Global Settings

Global Settings control the overall appearance and layout of the search section across your website — including the search bar, filter options, and category display on the search results page.

These settings are found under: Directorist → Settings → Search → Search Listing

When you install Directorist, the plugin automatically creates the Search Page. If the page is missing or not functioning correctly, you can recreate it manually:

1. Create a new page from WordPress Dashboard → Pages → Add New.
2. Add the following shortcode to the page content area:[directorist_search_listing]
3. Assign the page via Directorist Settings → Page Setup → Pages, Links, and Views → Listing Search Page.

Search Bar

Search Bar Title
Enter the title displayed at the top of the search bar.
Default: “Search here”

Search Bar Sub-title
Add a short descriptive line under the title to guide users.
Default: “Find the best match of your interest”

Search Button Text
Customize the label on the search button.
Default: “Search Listing”

Search Bar – Front-end view

Filters

Display More Filters
Enable this to display additional filtering options on the search form.
Useful when you have multiple filter fields like category, price range, location, etc.

More Filters Button Text
Customize the text for the “More Filters” toggle button.
Default: “More Filters”

Filter Actions
Choose which filter actions appear below the filter area:

• Reset – Clears all applied filters.
• Apply – Applies the selected filters to show relevant listings.

Reset Button Text
Change the label of the reset button.
Default: “Reset Filters”

Apply Button Text
Change the label of the apply button.
Default: “Apply Filters”

Filter – Front-end view

3. Popular Categories

Display Popular Categories
Enable this to show popular categories directly within the search section, allowing users to quickly browse trending listing types.

Front-end view

Directory Builder

The Directory Builder controls the search form fields, meaning the actual elements inside the search form such as “What are you looking for?”, “Location”, “Category”, or any custom field. Each directory type can have its own unique search structure.

Search Form Structure

The search form is organized into two main groups:

• Basic Section – Common search fields used by most directories.
• Advanced Section – Optional or extended filters for refined search control.

You can drag and drop any field to reorder it, add new ones, or remove unnecessary fields.

Access it via: Directorist → Directory Builder → Search Form

Basic Fields

Common default fields include:

• What are you looking for? – A general keyword search field.
• Location – Helps users search listings based on location data. Location field can be customized with the following options:
  • Location Source – Choose how location data is displayed:
  • Display from Listing Location – Pulls location from the directory’s location taxonomy.
  • Display from Map API – Fetches live results from your integrated map provider (Google Map or OpenStreetMap).
• Category – Enables users to narrow down listings by category.

Advanced Fields

The Advanced section provides additional filters for precise search results. Common advanced fields include:

1. Pricing

Lets users search listings by price range.

• Price Type – Choose between:
  • Max-Min – Displays two fields (minimum and maximum price).
• This is ideal for directories like real estate, car sales, or rentals.

2. Review

Displays listings based on average user ratings. Users can filter to view higher-rated listings.

3. Tags

Allows users to search by listing tags. Useful when listings are tagged with features like “Family-friendly,” “Pet allowed,” etc.

4. Radius Search

Helps users find listings within a specified distance from a chosen location.

Settings available:

• Label – Customize the field title (e.g., “Search Nearby”).
• Default Radius Distance – Set a default search radius (e.g., 0 or 5 miles).
• Maximum Radius Distance – Define the furthest searchable distance (e.g., 1000 miles).
• Radius Search Unit – Choose the unit (Miles or Kilometers).
• Radius Search Based On – Select whether distance is calculated from:
  • Address – Uses the full address field.
  • Zip Code – Uses postal codes for calculation.

Extending the Search Form

These fields represent the core search options available in the Directorist plugin. However, you can extend the search capabilities further using additional Directorist extensions.

Search Home and Search Listings page are the same thing but, the Search Result page is not. When you click on “Search Listing” on the Search Listings/Search Home page you will land on the Search Results Page.

Search Home and Search Listings page are the same thing but, the Search Result page is not. When you click on “Search Listing” on the Search Listings/Search Home page you will land on the Search Results Page. To modify the Search Result page keep continuing the reading.

Search Result Page Settings

This page allows you to control how search results are displayed, how filters appear, and how users interact with view and sorting options.

To Access this page: Directorist Listings → Settings → Search → Search Result

Layout & Search

This section allows you to configure how search results are displayed and how users interact with filters on the results page.

All Listings Layout
Choose the layout style for your search result page:

• Left Sidebar Filter – Displays filters on the left side of the listings.
• Right Sidebar Filter – Displays filters on the right side.
• Top Filter – Displays filters horizontally at the top.
• No Filter – Displays listings only without a sidebar or filter panel.

Number of Columns
Set how many columns of listings you want to display per row. You can choose between 1 to 5 columns depending on your design layout.

Search Results Per Page
Define how many listings appear on each page. The default is 6 listings per page, but you can increase or decrease as needed.

Hide Top Search Bar
Enable this to hide the search bar that appears above the results. Useful when you only want to show filters and listings.

Filters Text
Customize the text label for the filter button (e.g., change “Filters” to “Refine Search”).

Reset Text
Set custom text for the “Reset” button that clears all applied filters (e.g., “Clear All”).

Header Settings

Control how the header area of the search results appears, including listing count, view options, and sorting.

Display Header
Enable or disable the header section. The header includes the listing count, layout view options, and sorting controls.

Display Listings Count
Show or hide the total number of listings found in the search results.

Listings Count Text
Customize the text displayed next to the count number (e.g., “Items Found,” “Results,” or “Listings Found”).

View Type

Allow users to select their preferred layout for viewing listings.

• Grid View – Displays listings in multiple columns.
• List View – Displays listings in a vertical stacked layout.
• Map View – Displays listings on an interactive map.

You can enable one or multiple view types. Users can toggle between them using the “View As” dropdown in the header.

Sorting Options

Sorting helps users organize listings based on their preference.

Enable Sorting Options
Turn this on to show a “Sort By” dropdown in the header.

“Sort By” Label
Change the label text of the sorting dropdown (e.g., “Sort By,” “Order Listings,” etc.).

Sort Options
Select which sorting criteria are available for users:

• A to Z (Title) – Alphabetical order (A → Z).
• Z to A (Title) – Reverse alphabetical order (Z → A).
• Latest Listings – Newest listings first.
• Oldest Listings – Oldest listings first.
• Popular Listings – Listings sorted by view count or engagement.
• Price (Low to High) – Sorted by ascending price.
• Price (High to Low) – Sorted by descending price.
• Random Listings – Displays listings in a random order.

After making changes, click Save Changes (top-right or bottom-right corner) to apply your updates.

Advanced Search/Filter

The Directorist advanced filter lets your users search listings based on a large number of criteria like custom fields, tags, price range, etc. along with default text field, category, and location fields. You can also customize all the labels of the filter. You can also decide what fields to show in the filter from the Directorist settings page. We’ve covered the detailed configuration and setup process here.

Where You Can Use Advanced Filters?

You can use advanced filters in different places. Here is the list of pages where you can use advanced filters.

1. Listing Search Form Page where the shortcode [directorist_search_listing] is used.
2. Listing Search Result Page where the shortcode [directorist_search_result] is used.
3. Archive Page of All listings where the shortcode [directorist_all_listing] is used.
4. Listing Single Category Archive page where the shortcode [directorist_category] is used.
5. Listing Single Location Archive page where the shortcode [directorist_location] is used.