Table of Contents
By default, custom post types are not included in WordPress search. But as always with WordPress, there is a hook that we use right now to expand/customize the search. In no time you have customized the search.
How to add Custom Post Types to WordPress Search with PHP #
The hook we need to extend the search is pre_get_posts. Below I’ll show you several snippets that will customize your search.
Code snippet for PHP 8 #
If your server already supports PHP 8, we recommend the following snippet to customize your search:
/**
* This function extends the default WordPress WP_Query object
* to include an array of post types instead of the default 'post'
* post type.
*/
function add_post_types_to_search_query(WP_Query $query): void{
// Skip if this call has been triggered for an administrative interface page.
if(is_admin()){
return;
}
// Skip this call if this is not the search query and if this is not the main query.
if(!$query->is_search() || !$query->is_main_query()){
return;
}
// Define which post types should be searched
$list_of_post_types = ['post', 'pages'];
// Now - if we get to this point, this must be the search query which we will modify.
$query->set('post_type', $list_of_post_types);
}
add_action('pre_get_posts', 'add_post_types_to_search_query', 10, 1);Alternative: Code Snippet for PHP 7 #
You should only use this code if PHP 8 is not yet running on your server or your site is not compatible with PHP 8.
/**
* This function extends the default WordPress WP_Query object
* to include an array of post types instead of the default 'post'
* post type.
*/
function add_post_types_to_search_query($query){
// Skip if this call has been triggered for an administrative interface page.
if(is_admin()){
return;
}
// Skip this call if this is not the search query and if this is not the main query.
if(!$query->is_search() || !$query->is_main_query()){
return;
}
// Define which post types should be searched. Replace/Extend by your post types.
$list_of_post_types = array('post', 'pages');
// Now - if we get to this point, this must be the search query which we will modify.
$query->set('post_type', $list_of_post_types);
}
add_action('pre_get_posts', 'add_post_types_to_search_query', 10, 1);Long-term easy to maintain thanks to OOP, code snippet #
Here’s an example of how you can map the whole thing with a class and namespaces if you want to keep maintenance low in the long run.
namespace My_Search{
/**
* This class extends the default WordPress WP_Query object
* to include an array of post types instead of the default 'post'
* post type.
*/
class Search_Query_Post_Type_Modifier{
/**
* There should never be more than one object of this class therfor
* we need to create a Singleton
*/
private static ?Search_Query_Post_Type_Modifier $_instance = null;
/**
* This function will allow us to access the instance of this class
*/
public static function get_instance(): Search_Query_Post_Type_Modifier{
if(null === self::$_instance){
self::$_instance = new Search_Query_Post_Type_Modifier();
}
return self::$_instance;
}
/**
* Private constructor to disable multiple instances of this object.
*/
private function __construct(){
add_action('pre_get_posts', [$this, 'add_post_types_to_query']);
}
/**
* Add the post types to the search query
*/
public function add_post_types_to_query(WP_Query $query): void{
// Skip if this call has been triggered for an administrative interface page.
if(is_admin()){
return;
}
// Skip this call if this is not the search query and if this is not the main query.
if(!$query->is_search() || !$query->is_main_query()){
return;
}
// Define which post types should be searched
$list_of_post_types = ['post', 'pages'];
// Now - if we get to this point, this must be the search query which we will modify.
$query->set('post_type', $list_of_post_types);
}
}
/**
* Instantiate the object
*/
Search_Query_Post_Type_Modifier::get_instance();
}As few lines of code as possible: #
This version is meant to simply use as few lines of code as possible :)
add_action('pre_get_posts', function(WP_Query $query){
if(!is_admin() && $query->is_search() && $query->is_main_query()){
$query->set('post_type', ['post','page']);
}
}, 10, 1);
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