FacetWP Conditional Logic Addon

A filter that does not apply still asks for attention

In a faceted listing, every filter takes up its space even when it serves no purpose at that moment. A size facet that only makes sense inside a category also appears when none has been chosen yet. Another runs out of visible choices and leaves a heading hanging. The visitor scans the whole column to find out what they can use.

FacetWP Conditional Logic makes the panel respond to what the visitor picks: a facet appears when another has a value, a column hides if no choices remain, a block changes with the URL. It adds no facets and does not change how they filter: it decides what shows and when.

A rule is an IF, a THEN and an ELSE

Each ruleset has those three parts. IF conditions can be combined with AND or OR, and a ruleset with no conditions always applies its actions.

These are the available conditions:

• No facets in use or some facets in use.
• Facet value: true when the user selects that choice. It accepts several comma-separated values, with OR logic. Left blank, it checks whether the facet is in use.
• Page URI: with no leading or trailing slash, and one wildcard at the end at most.
• Result count: true when that number matches the listing's results.
• Template: true when a Listing Builder template is on the page.

Actions are show or hide, and the object can be one facet, all facets, the template chosen in the condition or a custom selector.

Selectors to hide what surrounds the facet

Hiding an empty facet can leave its container or heading visible. Custom selectors handle that, with four special targets: $EMPTY, $NONEMPTY, $ACTIVE and $INACTIVE.

With $EMPTY.closest('.widget') you target the whole widget holding a facet with no choices, and with $ACTIVE.prev('h3') the heading before an active facet.

One piece to keep in mind: these selectors use the FacetWP fUtil library, not jQuery. Methods such as closest(), find(), parents(), prev() and next() work, but not every jQuery method exists; children(), for example, is not there.

Four details that make a rule fail

• The value is the technical one. The condition uses the value shown in the URL, such as alfa-romeo, not the visible label, Alfa Romeo.
• Facets with ghosts are never empty. With that option on, $EMPTY does not reach them.
• Caching interferes with the URI. A caching plugin can make page URI rules inconsistent. The way out is to exclude that page from caching or use another condition.
• Order matters. Rulesets run in the order they appear and can override each other. The ELSE option Do the opposite can overrule what an earlier ruleset left in place, especially with URI conditions. Do nothing avoids this.

What you need installed and a first ruleset

It is an add-on: it requires a current version of FacetWP and, for its facet rules, facets already created.

This sequence covers the case of a facet that should only appear when another has a value:

1. Install and activate the add-on alongside FacetWP.
2. Copy from the URL the technical value of the choice that will act as the trigger.
3. Create a ruleset and give it a recognizable name.
4. Add the facet value condition and the action that shows the other facet.
5. Leave ELSE on Do the opposite if you want it hidden when the selection is removed.
6. Test with the choice selected and unselected.

A ruleset can be disabled with its checkbox without losing its configuration, which helps locate which rule overrides another.

FacetWP pieces that pair well with this

The base is FacetWP. Rules can also reach elements of the mobile panel in FacetWP Mobile Flyout through a custom selector.

Answers for before you write rules

Can I require two values at once?

Comma-separated values work with OR logic. To require both, use two single-value conditions joined with AND.

Does it work on more than facets?

Yes. With a custom selector the action reaches other elements on the page, and it can also show or hide the Listing Builder template.

Can I move the rules to another site?

Yes, from the add-on's Settings tab. Importing replaces all rulesets already on the destination.