diff --git a/lib/html_filter.php b/lib/html_filter.php
index 32c89c303c..e80cad7800 100644
--- a/lib/html_filter.php
+++ b/lib/html_filter.php
@@ -209,12 +209,12 @@ public function add_row_element($row, $id, $filter) {
 	}
 
 	public function render() {
-		/* create the filter for the page */
-		$filter = $this->create_filter();
-
 		/* validate filter variables */
 		$this->sanitize_filter_variables();
 
+		/* create the filter for the page */
+		$filter = $this->create_filter();
+
 		/* if validation succeeds, print output the data */
 		print $filter;