How To Mass Add Product Subcategories Woocommerce

How to Mass Add Product Subcategories in WooCommerce: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

Managing a large WooCommerce store often involves dealing with hundreds or even thousands of products. Organizing these products efficiently using categories and subcategories is crucial for customer navigation, search engine optimization (SEO), and overall website usability. Manually adding product subcategories one by one can be incredibly time-consuming and tedious. This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to mass add product subcategories in WooCommerce, exploring various methods to streamline this process and save you valuable time. We’ll cover options ranging from built-in features to plugin solutions, and even custom code snippets. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a clear understanding of the best approach for your specific needs and skill level.

Why Mass Adding Subcategories is Important

Before diving into the “how,” let’s quickly recap why mass adding product subcategories is so beneficial:

• Improved User Experience: Well-defined subcategories make it easier for customers to find exactly what they’re looking for, leading to increased sales and customer satisfaction.
• Enhanced SEO: Properly structured subcategories can improve your website’s SEO by creating a clear hierarchical structure that search engines can easily understand and index. This helps your products rank higher in search results.
• Efficient Product Management: Organizing products into subcategories streamlines your inventory management and makes it easier to track and update products.
• Time Saving: Manually creating subcategories is time-consuming. Mass adding streamlines the process, allowing you to focus on other important aspects of your business.

Main Part: Methods for Mass Adding Product Subcategories

There are several ways to mass add product subcategories in WooCommerce. We’ll cover three popular methods: using CSV import/export, utilizing plugins, and employing custom code.

1. CSV Import/Export Method

WooCommerce offers a built-in CSV (Comma Separated Values) import/export tool that can be used to create and update categories, including subcategories. This method requires some familiarity with spreadsheets and CSV files, but it’s a powerful and versatile option.

Steps:

1. Export Existing Products (Optional): If you already have products with existing categories, export them to analyze the data structure. Go to Products > All Products > Export. Select the necessary options and click “Generate CSV.” This will give you an example of how WooCommerce structures category data.

2. Prepare Your CSV File: Create a new CSV file (using Excel, Google Sheets, or any text editor) with the following columns (at a minimum):

• ID: If you’re updating existing products, include the product ID. Leave this blank if you are creating new products.
• Type: Set this to “simple” or “variable” depending on the product type.
• SKU: (Stock Keeping Unit) A unique identifier for each product.
• Name: The name of the product.
• Categories: This is where you define your categories and subcategories. Use the “category_name > subcategory_name” format to create subcategories. Note: The categories and parent categories must already exist. If not, you can create the parent categories first and then import them.
• Short Description: A brief description of the product.
• Regular Price: The regular price of the product.

Here’s an example of a CSV row:

ID,Type,SKU,Name,Published,Categories,Short Description,Regular Price

123,simple,PRODUCT123,Awesome T-Shirt,1,”Clothing > T-Shirts”,A great comfortable shirt.,25.00

3. Import Your CSV File: Go to Products > All Products > Import. Choose your prepared CSV file and configure the import options:

• Delimiter: Make sure this is set to a comma (,) or whatever delimiter you used in your CSV file.
• Existing products: Choose how to handle existing products (skip, update, or delete).
• Map Fields: Carefully map the columns in your CSV file to the corresponding WooCommerce fields.

4. Run the Importer: Click “Run the importer.” WooCommerce will process the file and create or update the products and categories accordingly.

Important Considerations:

• Existing Categories: Ensure the parent categories already exist before importing the CSV, otherwise the subcategory creation will fail.
• CSV Formatting: Incorrect formatting in the CSV file can lead to errors during import. Double-check your syntax and delimiters.
• Backup: Always back up your WooCommerce database before importing data.
• Large Imports: For large imports, consider increasing the Discover insights on How To Add Css In Woocommerce PHP `memory_limit` and `max_execution_time` to prevent timeouts.

2. Using Plugins

Several WooCommerce Discover insights on How To Configure Ssl In Woocommerce plugins are designed to help you manage categories and subcategories more efficiently. Here are a few popular options:

• Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order: While primarily used for reordering categories, some versions allow for quick editing and creation of subcategories.
• Bulk Edit Products, Prices & Attributes for WooCommerce: This plugin enables you to bulk edit various product attributes, including categories, allowing you to quickly assign or change subcategories for multiple products at once.
• Custom-built or specialized category management plugins: Search the WooCommerce plugin directory for “bulk category edit” or similar terms to find a plugin that suits your specific needs.

Example: Using “Bulk Edit Products, Prices & Attributes for WooCommerce”

1. Install and activate the plugin.

2. Go to the plugin’s settings page (often found under the WooCommerce menu).

3. Filter Products: Use the plugin’s filter options to select the products you want to assign to a new subcategory.

4. Edit Categories: Look for the category editing options. The plugin will typically allow you to add existing categories or create new ones directly.

5. Apply Changes: Save the changes to update the selected products.

Advantages of using plugins:

• User-friendly interface: Plugins often provide a more intuitive interface compared to CSV manipulation.
• Advanced features: Some plugins offer advanced features like category filtering, search, and batch editing.
• Reduced Read more about How To Change Images Colors In Woocommerce risk of errors: Plugins handle data validation and formatting, reducing the risk of errors during mass editing.

