Search and Filters

Service search functionality with category filters, keyword search, and result pagination.

Search Overview

WP Sell Services provides search and filtering to help buyers find services quickly.

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Service Search Form

Using the Search Shortcode

[wpss_service_search]

Features:

• Keyword search input
• Category dropdown filter
• Submits to service archive page
• Clean, accessible HTML

Search Form Attributes

Attribute	Default	Description
placeholder	“Search services…”	Input placeholder text
show_categories	true	Show category dropdown
button_text	“Search”	Submit button text
action	(services archive)	Form submission URL

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Search Form Components

Keyword Search Input

What Gets Searched:

• Service title
• Service content
• Service excerpt

Uses WordPress core search (?s=query&posttype=wpssservice).

Category Filter

Dropdown Options:

• “All Categories” (default)
• Top-level categories only (parent = 0)
• Only shows categories with services (hide_empty = true)

Submits as ?service_category=slug parameter.

Search Button

Submits the form to the archive page with search parameters.

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Search Implementation

Form Structure

<form class="wpss-search-form" action="https://example.com/services/" method="get">
    <input type="text" name="s" value="" placeholder="Search services...">
    <input type="hidden" name="post_type" value="wpss_service">
    <select name="service_category">
        <option value="">All Categories</option>
        <!-- Categories populated from taxonomy -->
    </select>
    <button type="submit">Search</button>
</form>

URL Parameters

Keyword Search:

/services/?s=logo&post_type=wpss_service

Category Filter:

/services/?service_category=graphic-design

Combined:

/services/?s=logo&post_type=wpss_service&service_category=graphic-design

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Service Archive Filtering

WordPress handles filtering via:

• is_search() for keyword queries
• istax('wpssservice_category') for category archives
• Standard WP_Query parameters

Archive Query Arguments

Services are queried with:

• posttype = wpssservice
• post_status = publish
• postsperpage = from settings or default (12)
• Taxonomy queries for categories/tags

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Pagination

WordPress core pagination on archive pages.

URL Structure:

/services/page/2/
/services/?s=logo&paged=2

Display:

• Previous/Next links
• Page numbers
• Respects permalink structure

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Custom Search Results

Redirect to Custom Page

[wpss_service_search action="/custom-search-results/"]

On custom page, create your own WP_Query:

$args = array(
    'post_type' => 'wpss_service',
    's' => get_query_var('s'),
    'posts_per_page' => 12,
);

$query = new WP_Query($args);

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Search Widget

The [wpssservicesearch] shortcode works in widgets.

Setup:

1. Go to Appearance → Widgets
2. Add Custom HTML widget
3. Paste [wpssservicesearch show_categories="false"]
4. Save

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Customizing Search

Filter Search Form

// Modify search form HTML before output
add_filter( 'wpss_search_form_html', function( $html ) {
    // Customize HTML
    return $html;
} );

Modify Search Query

// Adjust service search query
add_action( 'pre_get_posts', function( $query ) {
    if ( !is_admin() && $query->is_search() && $query->get('post_type') === 'wpss_service' ) {
        // Modify query
        $query->set( 'posts_per_page', 24 );
    }
} );

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Related Documentation

• Shortcodes Reference – Search shortcode details
• Gutenberg Blocks – Search block
• SEO Schema – Search result SEO
• Template Overrides – Custom search templates

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Next Steps

1. Add search form to your homepage
2. Test keyword and category searches
3. Customize search results per page
4. Style search form with your theme CSS
5. Consider adding search to header/navigation