Channel Module Month Links extend

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I would like to extend the month_links function in the channel module.

I want to add a parameter, ‘start_on’, to limit the months returned (like with channel:entries).

I can see a hook for AFTER the query is run, I could use this, but that would be inefficient - retrieving all the rows from the database and then filtering them.

I want to make it part of the query, like it is for channel:entries.

Now how do you go about that? The whole add-on documentation is woefully inadequate for this kind of thing, I can’t find an answer anywhere.

In CodeIgniter, it is pretty straightforward to extend core classes.

Anyone have any idea how I can achieve this?

NOTE: Just to clarify, I can change the core module itself to do this, I know the code needed, but obviously I don’t like changing core modules.

Moved to Development and Programming by Moderator

I just need to find the ‘corrrect’ way to extend the class.