Woocommerce WordPress How To Edit Listing Template

WooCommerce WordPress: How to Edit Your Listing Template (For Beginners!)

So, you’ve got your WooCommerce store up and running, products are listed, and customers are (hopefully!) starting to trickle in. That’s fantastic! But maybe you’re looking at your product listings and thinking, “Hmmm, this could look better. This could *work* better.” You’re absolutely right! Customizing your WooCommerce listing templates is a crucial step in creating a unique and engaging shopping experience. This guide will walk you through the process, even if you’re new to WordPress and WooCommerce. We’ll focus on methods that are safe for beginners and won’t break your website.

Why Customize Your WooCommerce Listing Template?

Think of your product listing template as your storefront window. It’s the first thing potential customers see when browsing your online store. A generic, un-optimized listing can blend into the background and lose potential sales. Customizing your template allows you to:

• Highlight Key Information: Put the most important details about your product front and center. Is it on sale? Highlight the discount! Does it come in multiple colors? Show them!
• Improve Branding: Match the listing design to your overall brand aesthetic, creating a cohesive and professional look. Imagine a luxury jewelry store with a clunky, basic product listing. Doesn’t quite fit, does it?
• Increase Conversions: By making the listing more visually appealing and easier to understand, you can encourage visitors to add items to their cart and complete the purchase. Clear calls to action (like “Add to Cart” buttons) are essential!
• Boost SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Well-structured and optimized listings can help your products rank higher in search engine results, bringing in more organic traffic.

Understanding the WooCommerce Template Structure

Before we dive into editing, it’s helpful to understand how WooCommerce generates those product listings. WooCommerce uses a system of templates. These templates are PHP files that contain the code to display different elements of your product page, like the title, price, description, and images.

The default templates are located within the WooCommerce plugin directory. Important: DO NOT edit these files directly! Doing so means any updates to WooCommerce will overwrite your changes, losing your customizations. Instead, we’ll use a “child theme” and template overrides.

Method 1: Using a Child Theme (Recommended!)

A child theme is a separate theme that inherits the design and functionality of your main (parent) theme. This allows you to make changes without affecting the core files of your parent theme. If you aren’t already using a child theme, you should create one. Here’s a simplified version of how a child theme’s `style.css` might look:

/*

Theme Name: My Child Theme

Template: your-parent-theme-slug

*/

/*

Add your custom styles here.

*/

• Replace `your-parent-theme-slug` with the directory name of your active WordPress theme.
• You will need to enqueue your child theme’s stylesheet to override the parent theme styles. You can do this in the `functions.php` file of your child theme.

Now, let’s get to the listing templates!

#### 1. Identifying the Template File to Edit

The main template for product archives (like your shop page and category pages) is often `content-product.php`. For single product pages, it’s typically `single-product.php`. These files are found within the `woocommerce/templates` directory inside the WooCommerce plugin.

Do not edit these files directly.

#### 2. Creating the Template Override

To override a template, you need to recreate the directory structure of the original template within your child theme. For example, if you want to edit `woocommerce/templates/content-product.php`, you need to:

• Create a `woocommerce` directory in your child theme’s folder.
• Create a `templates` directory inside the `woocommerce` directory.
• Copy the `content-product.php` file from the WooCommerce plugin’s `woocommerce/templates` directory into your child theme’s `woocommerce/templates` directory.

Your file path will be `wp-content/themes/your-child-theme/woocommerce/templates/content-product.php`.

#### 3. Editing the Template

Now you can safely edit the `content-product.php` file in your child theme! Let’s look at some common customizations.

Example 1: Changing the Order of Product Information:

Let’s say you want to display the product price *before* the product title on your shop page. In `content-product.php`, you might find code like this (simplified):

 <?php /** 
Product Loop Start
 
* This template can be overridden by copying it to yourtheme/woocommerce/loop/loop-start.php.
 
* HOWEVER, on occasion WooCommerce will need to update template files and you
 
(the theme developer) will need to copy the new files to your theme to
 
maintain compatibility. If you copy this file to your theme, then you
 
will need to update it any time WooCommerce releases a new version.
 
* @see https://docs.woocommerce.com/document/template-structure/
 
@author WooCommerce
 
@package WooCommerce/Templates
 
@version 3.3.0
 */ 

if ( ! defined( ‘ABSPATH’ ) ) {

exit;

}

?>

<ul class="products columns-“>

 <a href=""> 
  

You could then switch the order around:

 <a href=""> 
  

Example 2: Adding a Custom Badge for Sale Items:

Let’s add a “Sale!” badge to products that are on sale. You can add this within the `content-product.php` file, perhaps right before the title:

 <a href=""> is_on_sale() ) : ?> Sale! 
  

• This code checks if the product is on sale using `$product->is_on_sale()`.
• If it is, it displays a `` with the class `sale-badge` and the text “Sale!”. You would then need to style this class in your child theme’s `style.css` file.

Example 3: Displaying Custom Product Metadata

Let’s say you have a custom field (using a plugin like Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)) called “product_materials.” You can display this in your single product listing:

 <?php $materials = get_post_meta( get_the_ID(), 'product_materials', true ); if ( $materials ) { echo '
Materials: ' . esc_html( $materials ) . '
'; } ?> 

This gets the value of your custom field and then displays it within a paragraph.

Important Considerations:

• Escaping: Always use escaping functions like `esc_html()` or `esc_attr()` to prevent security vulnerabilities when outputting data.
• WooCommerce Hooks: WooCommerce provides a powerful system of hooks (actions and filters) that allow you to add or modify content without directly editing the template files. Using hooks is often a more maintainable and upgrade-safe approach. We’ll cover hooks in Method 2.
• CSS Styling: Remember that you’ll likely need to add CSS styles to your child theme’s `style.css` file to properly format the elements you’ve added or modified.
• Testing: Always test your changes thoroughly on a staging or development environment before applying them to your live website. This helps prevent unexpected issues.

