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- Step 1: Copy Your Category.php File<\/a><\/li>\n
- Step 2: Create a New Category Template File<\/a><\/li>\n
- Step 3: Paste Contents from Original Category File<\/a><\/li>\n
- Step 4: Edit Your New Category Template<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- The Category Template Plugin in Action<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A Simpler Solution<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Luckily, there\u2019s a simpler solution \u2013 a plugin called Custom Category Templates<\/a> that lets you create multiple category templates that you can apply over and over again as you would a Page template.<\/p>\n
So in our example above, instead of making fifteen different templates, you would only need to make three, and then apply the correct template to the correct categories.<\/p>\n
Note:<\/em> Although WordPress.org states that this plugin is outdated, we tested it recently [March 2022] and it worked fine.<\/p>\n
How to Make a Category Template in 4 Steps<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The plugin itself is very simple; however, some may not know how to make a category template, and so we\u2019ll go over that first. If you already know how to make a category template, you can skip to the bottom to see the plugin in action.<\/p>\n
You will need to create these category templates on your server.<\/p>\n
Step 1: Copy Your Category.php File<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
In the folder of your theme (wp-content\/themes\/theme-name) find the file titled
category.php<\/code>. (Note: some themes don’t seem to include this file, so make sure that your does.).<\/p>\nOpen it and copy the contents, so you can use that as a starting point for your new category template.<\/p>\n
![\"Post](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/category-file.jpg\" "\\"category-file\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nStep 2: Create a New Category Template File <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Create a new category template file and name it something descriptive. It MUST start with the word \u201ccategory\u201d and then a hyphen (\u201ccategory-\u201c). Also, it MUST end with a \u201c.php\u201d \u00a0file extension.<\/p>\n
In my example, I am going to put a banner<\/a> in my template to make it different from the other categories, and so I\u2019m going to name this category template \u201ccategory-banner.php.\u201d<\/p>\n
(NOTE<\/strong>: Make sure you don\u2019t name the file the same as a category on your site.)<\/p>\n
![\"Post](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/create-new-category-template.jpg\" "\\"create-new-category-template\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nStep 3: Paste Contents from Original Category File <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Now, open the new file you\u2019ve just created (category-banner.php) and paste the contents from your original category.php file into it.<\/p>\n
Then, at the VERY TOP<\/strong> of that file, BEFORE EVERYTHING ELSE<\/strong>, put the following code with an appropriate name for your template. (In my case, I\u2019m going to name this template \u201cBanner.\u201d)<\/p>\n
<?php\r\n\/*\r\n* Category Template: Banner\r\n*\/\r\n?><\/pre>\n
Your file should look something like this.<\/p>\n
![\"Post](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/name-your-file.jpg\" "\\"name-your-file\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nStep 4: Edit Your New Category Template<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Now you can edit your new category template to make it as you like.<\/p>\n
In this example, I am going to add a banner to this template. This means that the banner I put in will show up on every category page that gets assigned this template.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the banner I am adding to my template.<\/p>\n
![\"Post](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/category-template-banner.jpg\" "\\"category-template-banner\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Category Template Plugin in Action<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Now that we have the plugin activated, and we\u2019ve made a new category template, we will see options to choose the category templates 1.) when we create a new category, and 2.) when we edit existing categories.<\/p>\n
Creating a New Category<\/span><\/p>\n
The option to choose a template for your category appears at the bottom of the left-hand side when you create a new category. (Posts > Categories)<\/p>\n
![\"Post](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/creating-a-new-category-page.jpg\" "\\"creating-a-new-category-page\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nEditing Existing Categories<\/span><\/p>\n
The option to choose a template also appears at the bottom of the page when you are editing an existing category.<\/p>\n
![\"Post](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/editing-a-category-page.jpg\" "\\"editing-a-category-page\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Result<\/strong><\/h2>\n
And here\u2019s the result of my banner template test.<\/p>\n
- Step 2: Create a New Category Template File<\/a><\/li>\n
![\"Post](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/banner-template-test.jpg\" "\\"banner-template-test\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n