image preload: * for the first above-the-fold , plus fetchpriority="high" on the tag. * - Preconnect: for detected font hosts + a user list. * * Runs on the cache-write path via the xspeed_cache_final_html filter so the * hints are baked into the cached HTML and replayed on every HIT (a wp_head * hook would never fire on a HIT — the drop-in short-circuits before PHP). * When page caching is OFF it buffers the page itself at template_redirect. * * LCP detection sees through JS-lazy heroes (real URL in data-src) and skips * logos/icons via a size + marker gate, so the preload targets the actual * hero rather than the first plain in the DOM. Format-negotiating layers * (e.g. Pro's Images module, which wraps the LCP in a with a * WebP/AVIF ) coordinate through the `xspeed_lcp_preload_url` / * `xspeed_lcp_preload_srcset` / `xspeed_lcp_preload_type` filters so the * high-priority preload points at the format actually served. (FBS-83553) * * @package XSpeed */ declare(strict_types=1); namespace XSpeed\Modules\ResourceHints; defined( 'ABSPATH' ) || exit; use XSpeed\Module; use XSpeed\Resource_Hints_Processor; use XSpeed\Settings_Manager; final class ResourceHintsModule extends Module { public const SLUG = 'resource-hints'; public const TIER = self::TIER_FREE; public const VERSION = '1.0.0'; /** Guards the cache-off buffer so it processes exactly once per request. */ private static $buffering = false; public function ui_metadata(): array { return array( 'label' => 'Resource Hints', 'tab_label' => 'Hints', // its own tab on the Resource Hints page 'icon' => 'Zap', 'description' => 'Preload the LCP hero image and preconnect to font hosts so the largest element paints sooner.', // Host page: Hints (this module) + a Speculation Rules section // (SmartPredict, Pro). SmartPredict prefetches the next page in // the visitor's browser — same family as preload/preconnect, so // it belongs here, not under AI (FBS-83633). 'custom_panel' => 'ResourceHintsPanel', ); } public function settings_schema(): array { return array( 'enabled' => array( 'type' => 'bool', 'default' => true, 'label' => 'Enable Resource Hints', 'description' => 'Master switch for the LCP-image preload + preconnect resource hints. On by default — these are safe, no-config optimizations that help every theme.', ), 'lcp_preload' => array( 'type' => 'bool', 'default' => true, 'label' => 'Preload LCP Image', 'description' => 'Detect the largest above-the-fold image and emit a in the head, plus fetchpriority="high" on the image. This is the highest-impact fix for Largest Contentful Paint — it beats any lazy-load the theme applied.', ), 'lcp_image_count' => array( 'type' => 'int', 'default' => 1, 'min' => 0, 'max' => 3, 'label' => 'Images to Preload', 'description' => 'How many of the first images on the page to preload. 1 is right for most sites (the single hero). Raise it only if the fold shows a small gallery.', ), 'lcp_exclusions' => array( 'type' => 'list', 'default' => array(), 'item_type' => 'string', 'label' => 'Exclude From Preload', 'description' => 'Substring patterns (filename or class) that, if found in an , exempt it from being treated as the LCP image. Useful for tracking pixels, spacers, or a decorative first image that is not the hero.', ), 'preconnect' => array( 'type' => 'bool', 'default' => true, 'label' => 'Preconnect to Font Hosts', 'description' => 'When Google Fonts are detected, emit to fonts.googleapis.com and fonts.gstatic.com so the DNS + TLS handshake happens ahead of the font request instead of on the critical path.', ), 'preconnect_hosts' => array( 'type' => 'list', 'default' => array(), 'item_type' => 'url', 'label' => 'Extra Preconnect Hosts', 'description' => 'One origin per line (e.g. https://cdn.example.com) to preconnect in addition to the auto-detected font hosts. Use for a CDN or third-party