# How to Add a Shortcode for Ordering WooCommerce Categories
Want to display your WooCommerce product categories in a specific order, rather than alphabetically? Using a shortcode offers a clean and efficient way to customize your category display. This article will guide you through the process, even if you’re new to coding.
Why Order Your WooCommerce Categories?
Imagine you’re running an online clothing store. You might want to showcase your most popular categories (like “New Arrivals” or “Best Sellers”) at the top of your page, driving more sales. Alphabetical ordering just doesn’t cut it for effective merchandising! By manually ordering your categories, you gain control over the user experience and can influence customer purchasing behavior.
The Simple Shortcode Solution
Instead of messing around with complex theme files, we’ll create a simple shortcode. This lets you insert your custom category order directly into any page or post using a simple code snippet.
Step 1: Create the Shortcode Function
Add the following code to your `functions.php` file (usually found in your theme’s folder). Always back up your theme files before making any changes! This function Explore this article on Woocommerce How To Hide View Invoice Buttom will take the category IDs and output them in the desired order.
function order_woocommerce_categories( $atts ) { $atts = shortcode_atts( array( 'ids' => '', // Comma-separated list of category IDs ), $atts );
$ordered_ids = explode( ‘,’, $atts[‘ids’] );
$output = ‘
- ‘;
- ‘ . $term->name . ‘
- `add_shortcode( ‘ordered_categories’, ‘order_woocommerce_categories’ )`: This registers our shortcode. Now, you can use `[ordered_categories]` in your content.
- `shortcode_atts()`: This sets a default value for the `ids` attribute.
- `explode( ‘,’, $atts[‘ids’] )`: This splits the comma-separated string of category IDs into an array.
- The `foreach` loop iterates through each ID, retrieves the category information, and creates a list item with a link to the category page.
- Directly in WordPress: Go to Products > Categories. The ID is visible in the URL when you edit a category (e.g., `…&category_id=123`).
- Using a plugin: Several plugins can help you manage and display WooCommerce category IDs.
- Error checking: You can add error handling to the code to gracefully handle cases where a category ID is invalid.
- Caching: Consider using a caching plugin to improve performance, especially if you have many categories.
- Styling: Use CSS to style the `
- ` and `
- ` elements to match your theme’s design.
foreach ( $ordered_ids as $id ) {
$term = get_term_by( ‘id’, $id, ‘product_cat’ );
if ( $term ) {
$output .= ‘
‘;
}
}
$output .= ‘
‘;
return Explore this article on How To Manually Post Woocommerce Product Pages To Facebook $output;
}
add_shortcode( ‘ordered_categories’, ‘order_woocommerce_categories’ );
Step 2: Understanding the Code
Let’s break down what the code does:
Step 3: Finding Your Category IDs
You need the numerical IDs of your categories. You can find these in a few ways:
Step 4: Using the Shortcode
Once you’ve added the code and identified your category IDs, you can use the shortcode like this:
[ordered_categories ids=”12,15,3,7″]
Replace `12,15,3,7` with your actual category IDs, separated by commas. This will display categories 12, 15, 3, and 7 in that precise order.
Troubleshooting and Best Practices
Conclusion
This shortcode provides a straightforward method to control the order of your WooCommerce categories, giving you more flexibility in presenting your products. Remember to always back up your files and test thoroughly after making changes to your theme. By following these steps, you can easily enhance the presentation and user experience of your WooCommerce store!
