How to Update WooCommerce Single-Product Image in a Child Theme (The Easy Way)
Changing the product image display on your WooCommerce single product page is a common customization. You might want to:
- Add a zoom feature
- Change the image size
- Add extra elements like a sale badge inside the image
- Re-arrange the layout
- Updates are Safe: When WooCommerce or your parent theme updates, your changes in the child theme remain untouched.
- Organization: Keeps your customizations separate from the core files, making it easier to manage your code.
- Fallback: If something goes wrong with your child theme, you can simply deactivate it and revert to the original functionality.
- WooCommerce Hooks: WooCommerce uses *actions* and *filters*. These are entry points that allow you to modify or add functionality without directly editing core files. Look for available hooks within the `product-image.php` file (and other WooCommerce template files) to see where you can inject your own code.
- CSS Styling: Remember to add or modify CSS rules in your child theme’s `style.css` to fine-tune the appearance of your product image.
- Testing: Always test your changes thoroughly after making modifications to the `product-image.php` file or any other WooCommerce template.
- Regenerate Thumbnails: After changing image sizes in `functions.php` use a plugin like “Regenerate Thumbnails” to regenerate all your product images with the new dimensions. This is essential for your changes to take effect.
- Editing Core WooCommerce Files: Never directly modify files within the `woocommerce` plugin folder. Your changes will be lost during updates.
- Forgetting to Activate the Child Theme: Make sure your child theme is activated in the WordPress Appearance > Themes section.
- Incorrect File Path: Double-check that you’ve created the correct directory structure in your child theme (`your-child-theme/woocommerce/single-product/`).
- Not Regenerating Thumbnails: Failing to regenerate thumbnails after modifying image sizes will result in inconsistent image display.
- Ignoring WooCommerce Hooks: Using hooks is often a cleaner and more maintainable way to modify functionality than directly editing the template file.
Directly modifying the core WooCommerce files (DON’T DO THIS!) is a recipe for disaster. Your changes will be overwritten with every update, leading to hours of frustration. The correct way is to leverage child themes and template overriding. This article will walk you through the process step-by-step, even if you’re new Discover insights on How To Reset Media In Woocommerce to WordPress and WooCommerce development.
What are Child Themes and Why Use Them?
Think of a child theme as an extension of your main theme. It inherits all the features and styles of the parent theme but allows you to make modifications without altering the original files.
Why is this so important?
If you don’t already have one, create a child theme for your current active theme. There are plugins that make this process simple, or you can create one manually. Search the WordPress plugin repository for “child theme generator.”
Identifying the Correct Template File: `product-image.php`
The template file responsible for displaying the product image on the single product page is `product-image.php`. You’ll find it within the WooCommerce plugin directory at:
`woocommerce/templates/single-product/product-image.php`
Important: You will not edit this file directly!
Overriding the `product-image.php` Template in Your Child Theme
Here’s the process to override the `product-image.php` template:
1. Create a WooCommerce Folder in Your Child Theme: Inside your child theme’s directory, create a folder named `woocommerce`.
2. Replicate the Directory Structure: Within the `woocommerce` folder, create another folder named `single-product`.
3. Copy the `product-image.php` File: Navigate to the original `woocommerce/templates/single-product/` folder in the WooCommerce plugin and copy the `product-image.php` file.
4. Paste the File into Your Child Theme: Paste the copied `product-image.php` file into the `your-child-theme/woocommerce/single-product/` directory you created.
Now you have a copy of the `product-image.php` file within your child theme, which you can safely modify!
Example Directory Structure:
your-child-theme/
├── style.css
├── functions.php
└── woocommerce/
└── single-product/
└── product-image.php
Modifying the `product-image.php` File
Now comes the fun part: customizing the product image. Open the `product-image.php` file in your child theme (the one you just copied).
Example: Adding a custom class to the main image wrapper
Let’s say you want to add a custom CSS class `my-custom-image-wrapper` to the `
<?php if ( $post_thumbnail_id ) { $html = wc_get_gallery_image_html( $post_thumbnail_id, true ); } else { $html = ''; $html .= sprintf( ''; }', esc_url( wc_placeholder_img_src( 'woocommerce_single' ) ), esc_html__( 'Awaiting product image', 'woocommerce' ) ); $html .= '
echo apply_filters( ‘woocommerce_single_product_image_thumbnail_html’, $html, $post_thumbnail_id ); // phpcs:disable WordPress.XSS.EscapeOutput.OutputNotEscaped
?>
Modify it to add your custom class:
<?php if ( $post_thumbnail_id ) { $html = wc_get_gallery_image_html( $post_thumbnail_id, true ); } else { $html = ''; $html .= sprintf( ''; }echo apply_filters( ‘woocommerce_single_product_image_thumbnail_html’, $html, $post_thumbnail_id ); // phpcs:disable WordPress.XSS.EscapeOutput.OutputNotEscaped
?>
Now you can add CSS rules targeting `.my-custom-image-wrapper` in your child theme’s `style.css` Discover insights on How To Add Custom Woocommerce Css file to style the product image container.
Example: Modifying the Image Discover insights on How To Acceot Subcription Renwal Payments Stripe Woocommerce Size
WooCommerce uses image sizes defined in WordPress. To change the size of the product image, you generally don’t modify the `product-image.php` file directly. Instead, you’d want to use filters and functions in your child theme’s `functions.php` file. This is a more robust approach.
// functions.php in Learn more about How To Add A Digital File In Woocommerce your child theme add_filter( 'woocommerce_get_image_size_single', 'my_custom_product_image_size' Learn more about How To Add Discounts In Woocommerce );function my_custom_product_image_size( $size ) {
return array(
‘width’ => 600, // New width
‘height’ => 600, // New height
‘crop’ => 1, // Crop the image?
);
}
add_filter( ‘woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail_size’, ‘custom_woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail_size’ );
function custom_woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail_size( $size ) {
return ‘thumbnail’; // Replace with ‘medium’, ‘large’, ‘full’ or a custom size
}
Important Considerations:
Common Mistakes to Avoid
By following these steps, you can safely and effectively update the `product-image.php` template in your WooCommerce single product page using a child theme, ensuring that your customizations are preserved during future updates. Good luck!
