Template Overrides

Customize the appearance of marketplace pages by overriding plugin templates in your theme.

Template System Overview

WP Sell Services uses a template hierarchy similar to WordPress themes. Copy any template to your theme to customize it without losing changes during plugin updates.

How Template Overrides Work

Template Priority

WordPress checks for templates in this order:

Child Theme: child-theme/wp-sell-services/{template}.php
Parent Theme: theme/wp-sell-services/{template}.php
Plugin: wp-sell-services/templates/{template}.php (fallback)

When you create a template in your theme, it takes priority over the plugin’s default.

Update-Safe Customization

Benefits:

Changes persist through plugin updates
Clean separation of plugin code and custom design
Easy to track customizations
Version control friendly

Available Templates

Core Templates

Template files available for override:

Service Templates:

single-service.php – Individual service page
archive-service.php – Service archive/catalog
content-service-card.php – Service card in listings

Vendor Templates:

vendor/profile.php – Vendor profile page

Order Templates:

order/details.php – Order details page

Template Location

Plugin Default:

wp-sell-services/templates/{template}.php

Theme Override:

your-theme/wp-sell-services/{template}.php

Creating Template Overrides

Step-by-Step Process

1. Create Directory Structure

In your theme, create:

your-theme/
└── wp-sell-services/
    ├── single-service.php
    ├── archive-service.php
    ├── content-service-card.php
    ├── vendor/
    │   └── profile.php
    └── order/
        └── details.php

2. Copy Template from Plugin

Copy the file you want to customize:

From:

/wp-content/plugins/wp-sell-services/templates/single-service.php

To:

/wp-content/themes/your-theme/wp-sell-services/single-service.php

3. Edit Template

Open the theme version and make your changes. Your customizations are now update-safe.

4. Test Changes

Clear all caches
View the relevant page
Verify changes appear
Test on different devices

Template Functions

Use these functions within templates to display data.

Service Data Functions

// Service information
$service_id = get_the_ID();
$price = get_post_meta( $service_id, '_wpss_starting_price', true );
$rating = get_post_meta( $service_id, '_wpss_rating_average', true );
$delivery = get_post_meta( $service_id, '_wpss_fastest_delivery', true );
$featured = get_post_meta( $service_id, '_wpss_is_featured', true );

// Display formatted price
if ( function_exists( 'wpss_format_currency' ) ) {
    echo wpss_format_currency( $price );
}

Vendor Data Functions

// Get vendor information
$vendor_id = get_the_author_meta( 'ID' );
$vendor = get_userdata( $vendor_id );

// Display avatar
echo get_avatar( $vendor_id, 80 );

// Display vendor name
echo esc_html( $vendor->display_name );

Template Helper Functions

// Check if template exists
$template = locate_template( 'wp-sell-services/single-service.php' );

// Get template part
wpss_get_template_part( 'content', 'service-card' );

Example: Service Card Override

Plugin Default: templates/content-service-card.php

Theme Override: your-theme/wp-sell-services/content-service-card.php

<?php
/**
 * Service Card Template Override
 */

$service_id = get_the_ID();
$price = get_post_meta( $service_id, '_wpss_starting_price', true );
$rating = get_post_meta( $service_id, '_wpss_rating_average', true );
$vendor = get_userdata( get_post_field( 'post_author', $service_id ) );
?>

<div class="custom-service-card">
    <?php if ( has_post_thumbnail() ) : ?>
        <a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>" class="custom-thumbnail">
            <?php the_post_thumbnail( 'medium' ); ?>
        </a>
    <?php endif; ?>

    <div class="custom-service-info">
        <div class="custom-vendor">
            <?php echo get_avatar( $vendor->ID, 32 ); ?>
            <span><?php echo esc_html( $vendor->display_name ); ?></span>
        </div>

        <h3 class="custom-title">
            <a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>"><?php the_title(); ?></a>
        </h3>

        <div class="custom-meta">
            <?php if ( $rating ) : ?>
                <span class="rating"><?php echo esc_html( number_format( (float) $rating, 1 ) ); ?> ★</span>
            <?php endif; ?>

            <?php if ( $price ) : ?>
                <span class="price">
                    <?php esc_html_e( 'From', 'wp-sell-services' ); ?>
                    <?php echo esc_html( '$' . number_format( (float) $price, 2 ) ); ?>
                </span>
            <?php endif; ?>
        </div>
    </div>
</div>

Template Hooks

Add custom content via action hooks without overriding entire templates.

Available Hooks

// Service single page hooks
do_action( 'wpss_before_service_content' );
do_action( 'wpss_after_service_title' );
do_action( 'wpss_after_service_content' );

Example Hook Usage

Add custom content after service title:

// In your theme's functions.php
add_action( 'wpss_after_service_title', function() {
    echo '<div class="custom-badge">Verified Service</div>';
} );

Loading Template Parts

Using locate_template()

// Check if template exists in theme
$template = locate_template( 'wp-sell-services/vendor/profile.php' );

if ( $template ) {
    include $template;
} else {
    // Use plugin default
    include WPSS_PLUGIN_DIR . 'templates/vendor/profile.php';
}

Using wpssgettemplate_part()

If the plugin provides this helper:

// Load template part
wpss_get_template_part( 'content', 'service-card' );

Troubleshooting

Template Not Loading

Check:

File path is exactly your-theme/wp-sell-services/{template}.php
File name matches plugin template (case-sensitive)
Clear all caches (object cache, page cache, browser)
File permissions are correct (644 for files)
No PHP errors in debug log

Changes Not Appearing

Solutions:

Clear cache (plugin, theme, hosting, CDN)
Hard refresh browser (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R)
Check correct template is loaded (add test comment)
Verify no inline styles overriding changes
Test in incognito/private browsing mode

Missing Data or Errors

Verify:

Using correct WordPress functions
Variables exist before using (isset(), empty())
No PHP syntax errors
Required plugin functions available
Check error log for specific messages

Best Practices

Do’s

Always copy entire template (don’t edit plugin files)
Keep templates updated with plugin changes
Use hooks when possible (less maintenance)
Test on different screen sizes
Comment your changes
Use child themes

Don’ts

Don’t edit plugin templates directly
Don’t remove essential functionality
Don’t hardcode values (use functions)
Don’t skip testing
Don’t ignore error messages

Next Steps

Identify templates you want to customize
Copy templates to your theme
Make design changes
Test on frontend
Document your customizations
Check for updates after plugin updates