Hi,

You can insert HTML into the top bar content area in the Customizer for adding stuff like an image.

However, depending what you are going for – perhaps you could do one of these 3 things instead:

1) Disable the Top Bar and use the Header Builder for the whole top section of your site: https://totalwptheme.com/docs/header-builder/

2) Create a dynamic template part and insert that into the Top Bar content area so you can use the page builder for the content – https://totalwptheme.com/docs/dynamic-template-parts/

3) Disable the top bar completely, create a new dynamic template part and then insert this under the Custom Actions section so it displays before the header – https://totalwptheme.com/docs/custom-actions-panel/

- AJ

And a bit more about what I’m trying to achieve. I have a search bar already set up for the custom post type “members” with a dynamic template for the search results. I now need to add a search bar to search only pages and not include custom post types or posts. Ideally I would use a separate dynamic template for the page search results.

Thanks!

Hi Alice,

I hope you had a nice weekend, thank you for your patience!

Using post_type=page in the search bar is correct and it works correctly for me. If it’s showing all post types, there may be a conflict with a 3rd party plugin or child theme code that’s modifying the search query. Or the dynamic template you are using for Search Results isn’t properly set to use the “Auto Query” type so it’s not actually displaying search results.

Using a separate page is a great idea, see the guide here: https://totalwptheme.com/docs/custom-search-for-post-cards/

This way you can create a custom search like the one I have on the docs Filters Page: https://totalwptheme.com/docs/filters/

When creating the custom page for page search results, keep in mind that you do NOT tell the search query to search pages in the Search Bar element, instead you set your Post Cards element shown on the results page to display the page post type. If you follow the guide it should work but if you have any issues let me know!

- AJ

Thanks, AJ, that’s brilliant! The custom search is exactly what I was looking for :)) Best theme ever!

Hi,

Thank you for your patience.

I tested locally and was able to recreate the issue, the problem seems to come from the fact that WordPress requires a taxonomy name for their functions that return next/previous posts even if it’s not used in the actual code that retrieves the posts. It’s really a bug on their end but nothing I can do about that.

I will need to update the element so if the “Same Term Taxonomy” so if the “In Same Term” setting is disabled it still passes “category” as the taxonomy to get next/prev posts for. It seems weird to do this, but it fixes the issue.

Hopefully, WordPress doesn’t change things in the future and breaks things – if they do though, I’ll just have to revert back these changes.

Thank you for reporting the issue!

- AJ

ps: If you want to fix this yourself the code is simply. You would edit the file at plugins/total-theme-core/inc/vcex/templates/vcex_post_next_prev.php and add the following around line 34 before Define wrap class>

if ( ! $in_same_term && ! $same_term_tax ) {
    $same_term_tax = 'category';
}

Example screenshot: https://a.cl.ly/Wnunz8Wg

As always, thank you!. By the way, if the “next/prev” option, when creating a new post type, is enabled, it works perfectly. But in this case, we needed the links in a different position… Just in case the functionality of that option brings something into account

Hi James,

Unfortunately CSS does not allow media breakpoints in CSS

That’s why the theme works by loading a separate file for desktop and one for mobile using inline media queries like this: https://a.cl.ly/12u8eZA8

You have 4 options here:

1) Don’t use pixels, use a responsive unit and the clamp function to make the padding responsive. Example:

.logo-img {
     padding-block-start: clamp(10px, 2vw, 20px);
     padding-block-end: clamp(10px, 2vw, 30px);
}

Would be a good idea to start using responsive units if you aren’t familiar with them, they are awesome!

By the way you can use padding-top and padding-bottom but those are older properties, it’s best to use newer direction aware properties like padding-block and padding-inline.

