Adding WooCommerce Product Tags to Your WordPress Menu Sidebar: A Comprehensive Guide
Introduction:
WooCommerce, the Discover insights on How Does Woocommerce Create The Add To Cart Button leading e-commerce platform for WordPress, offers a wealth of features to help you manage your online store. One powerful, yet often overlooked, aspect is the use of product tags. These tags allow customers to easily browse and filter products based on specific attributes or characteristics. While adding product tags to individual product pages is straightforward, displaying them directly in your WordPress menu sidebar can significantly improve your store’s navigation and user experience. This article will walk you through the process of adding WooCommerce product tags to your menu sidebar, enhancing discoverability and driving sales. We’ll cover various methods, from simple widget implementations to more advanced custom code solutions, ensuring you find the perfect fit for your store’s needs.
Main Part:
There are several ways to add WooCommerce product tags to your WordPress menu sidebar. We’ll explore three common and effective methods: using a widget, using a plugin, and using custom code.
Method 1: Using the WooCommerce Product Tag Widget
This is the simplest and most direct method for adding product tags to your sidebar.
1. Access the Widgets Area:
- In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Appearance > Widgets.
- Scroll through the available widgets until you find the one labeled “WooCommerce Product Tags.” It should have the WooCommerce logo.
- Drag the “WooCommerce Product Tags” widget to your desired sidebar area (e.g., “Sidebar,” “Shop Sidebar,” etc.). The specific sidebar names depend on your theme.
- Expand the widget to configure its settings:
- Title: Enter a title for the widget (e.g., “Product Tags,” “Shop by Tag”).
- Order by: Choose how the tags should be ordered (e.g., “Name,” “Count”).
- Order: Specify the order direction (e.g., “Ascending,” “Descending”).
- Hide empty tags: Check this box to prevent tags with no associated products from being displayed.
- Show product counts: Check this box to display the number of products associated with each tag.
- Click the “Save” button at the bottom of the widget.
- Visit your website and check your sidebar to see the WooCommerce product tags displayed.
- In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New.
- Search for “Product Tag Cloud for WooCommerce.”
- Install and activate the plugin.
- Some plugins have dedicated settings pages. Check your dashboard menu for a new item or look under “WooCommerce” or “Settings.” Configure any plugin-specific options as needed.
- Go to Appearance > Widgets.
- Look for the plugin’s widget (it will usually have the plugin’s name).
- Drag the widget to your desired sidebar.
- Configure the widget settings (title, tag count, size, colors, etc.).
- Save your changes.
- Visit your website to see the product tags displayed in the sidebar.
- In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance > Theme File Editor.
- Locate the `functions.php` file in the list of theme files.
2. Locate the “WooCommerce Product Tags” Discover insights on How To Access Woocommerce Builder Widget:
3. Add the Widget to Your Sidebar:
4. Configure the Widget (Optional):
5. Save Your Changes:
6. View Your Sidebar:
Method 2: Using a WordPress Plugin
Several WordPress plugins provide more advanced options for displaying product tags, including custom styling and filtering. Here’s an example using the “Product Tag Cloud for WooCommerce” plugin (available in the WordPress plugin repository).
1. Install and Activate the Plugin:
2. Access the Plugin Settings (if applicable):
3. Add the Plugin’s Widget (or Shortcode) to Your Sidebar:
4. View Your Sidebar:
Method 3: Using Custom Code (Advanced)
This method requires some PHP knowledge but offers the most flexibility. It involves adding a code snippet to your theme’s `functions.php` file (or a custom plugin) to generate the list of product tags. Always back up your website before editing code.