Disadvantages of using plugins:

• Cost: Some plugins are premium and require a purchase.
• Compatibility: Ensure the plugin is compatible with your WooCommerce version and other plugins.
• Potential for conflicts: Overlapping functionality with other plugins can sometimes lead to conflicts.

3. Custom Code (For Developers)

If you’re comfortable with PHP and have some coding experience, you can use custom code to programmatically create and assign subcategories. This method offers the most flexibility but requires technical expertise.

Example Snippet (Adding a Subcategory to Multiple Products):

 <?php /** 
Add a subcategory to multiple products by SKU.
 
* Add this code to your theme's functions.php file or a custom plugin.
 */ 

function add_subcategory_to_products( $subcategory_name, $parent_category_name, $product_skus ) {

// 1. Get the parent category ID

$parent_term = get_term_by( ‘name’, $parent_category_name, ‘product_cat’ );

if ( ! $parent_term ) {

error_log( ‘Parent category “‘ . $parent_category_name . ‘” not found.’ );

return;

}

$parent_category_id = $parent_term->term_id;

// 2. Check if the subcategory exists. If not, create it.

$subcategory_term = term_exists( $subcategory_name, ‘product_cat’, $parent_category_id );

if ( ! $subcategory_term ) {

$subcategory_term = wp_insert_term(

$subcategory_name, // the term

‘product_cat’, // the taxonomy

array(

‘parent’ => $parent_category_id,

)

);

if ( is_wp_error( $subcategory_term ) ) {

error_log( ‘Error creating subcategory: ‘ . $subcategory_term->get_error_message() );

return;

}

$subcategory_id = $subcategory_term[‘term_id’];

} else {

$subcategory_id = $subcategory_term[‘term_id’];

}

// 3. Loop through the product SKUs and add the subcategory to each product.

foreach ( $product_skus as $sku ) {

$product_id = wc_get_product_id_by_sku( $sku );

if ( $product_id ) {

wp_set_object_terms( $product_id, $subcategory_id, ‘product_cat’, true );

} else {

error_log( ‘Product with SKU “‘ . $sku . ‘” not found.’ );

}

}

echo ‘

Subcategory “‘ . $subcategory_name . ‘” added to products with SKUs: ‘ . implode( ‘, ‘, $product_skus ) . ‘

‘;

}

/

* Example usage (add this code to a temporary page or run it once)

*/

function example_add_subcategory() {

$subcategory_name = ‘New Subcategory’;

$parent_category_name = ‘Clothing’; // Ensure this parent category exists.

$product_skus = array( ‘TSHIRT001’, ‘TSHIRT002’, ‘HOODIE003’ ); // Replace with your actual SKUs.

add_subcategory_to_products( $subcategory_name, $parent_category_name, $product_skus );

}

// Call the example function (ONLY RUN THIS ONCE, then remove or comment it out!)

// example_add_subcategory();

Explanation:

1. `add_subcategory_to_products()` function: This function takes the subcategory name, parent category name, and an array of product SKUs as input.

2. Get Parent Category ID: Retrieves the ID of the parent category based on its name. If the parent doesn’t exist, an error is logged.

3. Check if Subcategory Exists: Determines if the subcategory already exists under the parent category.

4. Create Subcategory (if needed): If the subcategory doesn’t exist, it creates it using `wp_insert_term()`.

5. Loop Through Products: Iterates through the provided product SKUs, retrieves the corresponding product IDs, and assigns the new subcategory to each product using `wp_set_object_terms()`. If a product SKU is not found, an error is logged.

6. `example_add_subcategory()` function (Example Usage): Demonstrates how to use the `add_subcategory_to_products()` function. Important: Only run this function once. Then, either remove it or comment it out to prevent it from running every time the page loads.

7. Important – Error Logging: The code includes error logging to help you identify any issues during the process. Check your WordPress error log if you encounter problems.

To use this code:

1. Add the code to your theme’s `functions.php` file (or a custom plugin). Important: Editing the `functions.php` file directly can break your site. Consider using a child theme or a code snippets plugin.

2. Update the `$subcategory_name`, `$parent_category_name`, and `$product_skus` variables in the `example_add_subcategory()` function with your actual data.

3. Uncomment the `example_add_subcategory();` line to run the function. Only run this line ONCE.

4. Check your WooCommerce products to confirm that the subcategories have been added.

5. Remove or comment out the `example_add_subcategory();` line after you’ve run it.

6. Check the WordPress error log for any errors.

Advantages of Custom Code:

• Maximum Flexibility: You have complete control over the process and can tailor the code to your specific requirements.
• No Plugin Dependencies: You don’t rely on third-party plugins, which can reduce compatibility issues.
• Automation: You can automate the process and integrate it with other custom functionalities.

Disadvantages of Custom Code:

• Requires Coding Knowledge: This method requires PHP programming skills.
• Potential for Errors: Incorrect code can cause errors or break your website.
• Maintenance: You are responsible for maintaining the code and ensuring it remains compatible with future WooCommerce updates.