2) You can load your own CSS file for the mobile menu breakpoint. You should check for the theme’s script and grab it’s media value dynamically, example:

add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', function () {
    $handle = 'wpex-mobile-menu-breakpoint-max';

    // Return early if the style isn't registered
    if ( ! wp_style_is( $handle, 'registered' ) ) {
        return;
    }

    // Get the global styles object
    $styles = wp_styles();

    // Get the media query value from the registered style
    $media = $styles->registered[ $handle ]->args;

    // Enqueue your child theme stylesheet with the same media query
    wp_enqueue_style(
        'james-mobile-css',
        get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . '/css/mobile-menu-breakpoint-max.css',
        [],
        wp_get_theme()->get( 'Version' ),
        $media
    );
}, 20 );

3) Display a custom logo on mobile: https://totalwptheme.com/docs/snippets/mobile-logo/

4) Use the header builder and have complete control over the design on mobile and desktop: https://totalwptheme.com/docs/header-builder/

- AJ

If you want to do #2 I wrote a better snippet and posted it in the docs with an alternative way of adding inline CSS instead of loading a CSS file: https://totalwptheme.com/docs/snippets/mobile-only-css/

Also, I just thought of a cool idea…I could expand the Custom CSS panel to have 3 tabs so that you can define global, mobile and desktop CSS. The problem is the theme’s CSS panel actually doesn’t really do much beside hook into the WordPress core “Additional CSS” function in the Customizer, which means the additional tabs for mobile/desktop would need to be saved separately and have their own system….I will put this on a potential todo list.

- AJ

Can you recommend a good plugin for this?

Which plugin you use really depends on your website needs. This is one of the most popular and all-inclusive options: https://wordpress.org/plugins/complianz-gdpr/

If you want something more simple this one looks pretty nice: https://wordpress.org/plugins/lightweight-cookie-notice-free/

Or if you know how to code you can use this script – https://cookieconsent.orestbida.com/ – to create your own little plugin or add it to your child theme.

- AJ

Thank you very much for the recommendations!

This is exactly the option I’m talking about https://a.cl.ly/WnunRE15

But it doesn’t show up in the Polylang section – Translations – “Related Posts”; I only have access to what’s on the screen https://prnt.sc/GbAob0pElAPq

Why is the Related Posts translation option available on your screen, but not mine?

Make sure there is a value saved in the Customizer otherwise it won’t display in Polylang because Polylang only translates saved Customizer values and not localized strings. Here is a sample video showing you the issue: https://a.cl.ly/Z4u4bBdN

I can make some changes though in the next theme update to make it possible to change the theme setting text even if it is empty. I will work on that and see if it’s possible.

- AJ

The title was indeed empty. I wrote it and Polylang showed it for translation. It helped me, thank you very much!

Hi,

This is AJ the theme author.

The Modal Popup is an exclusive feature for the Post Cards element, which is the primarily element you would use to display posts on the site. Here is a link to the documentation: https://totalwptheme.com/docs/grid-with-modal-pop-up/

Now, if you want this function for your Staff Archives (pages created automatically like categories and tags) you will want to create a dynamic template and assign it to the Staff Archive. See here:

• https://totalwptheme.com/docs/dynamic-templates/
• https://totalwptheme.com/docs/category-taxonomy-template/

Dynamic Templates will allow you to create custom templates for your posts, pages and archives using your page builder of choice (WPBakery or Elementor – both supported by the theme). This provides you with full control over the design rather then replying on the default theme output which is going to be limited by the available customizer options. And as you could imagine if I just added options in the Customizer to change everything it would become very large and slow. Allowing customers to create custom templates using a page builder is much more efficient while providing the most customizability possible.

Regarding the image sizes, the medium-large and large sizes are core WordPress image sizes. These are controlled via Settings > Media. If defined these sizes are generated every time a new image is uploaded to your site, which is why it’s generally recommended to set all these values to 0 when first installing WordPress to keep your server “cleaner” without a bunch of extra image sizes.

What I would recommend doing for consistency is if you are displaying Staff members on a page to select the “staff_entry” image size this way you can always control it’s size globally (even if you’ve inserted multiple elements that display staff on various pages) via Theme Panel > Image Sizes.

