What is the Classic Panel?
The Classic Panel is a ready-made settings panel. The layouts are already built for you - you pick one for the filter, one for the listing, adjust a few basics like colours and sizes, and you have a working filter.
In short
Nothing is designed from scratch here. You choose from layouts that already exist, then change what the settings allow - colours, sizes and similar basics. It works with WordPress posts and custom post types. There is no preview inside the panel, so you save and look at the page where your filter sits.
How it works
A filter has two halves: the filter itself, and the listing of results underneath it. The Classic Panel gives you a set of pre-built layouts for each, so you are choosing between finished designs rather than assembling one.
Once a layout is chosen, the rest of the panel is settings. You tell it which posts to pull, then work through the basics of how it looks. The changes available are deliberately limited - colour combinations, sizes and similar - so a filter stays consistent and quick to set up.
One panel, a column of tabs, no canvas to design on.
What you can and cannot change
Worth knowing before you start, so you are not looking for a control that is not there:
- You choose a layout for the filter and a layout for the listing, from the ones provided.
- You can change the basics - colours, sizes and the settings each feature offers.
- You cannot rearrange a layout, add your own elements, or move pieces around inside it.
- There is no preview in the panel. To see the result, save and open the page your filter is on.
Note
If you need to design the filter and the listing yourself, piece by piece, with a live canvas in front of you, that is what CAF Builder is for.
What it works with
The Classic Panel filters WordPress posts and custom post types. You pick the post type on the General tab, then choose the taxonomies and terms your visitors will filter by.
Where to find it
In the WordPress admin menu, open Category Filter → Filters and click the filter you want to edit. If you have not made one yet, start with creating your first filter.
A filter is stored as a WordPress post, so the screen around the panel is the normal WordPress editor. The title at the top is only a name for your own reference - visitors never see it - and the Publish box on the right is where you save.
WordPress supplies the frame; the panel inside it is the plugin.
The seven tabs
The column down the left of the panel lists every tab with a short reminder of what it holds. Click one and its settings fill the pane on the right. Your changes are kept as you move between tabs, and saved when you press the button.
Settings Table
| Tab | What it holds |
|---|---|
| General | The posts your filter pulls: post type, taxonomies, terms and how they behave |
| Layouts | Choosing the filter layout and the post layout |
| Appearance | Colours and sizing for the filter and the listing |
| Typography | Fonts for the title and description |
| Advanced | Extra CSS classes on the post |
| Shortcode | The shortcode that places your filter on a page |
| Import Layout | Bringing in a ready-made layout from the demo site |
Inside a tab, settings are grouped into collapsible sections - General opens on Query Options, Layouts holds Filter Layout and Post Layout. Click a section heading to fold it away once you are done with it.
Saving your changes
Use the button at the top right of the Publish box. On a filter you have never saved it reads Publish; once the filter has been published it reads Update. Nothing is live until you press it.
Careful
Because there is no preview, save first and then check the page your filter is on. Leaving the edit screen without saving loses the changes.
Classic Panel or CAF Builder?
The Classic Panel is the original way filters were set up. CAF Builder came later and gives you far more control, including ready-made layouts you can import. For a side-by-side of the two, see Classic Panel vs CAF Builder.
Common questions
Can I preview the filter while I am setting it up?
No. The Classic Panel has no preview. Save the filter, then open the page where you have placed its shortcode to see the result.
Can I change the layout itself?
Not in the Classic Panel. You choose between the layouts provided and adjust what the settings allow. Designing a layout of your own is what CAF Builder is for.
Does it work with custom post types?
Yes. WordPress posts and custom post types are both supported - you choose the post type on the General tab.
Do visitors see the filter's title?
No. The title at the top of the edit screen is only a label so you can tell your filters apart in the Filters list.
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