Better sticky post handling for WordPress

wp-stickies.php

<?php

/**
 * Fixes sticky post ordering in WordPress anywhere the order is not explicitly defined.
 *
 * Updates a post's menu order whenever the sticky posts option is updated
 *
 * Props to Simon Fransson of http://dessibelle.se/ for a bugfix where 'unstickied' posts were not updated
 *
 * @param Array $stickies An array of post IDs
 *
 * @return Array    The original array passed in
 */

add_filter( 'pre_update_option_sticky_posts', 'fix_sticky_posts' );
function fix_sticky_posts( $stickies ) {
        $old_stickies = array_diff( get_option( 'sticky_posts' ), $stickies );
	foreach( $stickies as $sticky )
		wp_update_post( array( 'ID' => $sticky, 'menu_order' => -1 ) );
        foreach( $old_stickies as $sticky )
		wp_update_post( array( 'ID' => $sticky, 'menu_order' => 0 ) );
	return $stickies;
}

/**
 * Rewrites the query to sort by menu_order first and then date in standard lists - ignore if date archive and also ignore if the 'ignore_sticky_posts' flag is set
 */

add_action( 'pre_get_posts', 'sticky_posts_query' );
function sticky_posts_query( $q ) {
        if ( ! is_admin() && ( ! isset( $q->query_vars[ 'ignore_sticky_posts' ] ) || ( isset( $q->query_vars[ 'ignore_sticky_posts' ] ) && ! $q->query_vars[ 'ignore_sticky_posts' ] ) ) && ! isset( $q->query_vars[ 'year' ] ) && ! $q->query_vars[ 'monthnum' ] && ! $q->query_vars[ 'day' ] && ! isset( $q->query_vars[ 'orderby' ] ) )
		$q->query_vars[ 'orderby' ] = 'menu_order date';
	return $q;
}

?>

In case you miss the comment on your Interconnect IT post, please make the following updates to get this working in WP 4.5.2:
– Change the menu order of the sticky posts from -1 to 1. The order is descending order so you want the 1’s first then the 0’s.
– Update sticky_posts_query function to not check whether year isset because it’s always set and the $q is passed by reference, so no return needed and I’m using the updated set function to set the orderby:
function sticky_posts_query( $q ) { if ( ! is_admin() && ( ! isset( $q->query_vars[ ‘ignore_sticky_posts’ ] ) || ( isset( $q->query_vars[ ‘ignore_sticky_posts’ ] ) && ! $q->query_vars[ ‘ignore_sticky_posts’ ] ) ) && ! $q->query_vars[ ‘year’ ] && ! $q->query_vars[ ‘monthnum’ ] && ! $q->query_vars[ ‘day’ ] && ! isset( $q->query_vars[ ‘orderby’ ] ) ) { $q->set(‘orderby’, ‘menu_order date’); } }