I have a guide on Image Sizes with some added tips here: https://totalwptheme.com/docs/define-your-image-sizes/

Last, if you aren’t quite sure how a demo page works, such as the one you linked to, you can pass it through the Demo Inspector tool which will give you details and spit out the code (if it’s a page or template) so you can easily copy/paste into the WordPress editor. Example: https://totalwptheme.com/docs/demo-page-inspector/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftotalwpthemedemo.com%2Fbase%2Fstaff-modal-popup%2F

If you inspect a more complex page that uses a dynamic template, custom cards or a custom footer the Demo Inspector will provide those details as well. For example: https://totalwptheme.com/docs/demo-page-inspector/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftotalwpthemedemo.com%2Fbiz%2Fportfolio-item%2Fpaz-amor-y-cafe%2F

- AJ

AJ, wow! Thanks for your detailed response. It was very helpful and exactly what I had been looking for. That demo inspector is so handy!

Much appreciated! Tiffany

HI,

You are correct, because of how the Events Calendar plugin is coded it’s simply not possible to assign dynamic templates. You have to override the plugin’s template files via a child theme – https://theeventscalendar.com/knowledgebase/customizing-template-files-2/ – you can still use a dynamic template but you need to output the dynamic template content directly into the template file.

Additionally, the Events Calendar plugin had a bug that caused the global $post to become polluted so using core WordPress functions like get_post, get_the_ID, get_the_post_thumbnail, get_the_content…etc would break. All important functions when creating dynamic templates. I had reported the issue a while back on the plugin’s public forum but I can’t find my post now, so I’m not sure if the issue was ever resolved.

If you just need simple event listings I would recommend using my plugin instead:

• https://wordpress.org/plugins/just-events/
• https://totalwptheme.com/docs/just-events/

- AJ

Exactly

And by then the official Total 6.4 update should be out – some unexpected things came up, but I’m back on track and finishing up the update!

- AJ

Hi AJ

I have just emailed you

Got it.

- AJ

I believe that when I bought it, Total Theme came with a lifetime WPBakery licence included through the theme licence. But this seems to have stopped working.

Hi,

This is Aj the theme author.

If you are getting this error, it generally happens because you’ve disabled “WPBakery Builder Theme Mode” in the Theme Panel. Disabling the option allows users to activate their own custom license: https://totalwptheme.com/docs/activate-wp-bakery-page-builder/

Please make sure that setting is disabled and if you still get an error, you can always temporarily de-activate the WPBakery plugin so it’s functions are not running as this error can also happen if you’ve temporarily disabled the theme which caused WPBakery to cache an extra check that gets disabled when the theme is activated.

Now, there is actually a newer version of WPBakery that’s not yet shipped out with the theme but it can be updated via the WP admin, to do so, simply delete the WPBakery Page Builder plugin fully and then re-install it via Appearance > Install Plugins. More on the upcoming changelog here: https://totalwptheme.com/docs/upcoming-update-changelog/

Last, technically you don’t get a “standard” plugin license with the theme purchase, what you get is a “bundled” license. You can learn more here – https://totalwptheme.com/docs/bundled-product-license/

Let me know if you have any issues or followup questions!

- AJ

Thanks a lot for your reply!

Just to clarify: I don’t want to use an image in the background. In Theme Settings > Title, there’s a Post Title Style option called “Solid Color White Text” – I’ve applied that to the Blog Page, and I’d like to achieve the same look for the Category and Tag pages as well.

Do I now need to create a new dynamic template and assign it like you show in the Template Setting? Is there a other option? When I create a dynamic template, the breadcrumb appears above the template content. So then i have to change that to…

Thanks again! Best regards,

Hi,

Honestly, if all you want is to have a background color for your title I don’t really see the need for creating any templates or even using the theme settings for this on the blog page. Generally your title design should be the same across the whole site and you can just customize your title globally via Apperance > Customize > Page Header Title. See here: https://a.cl.ly/2NuegDde

The Theme Settings metabox (like where you customized the blog page title) should pretty much only be used for creating landing pages (like a custom page for a sale that you want to share via social media where you may want things to look very different). For the most part you should be controlling your site design globally via the Customizer or using Dynamic templates this way you can always control things globally – if you use the Theme Settings metabox to customize many pages manually and then you want to change them, you will need to go back and edit each one.

