WooCommerce: Display All Products on One Page – A Comprehensive Guide
Introduction
WooCommerce, the leading e-commerce platform for WordPress, is a powerful tool for selling online. However, the default setup often paginates product listings, distributing them across multiple pages. While this can be beneficial for site performance with a vast inventory, it can also create a less-than-ideal user experience for smaller stores or when customers prefer browsing everything at once. This article will guide you through different methods to display all WooCommerce products on a single page, weighing the pros and cons to help you choose the best approach for your specific needs. We’ll explore solutions ranging from simple theme customizations to more advanced coding techniques.
Why Display All Products on One Page?
Displaying all products on a single page can significantly improve the browsing experience for your customers. Here’s why:
- Improved User Experience: Customers can quickly scan the entire product catalog without clicking through multiple pages.
- Faster Product Discovery: Easier to find what they need, leading to quicker purchases.
- Better for Smaller Catalogs: Especially effective when you have a limited number of products.
- Enhanced Search Functionality: Enables users to use “Ctrl+F” to search for specific items within the single page.
- Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Products > Display.
- Find the “Products per page” setting.
- Enter a sufficiently large number that exceeds the total number of products you sell. For example, 999.
- Click “Save changes”.
- Access your theme files: Connect to your website via FTP or use the file manager in your hosting control panel.
- Locate `archive-product.php`: This file might be located directly in your theme’s root directory or within a `woocommerce` subdirectory. If it doesn’t exist, you might need to create it by copying the `woocommerce/templates/archive-product.php` file from the WooCommerce plugin folder into your theme’s woocommerce directory. This ensures your changes are preserved during WooCommerce updates.
- Edit the file: Use a code editor to open `archive-product.php`.
- Remove or comment out pagination code: Look for code related to pagination (usually involving functions like `paginate_links()` or similar). Comment Read more about How To Customize The Grid For Woocommerce Products it out by wrapping it in `` if HTML or “ if PHP.
- Adjust the product query (if necessary): If your theme has a custom product query, you may need to modify it to remove the “posts_per_page” limit. Look for code similar to this (or variations based on theme implementation):
Implementing the “All Products on One Page” Functionality
There are several ways to achieve the desired result. We’ll cover the most popular and practical methods, from the simplest to more technically demanding:
1. Adjusting WooCommerce Settings (Simple & Limited Control)
WooCommerce offers basic settings to control the number of products displayed per page. While not a true “all products” solution, setting a high number can approximate the desired outcome.
Note: This method doesn’t truly display *all* products if you happen to exceed the entered limit in the future. It also doesn’t remove pagination entirely, but it can effectively minimize its impact.
2. Using Custom Theme Templates (Recommended for Themes with WooCommerce Support)
Many themes designed for WooCommerce allow for template customization. You can often edit the `archive-product.php` template (which controls the product archive page) to remove pagination and modify the query to display all products. Always back up your theme before making modifications.
'product', 'posts_per_page' => 12, //Original value );
$products = new WP_Query( $args );
?>
Change `’posts_per_page’ => 12,` Learn more about How To Set Up Facebook For Woocommerce to `’posts_per_page’ => -1,` to display all products.
'product', 'posts_per_page' => -1, //Updated value to show all );
$products = new WP_Query( $args );
?>
- Save the file and test: Upload the modified `archive-product.php` file back to your theme and refresh your shop page.
Important: This approach requires some familiarity with PHP and WordPress theme structure. If unsure, consult with a developer.
3. Using a Custom Code Snippet (Functions.php or a Code Snippets Plugin)
This is a flexible and often preferred approach because it doesn’t directly modify Discover insights on How To Add Cart To Homepage With Woocommerce theme files. You can use the `pre_get_posts` action hook to modify the main product query before it’s executed.
- Access your theme’s `functions.php` file: Located in your theme’s root directory. Again, back up your theme before making modifications! Alternatively, use a code snippets plugin (like “Code Snippets”) which is a safer and more manageable way to add custom code.
- Add the following code snippet:
is_main_query() && is_post_type_archive( 'product' ) ) { $query->set( 'posts_per_page', -1 ); } } add_action( 'pre_get_posts', 'woocommerce_show_all_products' ); ?>
- Explanation of the code:
- `woocommerce_show_all_products`: This is the function that modifies the query.
- `! is_admin()`: Ensures the code only runs on the front end of the website.
- `$query->is_main_query()`: Targets the main WordPress query.
- `is_post_type_archive( ‘product’ )`: Specifies that the change only applies to the product archive page.
- `$query->set( ‘posts_per_page’, -1 )`: Sets the number of posts per page to -1, which tells WordPress to display all posts.
- `add_action( ‘pre_get_posts’, ‘woocommerce_show_all_products’ )`: Hooks the function into the `pre_get_posts` action, ensuring it runs before the query is executed.
- Save the `functions.php` file (or activate the code snippet) and test: Refresh your shop page to see all products.
Advantages of using Code Snippets Plugin:
- Safer: Code snippets are stored separately from the theme, so theme updates won’t erase your changes.
- Easier to manage: You can easily activate, deactivate, and edit snippets through the plugin’s interface.
- Organized: Helps keep your `functions.php` file cleaner.
Potential Drawbacks and Considerations
While displaying all products on one page can enhance usability, it’s important to consider potential downsides:
- Performance Issues: Displaying a large number of products, especially with high-resolution images, can significantly slow down page load times. This is the most critical consideration. Optimize images and consider using a content delivery network (CDN) to mitigate this.
- Usability Concerns with Large Catalogs: For very large catalogs (hundreds or thousands of products), a single, long page can become overwhelming and difficult to navigate. Consider implementing robust filtering and sorting options.
- Mobile Responsiveness: Very long pages can be challenging to render efficiently on mobile devices. Thoroughly test your site on different mobile devices.
- SEO Implications: While not inherently bad, a single, long page might dilute keyword focus. Ensure you optimize product descriptions and Discover insights on How To Use Woocommerce WordPress Plugin use internal linking to improve SEO.
Conclusion
Displaying all WooCommerce products on one page can significantly improve the user experience, especially for stores with smaller catalogs. Choose the method that best suits your technical skills and website needs. Remember to prioritize performance optimization to avoid negatively impacting page load times. By carefully considering the pros and cons, you can create a seamless and user-friendly shopping experience for your customers. Remember to test thoroughly after implementing any of these methods to ensure everything works as expected.