How to Filter Posts In WordPress By Category?

16 minutes read

Filtering posts in WordPress by category allows you to display only the posts that belong to a specific category or categories. This can be helpful if you want to create custom pages or sections on your website that focus on specific topics.


To filter posts by category, you can follow these steps:

  1. Open your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the "Appearance" section.
  2. Click on "Widgets" to access the available widgets for your website.
  3. Locate the "Categories" widget, which allows you to display a list of your categories in a widget area on your website.
  4. Drag and drop the "Categories" widget to the desired widget area, such as the sidebar or footer.
  5. Customize the widget's settings by giving it a title and selecting the display options you prefer.
  6. Save your changes.


Now, when visitors access the specific page where you placed the "Categories" widget, they will see a list of categories. By clicking on a category, they will be directed to a page that displays only posts belonging to that category.


Please note that the appearance and behavior of the "Categories" widget may vary depending on your WordPress theme and installed plugins. However, the general concept of using a categories widget to filter and display posts remains the same.

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Are there any built-in features in WordPress for filtering posts by category?

Yes, WordPress has a built-in feature for filtering posts by category.


You can use the category widget to display a list of categories on your website. This allows users to click on a category and view all posts assigned to that category.


To add the category widget to your sidebar or widget area, go to the Appearance menu in the WordPress dashboard, click on Widgets, and drag the Categories widget to your desired widget area.


Additionally, you can also use the category archive pages to filter posts by category. By default, WordPress automatically creates category archive pages for each category. You can access these pages by appending "/category/category-name" to your website's URL. This will display a list of posts assigned to the specified category.


Lastly, you can use custom queries or plugins to filter posts by category on specific pages or templates if you have more specific requirements for displaying category-based content.


How do you display a list of posts from a specific category in WordPress?

To display a list of posts from a specific category in WordPress, you can use the WP_Query class or create a custom loop. Here are the steps for both methods:

  1. Using WP_Query: 'your-category-slug', // Add other query parameters if needed, such as 'posts_per_page' to limit the number of posts displayed ); $query = new WP_Query($args); if ($query->have_posts()) : while ($query->have_posts()) : $query->the_post(); // Display post content here the_title('

    ', '

    '); the_content(); endwhile; else : // No posts found echo 'No posts found'; endif; wp_reset_postdata(); ?> Replace 'your-category-slug' with the slug of your desired category. Customize the code within the loop to display the post content in the desired format. This code should be placed in a theme template file or within a WordPress loop if you are using a page builder plugin.
  2. Using a custom loop: have_posts()) : while ($cat_query->have_posts()) : $cat_query->the_post(); // Display post content here the_title('

    ', '

    '); the_content(); endwhile; else : // No posts found echo 'No posts found'; endif; wp_reset_postdata(); ?> Again, replace 'your-category-slug' with the slug of your desired category. Customize the code within the loop to display the post content in the desired format. This code can be placed in a theme template file or within a WordPress loop if you are using a page builder plugin.


Both methods will retrieve and display the posts from the specified category.


What is WordPress?

WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that allows users to quickly and easily build and manage websites. It is an open-source software that is highly customizable and widely used for creating blogs, personal websites, e-commerce sites, and more. WordPress provides a user-friendly interface and a wide range of themes and plugins to enhance the functionality and design of websites. It is developed using PHP and MySQL and is known for its flexibility, scalability, and extensive community support.

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How do you create a filterable category grid layout in WordPress?

To create a filterable category grid layout in WordPress, you can follow these steps:

  1. Install and activate a WordPress plugin that provides a filterable grid layout feature, such as "Ultimate Category Excluder" or "Content Views."
  2. After activating the plugin, go to the plugin's settings page (usually found under the "Settings" or "Tools" menu in the WordPress dashboard).
  3. Configure the plugin settings according to your requirements. Usually, you'll need to specify which categories you want to include in the grid layout.
  4. Create a new WordPress page where you want to display the filterable category grid layout. Go to "Pages" in the WordPress dashboard and click on "Add New."
  5. In the page editor, you should see a button or shortcode provided by the plugin. Click on it to insert the shortcode in the editor.
  6. Customize the shortcode parameters to define how you want the grid layout to appear. You can specify the number of columns, grid styling, and other options as per the plugin's documentation.
  7. Save and publish the page to see the filterable category grid layout in action on your WordPress website.