Now, if you create a dynamic template it will give you full control over the whole design – if that’s what you need. For the breadcrumbs, what you can do is select “Custom” for the breadcrumbs location in the customizer under General Theme Options > Breadcrumbs and then insert the breadcrumbs element into your dynamic template wherever you want them to show up. Example video from the Publisher demo: https://a.cl.ly/z8uWNWN0

- AJ

Hi Aj,

thank you so much .

Best regards

Thank you AJ! The pagination argument did not properly work for me, but I found out that I can enable the option “query related by author or staff” as soon as I enable the “staff” post type. I think this option should be independent of this. But it works for now! Great

Hi,

That Query Type “query related by author or staff” was originally just “Related by Staff” and I changed it so it could support the post author but forgot to add the check around it so it only displays when staff is enabled. Thanks for the heads up, I will fix this in the upcoming 6.4 update so the option is always visible – sorry for the confusion!

- AJ

ps: You should be able to technically disable the Staff post type after you’ve selected the option and it will keep working.

Hi James,

Your site needs an initial user/password to even look at it.

Here are 3 things to check:

1. The page template, make sure you aren’t using the Blank or Landing Page template which will do that.

2. Theme Settings Metabox – https://totalwptheme.com/docs/page-settings-metabox/

3. WPBakery added a function that handles this behavior, but it’s not ideal, so it’s disabled in the theme by default, though it can be enabled if needed. I made a video to show you: https://a.cl.ly/7KulYX6W (if it’s disabled on your site, you might want to try enabling it and checking the template, just in case there’s a WPBakery bug).

The reason I’m critical of this option is that plugins can’t reasonably account for how every theme works. The way WPBakery tries to create a blank page isn’t compatible with many themes, so the theme has to override that functionality just to make things work properly. This really falls under theme responsibilities, not something a plugin should attempt to handle. That’s why I have code that turns of this module when you first install the theme.

- AJ

Hi AJ

The reason I gave the URL without password is because you have looked at this recently via a support ticket, so I wondered if you still had access to it that way.

Anyway – turns out it was number 3 on your list! I must have accidentally clicked the Bakery Blank layout at some point. I’ve switched it back to WP Default and the header and footer are back! I don’t think I would have noticed that – thanks for suggesting it.

James

I have also purchased a second license of the Total theme and replaced the majority of the code, but I still get the same error.

I am not receiving this error: Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 268435456 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 16384 bytes) in /code/wp-content/plugins/js_composer/include/classes/shortcodes/core/class-wpbakeryshortcode.php on line 531

Hi,

This is a common server error that happens when the default memory limit is too low – You’ll want to increase your server’s memory limit to 512MB. It looks like your server is set to 256MB but it ran out of memory anyway.

See here: https://totalwptheme.com/docs/increasing-memory-limit-to-php/

Now, on demos like this: https://totalwpthemedemo.com/pottery/ – I’m not only using WPBakery but also WooCommerce (which is quite large) and my memory is only set to 126MB – so perhaps you have a 3rd party plugin on your site consuming a lot of memory.

If you would like submit a private ticket – https://my.totalwptheme.com/ – with your site logins and I can install the Query Monitor plugin and help figure out what is consuming so much memory.

- AJ

Update: It works in English, but not in Greek

Hi,

Sorry for the troubles. There is a known bug that has already been patched for the upcoming 6.4 update – https://totalwptheme.com/docs/upcoming-update-changelog/

“Fixed – Issue with modal search not working correctly for non-Latin characters when displaying live results.”

Now, last update I actually added an option that lets you turn off the Ajax and use a standard search. This setting is located under Customize > General Theme Options > Search Modal > Live Results

This will work like the search on the docs site (same link as the upcoming changelog if you want to try it out). I personally would recommend using this new option because most WordPress hosting platforms will not cache ajax results (for good reason) so the search function can be much slower and consume more resources then directing people to an actual search results page. Plus, you will have more control over the search results by sending users to an actual search page since you can create a custom template for search results. It also allows users to bookmark your search results if needed. The ajax function is nice, but for most sites I would say it’s probably not the best option of the two.

