Easy Search & Filter

Universal hierarchical search and filter system for WordPress. Create dynamic taxonomies, cascading dropdowns of N levels, and custom meta field filters — no code required.

Features

• Dynamic Hierarchical Taxonomies — Create unlimited taxonomies with any depth from the admin panel. No code, no ACF, no metabox plugins needed.
• N-Level Cascading Dropdowns — When a user selects a parent term, children load via AJAX. This works for any number of levels.
• Custom Meta Field Filters — Add filters for any post meta field: dropdown select, number input, text input, range (min/max), or checkbox. Supports all comparison operators.
• Auto-Detect Options — Scan existing content to automatically populate select field options.
• Any Post Type — Works with posts, pages, WooCommerce products, or any custom post type.
• Full AJAX — Cascading dropdowns and search results load without page reload.
• Shortcodes & Gutenberg Blocks — Embed forms and results anywhere.
• Template Overrides — Copy templates to your theme's /esp/ directory to customize the output.
• WooCommerce Compatible — Works seamlessly when WooCommerce is active, but does not require it.

Quick Start

1. Create Taxonomies

Go to Easy Search & Filter > Taxonomies and click Add New.

Each taxonomy is a hierarchical classification system (e.g., Location, Category, Brand, Department). Set:

• Name — Display name (e.g., "Location")
• Slug — URL-friendly identifier (e.g., "location")
• Max Hierarchy Depth — Maximum nesting levels (0 = unlimited)
• Attach to Post Types — Which post types this taxonomy applies to

2. Add Terms

After creating a taxonomy, click Manage Terms to add terms. Set parent-child relationships to build your hierarchy.

3. Create a Filter Group

Go to Easy Search & Filter > Filter Groups and click Add New.

A Filter Group combines taxonomies and meta field filters into a search form:

• General tab — Name and target post type
• Taxonomies tab — Select which taxonomies to include as filters. Order determines the cascading hierarchy.
• Meta Fields tab — Add custom meta field filters. For each field, configure:
  • Meta key (the field name in the database)
  • Display label
  • Field type (select, number, text, range, checkbox)
  • Comparison operator
  • Options (for select type — add manually or use auto-detect)
• Display tab — Results layout: grid/list, columns, items per page, ordering

4. Add to Your Site

Use the shortcodes on any page or post:

[esp_form id="1"]       // Search form
[esp_results id="1"]    // Results display
[esp_search id="1"]     // Both combined

Or use the Easy Search & Filter blocks in the Gutenberg editor.

Templates

Override the default templates by copying them to your theme:

your-theme/esp/search-form.php
your-theme/esp/search-results.php

AJAX Search

By default, the form submits via page reload. To enable full AJAX search (no page reload), add the attribute data-esp-ajax="1" to the .esp-search-form div, or enable it in the Pro version.

Requirements

• WordPress 5.8+
• PHP 7.4+
• WooCommerce 5.0+ (optional)

Changelog

1.0.0

• Initial release
• Dynamic hierarchical taxonomy management
• N-level cascading dropdowns with AJAX
• Custom meta field filters with auto-detect
• Gutenberg blocks
• Template override system
• WooCommerce compatibility