How to Remove Filters from WooCommerce: A Comprehensive Guide
Introduction:
WooCommerce, a powerful and versatile e-commerce platform built on WordPress, allows you to create online stores with ease. One of its core features is the ability to filter products, enabling customers to find exactly what they need. However, there are situations where you might want to remove these filters. Maybe you’re simplifying your product catalog, streamlining the user experience, or implementing custom filtering solutions. This article will guide you through different methods to effectively remove filters from your WooCommerce store.
Main Part: Removing WooCommerce Filters
There are several ways to remove filters from your WooCommerce site. The best method depends on your comfort level with code and the specific filter elements you want to eliminate. Here are the most common approaches:
1. Removing Filters from the Sidebar (Widgets)
This is often the easiest and most common method, as WooCommerce filters are frequently implemented as widgets.
- Steps:
- Layered Nav Filter
- Product Categories
- Product Tag Cloud
- Filter Products by Attribute
- Filter Products by Price
- Steps:
- Important: Before making any changes to your theme’s `functions.php` file, it’s highly recommended to create a child theme. This prevents your customizations from being overwritten when the main theme is updated. Alternatively, you can use a code snippet plugin.
- Example: Removing the Price Filter
1. Log into your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to Appearance > Widgets.
3. Locate the sidebar(s) where your WooCommerce filters are displayed (usually ‘Shop Sidebar’ or ‘WooCommerce Sidebar’).
4. Identify the widgets responsible for the filtering, such as:
5. Click on each filter widget you want to remove and drag it out of the sidebar area, or click the “Remove” button within the widget’s settings.
6. Save your changes.
This method is straightforward and requires no coding.
2. Hiding Filters with CSS
If you don’t want to completely remove the filter elements, but simply hide them from view, CSS is your friend.
1. Identify the CSS class or ID of the filter element you want to hide. You can use your browser’s developer tools (right-click on the filter and select “Inspect” or “Inspect Element”) to find this. Common classes include `.woocommerce-widget-layered-nav`, `.widget_layered_nav`, or `#secondary`.
2. Go to Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS in your WordPress dashboard.
3. Add the following CSS code, replacing `YOUR_FILTER_SELECTOR` with the actual CSS selector you identified:
YOUR_FILTER_SELECTOR {
display: none !important;
}
4. Click “Publish” to save your changes.
Important: The `!important` declaration ensures that your CSS rule overrides any other conflicting styles.
3. Removing Filters via Code (functions.php or a Plugin)
For more advanced control, you can remove filters by directly manipulating the WooCommerce code. This requires some understanding of PHP.
To remove the “Filter Products by Price” widget, you can use the following code:
function remove_woocommerce_price_filter() { remove_action( 'woocommerce_before_shop_loop', 'woocommerce_result_count', 20 ); remove_action( 'woocommerce_before_shop_loop', 'woocommerce_catalog_ordering', 30 ); remove_action( 'woocommerce_before_shop_loop', 'woocommerce_price_filter', 40 );
remove_action( ‘woocommerce_after_shop_loop’, ‘woocommerce_pagination’, 10 );
add_filter(‘woocommerce_show_page_title’, ‘__return_false’);
}
add_action( ‘wp_loaded’, ‘remove_woocommerce_price_filter’ );
- Explanation:
- `remove_action()` removes the specified function from a particular action hook.
- `woocommerce_before_shop_loop` and `woocommerce_after_shop_loop` are WooCommerce action hooks that run before and after the product loop, respectively.
- `woocommerce_price_filter` is the function that renders the price filter widget.
- `wp_loaded` is an action hook that runs after WordPress is loaded but before any content is sent to the browser.
- How to Implement:
1. If using a child theme, open your child theme’s `functions.php` file.
2. Paste the code snippet into the `functions.php` file.
3. Save the file.
- Generalization: You can adapt this approach to remove other filters by identifying the relevant action hooks and function names. You might need to consult the WooCommerce documentation or examine the WooCommerce core files to find the appropriate code. *Always backup your files before making any code changes!*
4. Using Plugins
Several plugins can help you manage and customize WooCommerce filters, including the ability to remove them entirely. Search the WordPress plugin repository for terms like “WooCommerce filter customization” or “WooCommerce attribute control.” These plugins often provide a user-friendly interface for enabling, disabling, and configuring filters without requiring you to write code. However, always choose plugins from reputable developers with good ratings and recent updates.
Conclusion:
Removing filters from your WooCommerce store can be done in several ways, depending on your technical expertise and the desired outcome. Starting with the simplest method – removing widgets – is recommended. If you need more control, CSS or code modifications can be used, but remember to take precautions and back up your files before making any changes. Finally, using plugins provides a GUI that is easy to manage and provides a quick solution to removing woocommerce filters. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can effectively customize your WooCommerce store and provide a better browsing experience for your customers.