- AJ

Hi,

Thank you for reporting the issue, WooCommerce made some changes that require changing how the theme handles modifying the notice to insert it in the correct position.

I’ve fixed the issue for the upcoming update – https://totalwptheme.com/docs/upcoming-update-changelog/

Now, if you aren’t using the theme’s Toggle Bar element you may want to just disable the WooCommerce notice and use the theme’s Toggle Bar because it’s a bit more optimized and you have more control over it’s design. See the docs here: https://totalwptheme.com/docs/toggle-bar/ (the upcoming Total 6.4 update has some optimizations for the toggle bar as well)

- AJ

ps; If you are using a child theme you can add this to your child theme functions.php for an immediate fix as well:

remove_action( 'wp_body_open', 'woocommerce_demo_store' ); 

Basically WooCommerce used to insert the notice in the wp_footer hook but they updated their plugin to instead use the wp_body_open hook.

Thank you for your prompt reply AJ! I used the Top Bar feature, as a temporary workaround, and enabled it on the Home and the Shop pages only (as I had it disabled on all pages by default). I will try the Toggle Bar though, considering its better optimization.

Hi,

The Meta Query is for getting posts based on meta data (custom fields) – categories are not meta, they are taxonomies.

If you just want to display a carousel for products from a specific category you would just use the Include Terms field: https://a.cl.ly/mXu4wbjv

In WordPress “terms” is a general word used to refer to items assigned to “taxonomies” such as categories and tags. If I were to name the field “Include Categories” then it’s not clear that you can also select from any taxonomy.

The “Related by Taxonomy” Query type is for displaying related posts to the current posts. This is intended for use with dynamic templates – https://totalwptheme.com/docs/related-items-dynamic-template/ – so if you create a custom template for your products you can display related products from the same category as the current product.

- AJ

ps: I decided to rename the fields in the next update so they are more obvious: https://a.cl.ly/YEuYLDd9

Thank You!!

Hi – any news on this. Wondering if there was an update? Many thanks.

Hi,

I just replied to your ticket on the subject.

For anyone else wondering this is noted on the upcoming changelog: https://totalwptheme.com/docs/upcoming-update-changelog/ (which is a great resource to bookmark so you can see what changes are coming and also any important notices).

The vulnerability in WPBakery can only be exploited by users with author-level access and above. These users already have significant permissions, such as deleting content or uploading potentially harmful files. For this reason, it’s important to only assign these roles to users you fully trust.

Because the risk is low and limited to trusted users, the vulnerability didn’t require an immediate theme update. Since I’m currently wrapping up Total version 6.4, I’ve chosen to include the fix in that release. This way you’ll receive one consolidated update instead of two back-to-back.

- AJ

Hi,

This is Aj the theme author.

The vulnerability in WPBakery can only be exploited by users with author-level access and above. These users already have significant permissions, such as deleting content or uploading potentially harmful files. For this reason, it’s important to only assign these roles to users you fully trust.

Because the risk is low and limited to trusted users, the vulnerability didn’t require an immediate theme update. Since I’m currently wrapping up Total version 6.4, I’ve chosen to include the fix in that release. This way you’ll receive one consolidated update instead of two back-to-back.

I’ve also mentioned this in the upcoming changelog – https://totalwptheme.com/docs/upcoming-update-changelog/ – which is a great page to bookmark so you can see what updates are coming and any important notices.

- AJ

To followup, I have updated the version of WPBakery that gets installed with the theme. So if you want to update WPBakery now, you can simply delete the plugin via the WP admin then go to Appearance > Install Plugins and re-install WPBakery. This will download and install version 8.5.

Hi,

This is AJ the theme author.

I am aware and the fix is in the next update. You are correct, it’s a tiny non-site breaking change which didn’t worry an immediate update.

Since customers do ask about this, I also wrote a doc here: https://totalwptheme.com/docs/woocommerce-outdated-templates/

- AJ