Faceted Search
for Ultimate Member
Add an AJAX filter sidebar to any Ultimate Member directory — checkboxes, dropdowns, tags, and ranges with live counts, shareable URLs, and no page reloads.
- Six filter UI types: checkbox, radio, dropdown, tag cloud, numeric range, and date range
- Live facet counts that update as visitors combine filters (AND across facets)
- AJAX results through Ultimate Member’s native directory — no full page reload
- Per-directory setup with left, right, or top-bar layouts and drag-and-drop facet order
- Active filter chips, shareable URL state, role-based visibility, and mobile-friendly panels
Ultimate Member’s built-in directory search is keyword-first. Visitors who need “designers in Bangkok with 5+ years experience” hit a wall — there’s no way to stack real profile filters without a full reload or custom code.
Faceted Search drops a configurable filter sidebar onto any Member Directory. It hooks into UM’s own um_get_members AJAX flow, so cards, pagination, sorting, and keyword search keep working as before.
Filter how members actually search
Map each facet to a UM profile meta key and pick a UI that fits the field. Mix types freely on the same directory.
- Checkbox & radio lists — Multi- or single-select for skills, interests, gender, and similar fields.
- Dropdown — Compact single-value select for country, role-like fields, or long option lists.
- Tag cloud — Toggleable pills for higher-cardinality values, with optional counts.
- Numeric & date ranges — Min/max inputs for age, rates, or experience; from/to dates for registration or membership start.
Configured inside the directory editor
No separate settings page and no shortcodes. Open Ultimate Member → Member Directories, edit a directory, and use the Faceted Search metabox.
- Per-directory enable — Turn facets on only where you need them.
- Layout picker — Sidebar left, sidebar right, or horizontal top bar.
- Meta-key autocomplete — Suggests UM form fields and public usermeta; warns on unsuitable keys.
- Drag-and-drop order — The front-end sidebar follows your row order.
- Advanced per facet — Sort options by count or alphabet, restrict visibility by UM role, set numeric/date bounds.
Sensitive fields stay out. Passwords, 2FA tokens, file uploads, URLs, and biography-style fields are blocked from the facet builder by default.
A directory experience that stays in sync
As visitors refine filters, member results update over AJAX. Facet counts recalculate for the current combination — each facet’s count ignores its own selection so other options stay useful. Active chips show what’s applied; one click clears a single filter or everything.
- URL state — Optional shareable / bookmarkable filter URLs.
- Results summary — “Showing X of Y members” stays aligned with UM pagination.
- Mobile panels — Collapsible facet blocks on small screens when enabled.
- Works with UM search — Facets combine with keyword search, native filters, sort, and pagination.
Up and running in three steps
- Install & activate — Requires Ultimate Member. The Faceted Search metabox appears on every directory edit screen.
- Add facets — Enable the feature, choose a layout, then add meta keys with labels and UI types.
- Publish — Save the directory. The filter sidebar appears on the front end automatically.
Works with
- Ultimate Member — Required. Integrates with member directory AJAX, query args, and custom metadata table paths when used.
- UM profile forms — Reads field types and option labels from your form definitions for smart filter logic.
Requirements
- Ultimate Member (active)
- WordPress 6.0+
- PHP 7.4+
For developers
Hooks for sidebar placement and query tuning: um_fs_before_sidebar, um_fs_inside_sidebar, um_fs_after_sidebar, um_fs_user_card_data, um_fs_field_type_overrides, um_fs_facet_max_users, and um_fs_facet_base_args.