origin that serves above-the-fold assets.', ), ); } public function boot(): void { // Frontend page renders only. Admin / feed / cron / AJAX / REST never // produce an HTML document we should rewrite. if ( is_admin() || ( defined( 'DOING_AJAX' ) && DOING_AJAX ) || ( defined( 'DOING_CRON' ) && DOING_CRON ) || ( defined( 'REST_REQUEST' ) && REST_REQUEST ) ) { return; } $opts = $this->get_settings(); if ( empty( $opts['enabled'] ) ) { return; } $any = ! empty( $opts['lcp_preload'] ) || ! empty( $opts['preconnect'] ) || ! empty( $opts['preconnect_hosts'] ); if ( ! $any ) { return; } // Cache-write path: transform the HTML just before it is minified and // written to the cache file, so hints are baked in and survive HITs. add_filter( 'xspeed_cache_final_html', function ( $html ) { return Resource_Hints_Processor::process( (string) $html, $this->processor_opts() ); }, 10, 1 ); // Cache-off path: the cache filter above never fires, so buffer the // page ourselves. Guarded so we don't double-buffer when the cache // engine is also running (its filter handles that case). if ( ! $this->cache_enabled() ) { add_action( 'template_redirect', function () { if ( self::$buffering ) { return; } self::$buffering = true; ob_start( function ( $buffer ) { if ( strlen( (string) $buffer ) < 255 ) { return $buffer; } return Resource_Hints_Processor::process( (string) $buffer, $this->processor_opts() ); } ); }, 9 ); } } /** * Is the page cache turned on? When it is, Cache::finalize_buffer runs and * our xspeed_cache_final_html filter fires — so we must NOT also ob_start. */ private function cache_enabled(): bool { $legacy = Settings_Manager::get( 'legacy' ); if ( is_array( $legacy ) && ! empty( $legacy['cache_enabled'] ) ) { return true; } $opts = get_option( 'xspeed_options' ); return is_array( $opts ) && ! empty( $opts['cache_enabled'] ); } /** * Settings passed to the full-page processor: this module's own settings, * plus the Lazy module's `excluded_images` list. The processor runs over the * WHOLE page (via xspeed_cache_final_html), so it can reach a theme/builder * hero rendered OUTSIDE the_content — which the Lazy module's the_content- * scoped filters can't. Surfacing the exclusions here lets the processor * strip core's loading="lazy" + set fetchpriority=high on those heroes so an * excluded above-the-fold image actually loads eagerly no matter where the * theme printed it. (FBS-83553 H2) */ private function processor_opts(): array { $opts = $this->get_settings(); if ( class_exists( '\XSpeed\Settings_Manager' ) ) { $lazy = Settings_Manager::get( 'lazy' ); if ( is_array( $lazy ) && ! empty( $lazy['lazy_images'] ) && ! empty( $lazy['excluded_images'] ) && is_array( $lazy['excluded_images'] ) ) { $opts['eager_excluded_images'] = array_values( array_filter( array_map( 'strval', $lazy['excluded_images'] ) ) ); } } return $opts; } public function cli_commands(): array { return array( array( 'name' => 'xspeed resource-hints', 'callback' => array( $this, 'cli_handler' ), 'shortdesc' => 'Show LCP-preload / preconnect resource-hint settings.', 'synopsis' => array(), ), ); } public function cli_handler( array $args, array $assoc ): void { $opts = $this->get_settings(); \WP_CLI::log( sprintf( '%-20s %s', 'enabled', ! empty( $opts['enabled'] ) ? 'on' : 'off' ) ); \WP_CLI::log( sprintf( '%-20s %s', 'lcp_preload', ! empty( $opts['lcp_preload'] ) ? 'on' : 'off' ) ); \WP_CLI::log( sprintf( '%-20s %d', 'lcp_image_count', (int) ( $opts['lcp_image_count'] ?? 1 ) ) ); \WP_CLI::log( sprintf( '%-20s %d pattern(s)', 'lcp_exclusions', count( (array) ( $opts['lcp_exclusions'] ?? array() ) ) ) ); \WP_CLI::log( sprintf( '%-20s %s', 'preconnect', ! empty( $opts['preconnect'] ) ? 'on' : 'off' ) ); \WP_CLI::log( sprintf( '%-20s %d host(s)', 'preconnect_hosts', count( (array) ( $opts['preconnect_hosts'] ?? array() ) ) ) ); } }