What is taxonomy relation?
What happens when a visitor filters by two different taxonomies at once.
In short
Select Taxonomy Relation decides how one taxonomy relates to another when a visitor has selected in both. AND returns posts that match both; OR returns posts that match either. It's set on the Settings tab of the left panel, and the default is AND.
The choice
A visitor ticks a category and a colour. Should they get the products that are in that category and that colour, or everything in the category plus everything in the colour? That is the whole of this setting.
| Option | What comes back | Default |
|---|---|---|
| AND | Posts matching the selection in every taxonomy the visitor has used. | Yes |
| OR | Posts matching the selection in any one of them. |
It applies between taxonomies, not within one. How several terms inside a single taxonomy behave is a separate matter, set on the filter module itself.
Set once, and it governs every taxonomy in the filter.
Tip
AND is what shoppers expect: narrowing by size and colour should give fewer products, not more. Reach for OR when the taxonomies describe alternatives rather than attributes - a brand and a collection, say, where matching either one is worth showing.
FAQ
Where is it?
On the Settings tab of the left panel, in Design Filters mode.
What's the default?
AND.
Filtering by two things returns too much - why?
The relation is on OR, so matching either taxonomy is enough. Switch it to AND.
Does it affect terms within one taxonomy?
No. It only governs how one taxonomy relates to another.
Can I set it per taxonomy?
No - it's one setting for the filter.
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