# How to Code a WooCommerce Template to Filter Products: A Beginner’s Guide
Want to give your WooCommerce store a professional touch and make it easier for customers to find exactly what they’re looking for? Product filtering is the key! This guide will walk you through creating custom WooCommerce product filters, even if you’re new to coding.
Why Use Product Filters?
Imagine walking into a massive department store without any way to find what you need. Frustrating, right? Product filters provide the same benefit for your online store. They allow customers to:
- Quickly narrow down results based on specific criteria. (e.g., color, size, price)
- Find products faster, leading to improved user experience and potentially higher conversion rates.
- Improve site navigation and make it more intuitive.
- A basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and PHP.
- Access to your WooCommerce website’s files (usually via FTP or your hosting control panel).
- A text editor or IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for coding.
- Enable attribute-based filtering: In your WooCommerce settings, make sure you’ve properly set up product attributes (like color, size, brand) and that you’ve enabled filtering for them.
- Customize the appearance: While WooCommerce provides basic filtering, you can customize its appearance with CSS. Add custom CSS to your theme’s `style.css` file or a custom CSS file.
Understanding the Basics: WooCommerce and Templates
WooCommerce uses templates to display information on your store. These templates are built using PHP, a server-side scripting language. To add product filtering, we’ll modify or create new templates.
What you’ll need:
Method 1: Using WooCommerce’s Built-in Filtering (Simplest Approach)
Before diving into custom code, explore WooCommerce’s default filtering capabilities. You may find they meet your needs without needing extensive coding.
Method 2: Creating a Custom Filter Template (More Advanced)
For more control over the look and functionality of your filters, you’ll need to create a custom template. Here’s a simplified example:
Step 1: Create a new template file
Create a file named `archive-product.php` (or a similar name depending on your theme’s structure) in your theme’s directory. This file will override WooCommerce’s default archive template.
Step 2: Add the filtering logic
Inside `archive-product.php`, add the following PHP code. This is a simplified example and will need modification based on your specific requirements and chosen attributes:
<?php /**
get_header(); ?>
<form method="get" action="”>
All Colors
<?php
$colors = get_terms( ‘pa_color’ ); // Replace ‘pa_color’ with your attribute slug
foreach ( $colors as $color ) {
echo ‘slug . ‘”>’ . $color->name . ”;
}
?>
<?php
//This section displays products after filtering
woocommerce_product_loop_start();
if (have_posts()) : while (have_posts()) : the_post();
wc_get_template_part( ‘content’, ‘product’ );
endwhile; endif;
woocommerce_product_loop_end();
?>
Explanation:
- The form submits data using the GET method to the same page.
- `pa_color` is a placeholder. Replace it with the actual slug of your color attribute in WooCommerce. You can find this slug in the WooCommerce attributes section.
- The `select` element creates a dropdown for color selection.
- The `foreach` loop dynamically populates the dropdown options from your WooCommerce attributes.
Step 3: Test and Refine
After saving the file, test your filter. You may need to adjust the code based on your specific needs and attributes.
Advanced Techniques
- AJAX Filtering: For a smoother user experience, implement AJAX filtering. This updates the product display without requiring a page reload. This requires more advanced JavaScript knowledge.
- Custom Filter Widgets: Use WooCommerce’s widget system to create custom filter widgets for your sidebar.
- Third-party Plugins: Numerous plugins provide advanced filtering capabilities, saving you development time.
Remember to always back up your files before making any changes. This guide provides a starting point. With practice and further research, you can create highly customized and effective product filters for your WooCommerce store. Happy coding!
