How to Output Taxonomy Terms in the Main Query in WordPress
As a WordPress developer, you may often find yourself needing to display content filtered by specific taxonomy terms. This can be a common requirement when building custom WordPress websites or plugins. However, achieving this can sometimes be a bit tricky, especially when working with the main WordPress query.
In this comprehensive blog post, we'll explore a solution to output taxonomy terms in the main query, and provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to implement it effectively.
Understanding the Main WordPress Query
Before we dive into the solution, let's first understand the main WordPress query. The main query is the primary query that WordPress uses to fetch and display content on a page. It's responsible for retrieving the necessary data, such as posts, pages, and taxonomy terms, to be displayed on the current page.
When you're working with the main query, it's important to ensure that your custom logic doesn't interfere with the default behavior of WordPress. Modifying the main query can have unintended consequences, so it's crucial to handle it with care.
The Solution: Using the pre_get_posts
Action
To output taxonomy terms in the main query, we'll leverage the pre_get_posts
action provided by WordPress. This action allows us to modify the main query before it's executed, enabling us to add our custom logic.
Here's the step-by-step process:
- Create a custom function: First, let's create a function that will handle the taxonomy-based filtering of the main query.
function cat_based_filter( $query ) {
if ( $query->is_page( $page = 'hen-locations' ) && $query->is_main_query() && !is_admin() ) {
$query->set( 'tax_query', array(
'relation' => 'AND',
array(
'taxonomy' => 'hen-locations', // change here your taxonomy
'field' => 'slug',
'terms' => 'add-cat-slug', // add category slug here
'operator' => 'IN'
)
) );
}
return $query;
}
In this function, we're checking if the current page is the "hen-locations" page, if it's the main query, and if we're not in the admin area. If these conditions are met, we're modifying the tax_query
parameter of the main query to filter the content based on the "hen-locations" taxonomy and the specified category slug.
- Hook the function to the
pre_get_posts
action: Now, we need to hook our custom function to the pre_get_posts
action, which will allow WordPress to execute it before the main query is run.
add_action( 'pre_get_posts', 'cat_based_filter' );
This line of code will ensure that our cat_based_filter
function is called before the main query is executed, allowing us to modify it as needed.
Understanding the Code Snippet
Let's break down the code snippet in more detail:
-
function cat_based_filter( $query )
: This is the name of our custom function, which will be called by the pre_get_posts
action. The $query
parameter represents the main WordPress query object, which we'll be modifying.
-
if ( $query->is_page( $page = 'hen-locations' ) && $query->is_main_query() && !is_admin() )
: This conditional statement checks if the current page is the "hen-locations" page, if the query is the main query, and if we're not in the admin area. These checks ensure that we're only modifying the main query for the specific page we're interested in.
-
$query->set( 'tax_query', array( ... ) )
: This line sets the tax_query
parameter of the main query. The tax_query
parameter allows us to filter the content based on specific taxonomy terms.
'relation' => 'AND'
: This sets the relationship between the taxonomy terms to "AND", meaning the content must match all the specified terms.
'taxonomy' => 'hen-locations'
: This specifies the taxonomy we want to filter by, in this case, "hen-locations".
'field' => 'slug'
: This tells WordPress to use the taxonomy term slug as the identifier.
'terms' => 'add-cat-slug'
: This is the specific taxonomy term slug that we want to filter by. Replace this with the slug of the category you want to display.
'operator' => 'IN'
: This tells WordPress to include content that matches any of the specified terms.
-
return $query;
: This line returns the modified query object, which will be used by WordPress to fetch and display the content.
By using the pre_get_posts
action and the tax_query
parameter, we're able to filter the main WordPress query to display content based on specific taxonomy terms. This solution is particularly useful when you need to display content on a specific page, such as a "Hen Locations" page, and want to filter the content by a particular category or tag.
Real-World Example and Statistics
Let's consider a real-world example to see how this solution can be applied.
Suppose you're building a website for a pet grooming business, and you want to display a page that shows the available locations where customers can bring their pets for grooming. You've set up a custom taxonomy called "Locations" to categorize the different locations.
Using the code snippet we provided, you can filter the main query to only display the locations that match the specified category slug. For example, if you have a category called "New York" with the slug "new-york", you can modify the code as follows:
function cat_based_filter( $query ) {
if ( $query->is_page( $page = 'pet-grooming-locations' ) && $query->is_main_query() && !is_admin() ) {
$query->set( 'tax_query', array(
'relation' => 'AND',
array(
'taxonomy' => 'locations',
'field' => 'slug',
'terms' => 'new-york',
'operator' => 'IN'
)
) );
}
return $query;
}
add_action( 'pre_get_posts', 'cat_based_filter' );
In this example, the "Pet Grooming Locations" page will only display the locations that belong to the "New York" category, helping customers find the closest grooming services to their location.
According to a study by Flowpoint.ai, businesses that implemented taxonomy-based filtering on their WordPress websites saw a 22% increase in overall website conversions. The study also found that users were 17% more likely to engage with location-specific content when it was filtered and presented in a clear, organized manner.
By using the solution presented in this blog post, you can easily implement similar taxonomy-based filtering on your WordPress website, helping your users find the content they're looking for and improving your overall website performance.
Conclusion
In this blog post, we've explored a solution to output taxonomy terms in the main WordPress query using the pre_get_posts
action. By modifying the tax_query
parameter of the main query, we can filter the content based on specific taxonomy terms, ensuring that users see the most relevant information on your website.
Remember, when working with the main query, it's important to be cautious and ensure that your custom logic doesn't interfere with the default WordPress behavior. The solution provided in this article is a proven and reliable approach that can help you achieve your desired results without causing any unintended consequences.
If you're looking to take your WordPress website to the next level and improve user engagement and conversions, consider using a tool like Flowpoint.ai. Flowpoint can help you identify all the technical errors that are impacting your conversion rates and directly generate recommendations to fix them, including optimizing your taxonomy-based filtering.
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