As experienced WordPress developers, we've optimized sites with diverse custom post types—resource articles, videos, books, and blog posts. Default WordPress search lacks precision, and Google Custom Search isn't always ideal. For a recent project, we engineered an advanced form with checkboxes for post type selection, persistent queries, and easy refinements using native WordPress search.
Follow this proven step-by-step guide to implement it yourself.
Start by editing your searchform.php (or custom search form file). Add these hidden fields inside the <form> tag:
<input type="hidden" name="post_type[]" value="articulos" /> <input type="hidden" name="post_type[]" value="blog" /> <input type="hidden" name="post_type[]" value="libros" /> <input type="hidden" name="post_type[]" value="videos" />
Replace values with your post types—we exclude 'page' to prioritize content. These ensure default broad searches and checkbox state persistence via in_array checks.
Next, in search.php, add this refinement form above the loop:
<form role="search" method="get" action="<?php echo esc_url( home_url( '/' ) ); ?>"> <input type="search" name="s" value="<?php echo esc_attr( get_search_query() ); ?>" /> <br /> Artículos <input type="checkbox" name="post_type[]" value="articulos" <?php checked( in_array( 'articulos', $_GET['post_type'] ?? [] ) ); ?> /> Blog <input type="checkbox" name="post_type[]" value="blog" <?php checked( in_array( 'blog', $_GET['post_type'] ?? [] ) ); ?> /> Libros <input type="checkbox" name="post_type[]" value="libros" <?php checked( in_array( 'libros', $_GET['post_type'] ?? [] ) ); ?> /> Videos <input type="checkbox" name="post_type[]" value="videos" <?php checked( in_array( 'videos', $_GET['post_type'] ?? [] ) ); ?> /> <input type="submit" value="Search" /> </form>
It prefills the query and checks active post types. Modify and resubmit with ease.
Preview of the form in action:
Users can tweak parameters effortlessly.
This approach stems from our real-world implementations and WordPress forum insights—shoutout to @tammyhart for the query check technique. Many guides fall short; we hope this empowers you.
