# How to Get Product Category in WooCommerce WordPress: A Beginner’s Guide
So you’re working with WooCommerce, and you need to access the product category information. Maybe you’re building a custom theme, creating a plugin, or just tweaking your website’s functionality. Whatever the reason, knowing how to retrieve product category data is a fundamental skill. This guide will walk you through it step-by-step, even if you’re completely new to coding.
Why You Need Product Categories in WooCommerce
Before diving into the code, let’s understand why accessing product categories is important. Think of your WooCommerce store like a well-organized library. Categories are the shelves that Check out this post: Google For Woocommerce How To Disable Gtin Explore this article on How To Create A Store In Storefront Woocommerce neatly organize your products, making it easy for customers to find what they need. Being able to access this information programmatically opens up a world of possibilities:
- Creating custom product displays: Show products from specific categories on different pages. Imagine a “Featured Products” section displaying only items from your “New Arrivals” category.
- Filtering and sorting products: Build advanced search and filter functionality, allowing customers to refine their search based on category. A “Clothing” category could be further filtered by “Men’s” and “Women’s” subcategories.
- Customizing product information: Display category-specific information alongside your products, like a special discount for items in the “Sale” category.
- Building advanced reporting: Analyze sales data based on categories to understand which product lines are performing best.
Method 1: Using the `wp_get_post_terms()` Function
This is the most common and reliable method to get a product’s category. The `wp_get_post_terms()` function is a core WordPress function, so you don’t need any extra plugins.
Let’s say you want to get the categories of a specific Explore this article on How To Show More Products Per Page Woocommerce product with ID 123. Here’s how you would do it:
<?php $product_id = 123; // Replace with the actual product ID $product_categories = wp_get_post_terms( $product_id, 'product_cat' );
if ( ! empty( $product_categories ) && ! is_wp_error( $product_categories ) ) Check out this post: How To Change Thumbnail Product Image Size On Woocommerce Email {
foreach ( $product_categories as $category ) {
echo ‘
Category: ‘ . $category->name . ‘
‘;
echo ‘
Category ID: ‘ . $category->term_id . ‘
‘;
echo ‘
Category Slug: ‘ . $category->slug . ‘
‘;
}
} else {
echo ‘
No categories found for this product.
‘;
}
?>
Explanation:
- `$product_id = 123;`: This line sets the ID of the product you want to get the categories for. Remember to replace `123` with the actual product ID.
- `wp_get_post_terms( $product_id, ‘product_cat’ )`: This function retrieves the terms (categories in this case) associated with the given product ID. `’product_cat’` specifies that we’re looking for product categories.
- The `if` statement checks if categories were found and handles potential errors.
- The `foreach` loop iterates through each category and displays its name, ID, and slug.
Method 2: Using WooCommerce’s `wc_get_product()` Function (for more WooCommerce-specific data)
If you’re working directly with WooCommerce objects, using `wc_get_product()` can be more efficient. This method gives you access to a wealth of WooCommerce-specific product data, including categories.
<?php $product_id = 123; // Replace with the actual product ID $product = wc_get_product( $product_id );
if ( $product ) {
$categories = $product->get_categories();
foreach ( $categories as $category ) {
echo ‘
Category: ‘ . $category->name . ‘
‘;
echo ‘
Category Link: term_id, ‘product_cat’ ) . ‘”>’ . $category->name . ‘
‘; //Added category link
}
} else {
echo ‘
Product not found.
‘;
}
?>
Explanation:
- Read more about How To Remove Div Class Woocommerce-Tabs Wc-Tabs-Wrapper
- `wc_get_product( $product_id )`: This retrieves the WooCommerce product object.
- `$product->get_categories()`: This method, specific to WooCommerce products, returns an array of category objects.
- The `foreach` loop iterates through the categories, allowing you to access their properties like name and ID. We’ve added an example to show how to create a link to each category.
Where to Put Your Code
You can insert this code into several places, depending on your needs:
- Within a custom theme’s template files: To modify how product information is displayed on your shop pages.
- Inside a custom plugin: To extend WooCommerce functionality with your own features.
- Within a custom function: To create reusable code snippets.
Remember to always replace `123` with the actual product ID you’re working with. You can find a product’s ID in the WordPress admin panel under Products -> All Products.
This guide provides a solid foundation for working with product categories in WooCommerce. Remember to consult the official WooCommerce and WordPress documentation for more advanced techniques and troubleshooting. Happy coding!