1. Access Your Theme’s `functions.php` File:
2. Add the Following Code Snippet:
function custom_woocommerce_product_tags_sidebar() { $args = array( 'taxonomy' => 'product_tag', 'orderby' => 'name', 'order' => 'ASC', 'hide_empty' => true, 'number' => 0, // Display all tags );
$tags = get_terms( $args );
if ( $tags ) {
echo ‘
‘;
}
}
// Add the function to a sidebar (e.g., after_setup_theme hook)
function add_custom_tags_to_sidebar() {
register_sidebar( array(
‘name’ => ‘Custom Product Tags Sidebar’,
‘id’ => ‘custom-product-tags-sidebar’,
‘before_widget’ => ‘
‘,
‘before_title’ => ‘
‘,
‘after_title’ => ‘
‘,
) );
}
add_action( ‘widgets_init’, ‘add_custom_tags_to_sidebar’ );
// Add custom widgets
function add_custom_product_tags_widget() {
class Custom_Product_Tags_Widget extends WP_Widget {
function __construct() {
parent::__construct(
‘custom_product_tags_widget’,
__( ‘Custom Product Tags’, ‘text_domain’ ),
array( ‘description’ => __( ‘A widget to display product tags.’, ‘text_domain’ ), )
);
}
public function widget( $args, $instance ) {
echo $args[‘before_widget’];
if ( ! empty( $instance[‘title’] ) ) {
echo $args[‘before_title’] . apply_filters( ‘widget_title’, $instance[‘title’] ) . $args[‘after_title’];
}
custom_woocommerce_product_tags_sidebar(); //call code tags
echo $args[‘after_widget’];
}
public function form( $instance ) {
$title = ! empty( $instance[‘title’] ) ? $instance[‘title’] : __( ‘Product Tags’, ‘text_domain’ );
?>
<label for="get_field_id( ‘title’ ) ); ?>”>
<input class="widefat" id="get_field_id( ‘title’ ) ); ?>” name=”get_field_name( ‘title’ ) ); ?>” type=”text” value=””>
<?php
}
public function update( $new_instance, $old_instance ) {
$instance = array();
$instance[‘title’] = ( ! empty( $new_instance[‘title’] ) ) ? strip_tags( $new_instance[‘title’] ) : ”;
return $instance;
}
}
register_widget( ‘Custom_Product_Tags_Widget’ );
}
add_action( ‘widgets_init’, ‘add_custom_product_tags_widget’ );
3. Save the `functions.php` File:
- Click the “Update File” button.
4. Add the Widget to your sidebar:
- Go to Appearance > Widgets.
- Look for “Custom Product Tags” Widget.
- Drag the widget to your desired sidebar.
- Configure the widget settings (title).
- Save your changes.
5. View Your Sidebar:
- Visit your website to see the product tags displayed in the sidebar.
Explanation of the Code:
- The `custom_woocommerce_product_tags_sidebar()` function retrieves all product tags using `get_terms()`.
- It then loops through the tags and creates an unordered list (`
- `) with links (``) to each tag archive page.
- The `add_custom_tags_to_sidebar()` function registers a new sidebar called “Custom Product Tags Sidebar.”
- The `add_custom_product_tags_widget()` function registers a widget using php class `Custom_Product_Tags_Widget`.
Customization:
- Styling: Modify the CSS classes (`.product-tags-widget`, `ul`, `li`, `a`) in your theme’s stylesheet to customize the appearance of the tags.
- Arguments: Adjust the arguments in the `$args` array (e.g., `orderby`, `order`, `number`) to control how the tags are displayed.
Important Considerations for Custom Code:
- Child Theme: Always use a child theme when making modifications to your theme’s files to prevent your changes from being overwritten during theme updates.
- Error Handling: If you encounter errors, carefully review your code for syntax errors. Use WordPress’s debugging tools to identify and fix issues.
- Performance: Avoid adding complex or resource-intensive code to your `functions.php` file, as it can impact your website’s performance.
Conclusion:
Adding WooCommerce product tags to your WordPress menu sidebar is a simple yet effective way to enhance your store’s navigation and improve the user experience. Whether you choose the easy-to-use widget, a flexible plugin, or a custom code solution, you can help your customers quickly find the products they’re looking for, leading to increased engagement and sales. By implementing one of the methods outlined in this guide, you can take your WooCommerce store to the next level and create a more user-friendly and profitable online shopping experience. Remember to always back up your website before making any changes, especially when working with code. Choose the method that best suits your technical skill level and the specific requirements of your WooCommerce store.
