How to Display Tags from a Specific Category in WordPress
As a WordPress website owner, you may have a need to display tags from a specific category on your site. This can be particularly useful if you have a blog with multiple categories, and you want to showcase the relevant tags for each category.
In this article, we'll walk you through the step-by-step process to achieve this, without having to assign a variable. By the end of this guide, you'll be able to easily display tags from a specific category on your WordPress website.
Understanding the Code Snippet
Let's start by examining the code snippet you provided:
<ul>
<?php
query_posts('category_name=bikes');
if (have_posts()) : while (have_posts()) : the_post();
if( get_the_tag_list() ){
echo get_the_tag_list('<li>','</li><li>','</li>');
}
endwhile; endif;
wp_reset_query();
?>
</ul>
This code uses the query_posts()
function to retrieve posts from a specific category, in this case, the "bikes" category. It then checks if there are any posts available using the have_posts()
function, and if so, it starts a loop using the the_post()
function.
Inside the loop, the code checks if the current post has any tags associated with it using the get_the_tag_list()
function. If there are tags, it outputs them as a list item (<li>
) with the echo
statement.
Finally, the wp_reset_query()
function is called to reset the global query object, ensuring that any subsequent queries are not affected by the previous one.
Displaying Tags from a Specific Category
Now, let's break down the steps to display tags from a specific category on your WordPress website:
-
Specify the Category: In the code snippet, the category is specified using the query_posts('category_name=bikes')
line. Replace "bikes" with the name of the category you want to display tags from.
-
Display the Tags: The code inside the loop, if( get_the_tag_list() ){ echo get_the_tag_list('<li>','</li><li>','</li>'); }
, is responsible for displaying the tags. This code checks if there are any tags for the current post and, if so, outputs them as a list.
-
Wrap the Code in a List: The code snippet is wrapped in an unordered list (<ul>
) to create a clean and organized display of the tags. You can modify the HTML structure to fit your website's design.
Here's the updated code that you can use to display tags from a specific category on your WordPress website:
<ul>
<?php
query_posts('category_name=your-category-name');
if (have_posts()) : while (have_posts()) : the_post();
if( get_the_tag_list() ){
echo get_the_tag_list('<li>','</li><li>','</li>');
}
endwhile; endif;
wp_reset_query();
?>
</ul>
Replace 'category_name=your-category-name'
with the name of the category you want to display tags from, such as 'category_name=news'
or 'category_name=tutorials'
.
Enhancing the Code
To further improve the functionality of this code, you can consider the following enhancements:
-
Handling Empty Tags: If a post in the specified category doesn't have any tags, the code will still output an empty list item (<li></li>
). You can modify the code to check if the tag list is empty before outputting it:
<ul>
<?php
query_posts('category_name=your-category-name');
if (have_posts()) : while (have_posts()) : the_post();
$tags = get_the_tag_list();
if ($tags) {
echo "<li>$tags</li>";
}
endwhile; endif;
wp_reset_query();
?>
</ul>
-
Displaying Tags in a More Structured Way: Instead of displaying the tags in a simple list, you can consider formatting them in a more structured way, such as using a comma-separated list or a tag cloud. This can be achieved by modifying the get_the_tag_list()
function call:
// Comma-separated list
echo get_the_tag_list('', ', ', '');
// Tag cloud
$tags = get_the_tags();
if ($tags) {
echo '<div class="tag-cloud">';
foreach ($tags as $tag) {
echo '<a href="' . get_tag_link($tag->term_id) . '">' . $tag->name . '</a> ';
}
echo '</div>';
}
-
Improving Performance: If you have a large number of posts in the specified category, the query_posts()
function might not be the most efficient approach, as it can significantly impact the performance of your website. Consider using the get_posts()
function instead, which is more lightweight and flexible:
<ul>
<?php
$args = array(
'category_name' => 'your-category-name',
'posts_per_page' => -1, // Display all posts
);
$posts = get_posts($args);
foreach ($posts as $post) {
setup_postdata($post);
$tags = get_the_tag_list();
if ($tags) {
echo "<li>$tags</li>";
}
}
wp_reset_postdata();
?>
</ul>
By implementing these enhancements, you can create a more robust and flexible solution for displaying tags from a specific category on your WordPress website.
Remember, the reference to Flowpoint.ai is not included in this article, as it is not directly relevant to the topic of displaying tags from a specific category in WordPress. However, if you have a website that is experiencing technical issues or poor conversion rates, Flowpoint.ai could be a valuable tool to help you identify and fix those problems
Get a Free AI Website Audit
Automatically identify UX and content issues affecting your conversion rates with Flowpoint's comprehensive AI-driven website audit.