Method 2: Using WooCommerce Hooks (More Advanced, but Recommended for Complex Changes)

WooCommerce hooks are like “shortcuts” or “extension points” in the code. They allow you to inject your own code at specific locations without directly modifying the template files. This is generally considered best practice because it’s more upgrade-safe and maintainable.

#### Understanding WooCommerce Hooks

There are two main types of hooks:

• Actions: Allow you to *do* something at a specific point (e.g., display content, run a function).
• Filters: Allow you to *modify* something (e.g., change the product title, alter the price).

#### Implementing Hooks in Your Child Theme’s `functions.php`

You add hooks to your child theme’s `functions.php` file. Here’s an example of adding content after the product title on the single product page:

 add_action( 'woocommerce_single_product_summary', 'my_custom_product_info', 15 ); 

function my_custom_product_info() {

global $product; // Access the product object

echo ‘

‘;

echo ‘

This product is awesome!

‘;

echo ‘

‘;

}

• `add_action()`: This function adds our custom function to the `woocommerce_single_product_summary` action.
• `’woocommerce_single_product_summary’`: This is the name of the action. It’s a pre-defined point in the WooCommerce template where you can hook in. You’ll need to consult the WooCommerce documentation to find the right hook for your needs.
• `’my_custom_product_info’`: This is the name of the function that will be executed.
• `15`: This is the priority. It determines the order in which multiple functions hooked to the same action are executed. Lower numbers run earlier.

Example 2: Filtering the Product Title:

Let’s say you want to add “Limited Edition” to the beginning of all product titles. You can use a filter:

 add_filter( 'the_title', 'my_prefix_product_title', 10, 2 ); 

function my_prefix_product_title( $title, $id ) {

if ( get_post_type( $id ) === ‘product’ ) {

$title = ‘Limited Edition: ‘ . $title;

}

return $title;

}

• `add_filter()`: This function adds our custom function to the `the_title` filter.
• `’the_title’`: This is the name of the filter. It’s the standard WordPress title filter.
• `’my_prefix_product_title’`: This is the name of the function that will modify the title.
• `10`: This is the priority.
• `2`: This specifies the number of arguments that will be passed to our function (in this case, the title and the ID of the post).

Finding the Right Hooks:

Discovering the available WooCommerce hooks is crucial.

• WooCommerce Documentation: The official WooCommerce documentation is a great resource. Search for “WooCommerce Hooks” to find a comprehensive list.
• Code Inspection: You can inspect the WooCommerce template files (the *original* ones in the plugin folder) to find the hook locations. Look for lines of code that use `do_action()` or `apply_filters()`. These are the hooks!
• Helper Plugins: There are plugins that can display the available hooks on your product pages, making it easier to find the right one. Search the WordPress plugin repository for “WooCommerce hook explorer” or similar terms.

Important Considerations:

• Plugin Conflicts: Be aware that other plugins might also be using hooks, and their code could conflict with yours. Test thoroughly!
• Specificity: Make sure your hook functions are specific to WooCommerce product pages to avoid unintended consequences on other parts of your website. Use conditional checks like `get_post_type( $id ) === ‘product’` as shown in the example.

Method 3: Using a Visual Editor (Easy, but Less Flexible)

Some themes and plugins offer visual drag-and-drop editors that allow you to customize your WooCommerce product listing templates. These editors are generally easier to use than coding, but they often provide less flexibility.

Popular Options:

• Elementor: Discover insights on How To Disable Shopping Cart In Woocommerce Elementor is a popular page builder that integrates well with WooCommerce and allows you to visually design your product pages.
• Beaver Builder: Another powerful page builder with WooCommerce support.
• Divi Builder: The Divi theme comes with its own page builder that can be used to customize WooCommerce templates.

Benefits:

• No Coding Required: You don’t need to know PHP or CSS.
• Drag-and-Drop Interface: Easy to rearrange elements and add new ones.
• Real-Time Preview: See your changes as you make them.

Drawbacks:

• Limited Customization: You might not be able to make all the changes you want.
• Plugin Dependency: You’re relying on a third-party plugin, which could become outdated or incompatible with future WooCommerce updates.
• Performance Impact: Page builders can sometimes slow down your website.

Using a Visual Editor (Example with Elementor):

1. Install and Activate Elementor and Elementor Pro (optional).

2. Go to Templates > Theme Builder in your WordPress dashboard.

3. Click “Add New” and choose “Single Product” or “Product Archive” as the template type.

4. Design your template using Elementor’s drag-and-drop interface.

5. Use Elementor’s WooCommerce widgets to add product elements like the title, price, image, description, and add to cart button.

6. Publish the template and set the display conditions (e.g., apply to all product pages or specific categories).

Key Takeaways:

• Always use a child theme. It’s the safest and recommended way to customize WooCommerce templates.
• Start with simple changes. Don’t try to overhaul your entire listing template at once. Make small, incremental changes and test them thoroughly.
• Use hooks whenever possible. They’re more upgrade-safe and maintainable.
• Read the WooCommerce documentation. It’s your best friend!
• Test, test, test! Always test your changes in a staging environment before applying them to your live website.
• Choose the method that best suits your skills and needs. If you’re comfortable with coding, use child themes and hooks. If you’re a beginner, a visual editor might be a better option.

By following these steps and using the resources available, you can create stunning and effective WooCommerce product listings that will help you attract customers and boost sales! Good luck!