Displaying Buttons Based on Available Data: A Guide to Conditional Display with WordPress and ACF
As a WordPress developer, you often face the challenge of ensuring that your website displays the most relevant content to your users. This becomes especially important when dealing with dynamically generated data, such as custom fields. Displaying buttons or links based on the availability of data is a common scenario, and it's crucial to get it right to provide a seamless user experience.
In this article, we'll explore how to use Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) to conditionally display buttons on your WordPress website. We'll cover the best practices, code examples, and troubleshooting tips to help you implement this feature effectively.
Understanding the Problem
Imagine you're building a website for a business that offers services in multiple regions. You want to display a "Stream DK" button if the user has a custom field named "streaming_from_shop" populated, and a "Stream UK" button if the user has a custom field named "streaming_from_shop_uk" populated.
The code snippet you provided is a good starting point, but it doesn't fully address the potential issues that may arise:
<?php if( get_field('streaming_from_shop') ): ?>
<a href="<?php the_field('streaming_from_shop'); ?>" class="buttonstream_shop" target="_blank">Stream DK</a>
<?php endif; ?>
<?php if( get_field('streaming_from_shop_uk') ): ?>
<a href="<?php the_field('streaming_from_shop_uk'); ?>" class="buttonstream_shop" target="_blank">Stream UK</a>
<?php endif; ?>
While this code checks if the custom fields exist before displaying the buttons, it doesn't handle the case where both fields are empty. In such a scenario, you might end up with an empty section on your website, which could be confusing for users.
Implementing Conditional Display with ACF
To address this issue, we'll use the have_rows()
function provided by ACF. This function allows us to check if a repeater or flexible content field has any rows (data) before attempting to display the content.
Here's the updated code:
<?php
// Check if the "streaming_from_shop" field has a value
if( have_rows('streaming_from_shop') ):
while( have_rows('streaming_from_shop') ): the_row();
$stream_link = get_sub_field('stream_link');
if( $stream_link ): ?>
<a href="<?php echo $stream_link; ?>" class="buttonstream_shop" target="_blank">Stream DK</a>
<?php endif;
endwhile;
endif;
// Check if the "streaming_from_shop_uk" field has a value
if( have_rows('streaming_from_shop_uk') ):
while( have_rows('streaming_from_shop_uk') ): the_row();
$stream_link_uk = get_sub_field('stream_link_uk');
if( $stream_link_uk ): ?>
<a href="<?php echo $stream_link_uk; ?>" class="buttonstream_shop" target="_blank">Stream UK</a>
<?php endif;
endwhile;
endif;
?>
In this updated code, we use the have_rows()
function to check if the "streaming_from_shop" and "streaming_from_shop_uk" fields have any values. If there are values, we then use a while
loop to iterate through the rows and check if the respective "stream_link" or "stream_link_uk" sub-fields have a value.
By using this approach, we ensure that the buttons are only displayed if there is actual data available, preventing empty sections on the website.
Enhancing the User Experience
While the previous code solves the immediate problem, we can take it a step further and enhance the user experience by providing visual cues and fallback options.
Providing Visual Cues
If both "streaming_from_shop" and "streaming_from_shop_uk" fields are empty, you could display a message or a placeholder element to let the user know that the content is not available. This can help avoid confusion and provide a better overall experience.
<?php
// Check if either "streaming_from_shop" or "streaming_from_shop_uk" has a value
if( have_rows('streaming_from_shop') || have_rows('streaming_from_shop_uk') ):
// Display buttons as before
else: ?>
<p>Sorry, no streaming options are available at this time.</p>
<?php endif; ?>
Fallback Options
In some cases, you may want to provide a fallback option for users when the custom field data is not available. For example, you could display a general "Watch Now" button that links to a default streaming page or a contact form to request more information.
<?php
// Check if either "streaming_from_shop" or "streaming_from_shop_uk" has a value
if( have_rows('streaming_from_shop') || have_rows('streaming_from_shop_uk') ):
// Display buttons as before
else: ?>
<a href="/default-streaming-page" class="buttonstream_shop" target="_blank">Watch Now</a>
<?php endif; ?>
By incorporating these enhancements, you can create a more polished and user-friendly experience for your website visitors.
Optimization and Best Practices
To ensure the best performance and maintainability of your code, consider the following best practices:
-
Use Consistent Naming Conventions: Maintain a consistent naming convention for your custom fields, such as "streaming_from_shop" and "streaming_from_shop_uk". This will make it easier to manage and update the code in the future.
-
Centralize Conditional Logic: If you have multiple instances of conditional button display on your website, consider centralizing the logic in a reusable function or a custom template part. This will make the code more modular and easier to maintain.
-
Leverage ACF's Conditional Logic: ACF's built-in conditional logic feature can help you streamline the display of content based on the availability of data. You can use this feature to show or hide entire sections of your website, not just individual buttons.
-
Optimize for Performance: Avoid unnecessary database queries and loop iterations by caching the results of have_rows()
and get_sub_field()
calls. This can improve the overall performance of your website.
-
Implement Error Handling: In the event that custom fields are not properly configured or accessible, include error handling to provide informative feedback to the website administrator or developer.
-
Document and Maintain the Code: Ensure that your code is well-documented, including explanations of the conditional logic and any custom field configurations. This will make it easier for other developers to understand and maintain the code in the future.
By following these best practices, you can create a robust and maintainable solution for conditionally displaying buttons on your WordPress website.
Conclusion
In this article, we've explored how to use Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) to conditionally display buttons on your WordPress website based on the availability of data. We've covered the problem, the implementation, and best practices to enhance the user experience and maintain the code.
By leveraging the power of ACF's have_rows()
function and implementing conditional logic, you can ensure that your website displays the most relevant content to your users, providing a seamless and intuitive experience.
Remember, the key to successful conditional display is not just the technical implementation, but also the thoughtful consideration of the user's needs and the overall website's design and usability. By following the guidelines outlined in this article, you can create a high-performing, user-friendly, and maintainable solution for your WordPress website.
For more information on how Flowpoint.ai can help you identify and fix technical errors that impact your website's conversion rates, visit Flowpoint.ai
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