Note: The exact steps might vary depending on the plugin you choose, so refer to the plugin's documentation and support resources for more detailed instructions.


How do you display the category filter on the front-end of your WordPress site?

To display the category filter on the front-end of your WordPress site, you can follow these steps:

  1. Open the theme file where you want to display the category filter. Typically, it is the index.php, archive.php, or category.php file.
  2. Find the location where you want to display the category filter. Usually, it is placed in the header, sidebar, or navigation menu.
  3. Add the following code in the appropriate location:
1
<?php wp_dropdown_categories(); ?>


This code will output a dropdown menu containing all the categories registered in your WordPress site.

  1. Save the file and visit your website to see the category filter displayed.


Note: If you want to customize the appearance or behavior of the category filter, you can refer to the WordPress Codex documentation for the wp_dropdown_categories() function.


Can you create custom URLs for filtered posts by category in WordPress?

Yes, it is possible to create custom URLs for filtered posts by category in WordPress. Here is a step-by-step guide to create custom URLs for filtered posts by category:

  1. Install and activate a plugin called 'Custom Post Type Permalinks' from the WordPress repository.
  2. After activating the plugin, go to 'Settings' and then 'Permalinks'. You will find a new section called 'Custom Post Type Permalinks' on this page.
  3. In the 'Custom Post Types' section, select the post type for which you want to create custom URLs (in this case, it would be 'Posts').
  4. Scroll down to 'Permalink Structure' and set the desired structure for your custom URLs. For example, if you want to filter posts by category, you can use the following structure: /%category%/%postname%/
  5. Save the changes.
  6. Now, navigate to 'Settings' and then 'Permalinks'. Ensure that the 'Common Settings' is set to 'Post name' for the changes to take effect.
  7. Go to 'Posts' in your WordPress dashboard and edit each post. Assign the relevant category to each post.
  8. Now, you can access the filtered posts by category using the custom URLs you created. For example, if you have a category called 'technology', the filtered posts URL would be something like: example.com/technology/post-title/


Remember to replace 'example.com' with your actual domain name.


By following these steps, you can create custom URLs for filtered posts by category in WordPress.


Why would you want to filter posts in WordPress by category?

Filtering posts in WordPress by category allows you to organize your content, make it more accessible and navigable for your audience, and improve the overall user experience on your website. Here are a few reasons why you might want to filter posts by category:

  1. Content Organization: By categorizing your posts, you can create a logical structure and hierarchy within your website. This helps visitors find specific topics or types of content easily. It also allows you to group related content together, making it convenient for users to explore and discover relevant articles.
  2. Improved Navigation: When you filter posts by category, you can create navigation menus or widgets that provide direct links to specific category pages. This helps visitors navigate to the content they are interested in, saving them time and effort.
  3. Enhanced User Experience: By presenting posts in categories, you offer users a more organized browsing experience. They can explore content based on their preferences or interests, thereby increasing engagement and potentially reducing bounce rates.
  4. SEO Benefits: Categorizing your posts can assist in search engine optimization (SEO). When you create well-structured categories and optimize category pages with relevant keywords, you improve the chances of higher ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs) for specific queries related to those categories. This can lead to increased organic traffic and visibility for your website.
  5. Targeting Specific Audience: By filtering posts by category, you can target different segments of your audience. People who are interested in a specific category can easily find and consume content that caters to their preferences. This enables better customization and personalization of the user experience.


Overall, filtering posts by category in WordPress helps organize your content, improve navigation, enhance the user experience, benefit SEO efforts, and deliver targeted content to specific audience segments.

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