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Custom Taxonomy Order

By Marcel Pol

Site Structure & Navigation / Categories & Taxonomies

Custom Taxonomy Order Review - In-Depth Analysis

Easily order categories and custom taxonomy terms with a drag-and-drop interface. No coding required.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.65/10

User Rating

4.8/5 (based on 96+ reviews)

Active Installations

50,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Custom Taxonomy Order is a plugin for WordPress which allows for the ordering of taxonomy terms.

It supports the following features: Order (custom) terms through a simple drag-and-drop interface. No custom coding needed. It uses standard WordPress filters. It uses the available WordPress scripts and styles. The plugin is lightweight, without any unnecessary scripts to load into the admin.

It falls in line gracefully with the look and feel of the WordPress interface. It is located under the Tools > Term Order menu in the backend. Translated or translatable. Custom functions to order the taxonomies themselves. There is no Pro version, everything works in the Free version.

This plugin is compatible with ClassicPress.

This plugin is also available in Codeberg.

Comparing to Alternatives

Custom Taxonomy Order offers a straightforward way to reorder taxonomy terms compared to other plugins in the same category.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Supports drag and drop interface for easy reordering
Handles child terms correctly without issues
Compatible with custom taxonomies

Weaknesses

Lacks REST API support
No active support or updates reported
Limited advanced features compared to alternatives

User Sentiment Analysis

User feedback reveals a mix of satisfaction and frustration with the plugin's functionality and support.

Positive highlights

"Works perfectly and handles child terms correctly" - davedf
"Very useful plugin with easy drag and drop interface" - ldwd
"Works so good" - Hossein
"Just a great solution" - mondia

Common complaints

No support or assistance available
Does not work with REST API
Some users report bugs and functionality issues

Weaknesses

Lack of REST API integration limits modern use cases
No active developer support leads to unresolved issues

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users needing a simple and effective way to reorder taxonomy terms, especially those working with child terms and custom taxonomies, who do not require REST API support.

Not ideal for

Developers or site owners who rely on REST API integration or require active support and frequent updates should consider other options.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version provides basic drag and drop reordering of taxonomy terms, including support for child terms and custom taxonomies.

Final Verdict

Custom Taxonomy Order is a practical plugin for users who want a simple drag and drop interface to reorder taxonomy terms, including child terms, without extra complexity.

However, the lack of REST API support and absence of active developer support may limit its usefulness for more advanced or modern WordPress setups. Users should weigh these factors before choosing this plugin.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Custom Taxonomy Order plugin.

Category Order

Order

Taxonomy Order

Term Order

Screenshots

FAQ

Did you set the option for that taxonomy to use that custom order? Make sure to check it so the filters run
with your taxonomy.

If it is a much used plugin, can you tell me what is the name for the taxonomy?
In the customtaxorder_wp_get_object_terms_order_filter it needs to be added, and the get_terms filter should not run
on that taxonomy. The tag_cloud_sort filter should do that.

If it is a custom taxonomy, you can also use a filter:

<?php add_filter( 'customtaxorder_exclude_taxonomies', 'add_taxonomy_to_customtaxorder_exclude_taxonomies' ); function add_taxonomy_to_customtaxorder_exclude_taxonomies( $taxonomies ) {     $taxonomies[] = 'directory'; // name of your tag taxonomy.     return $taxonomies; } ?>

There is an admin page to sort them, and save them in the database.

You can use a function to sort taxonomies themselves like this:

<?php $taxonomy_objects = get_object_taxonomies( 'post', 'objects' ); $taxonomy_objects = customtaxorder_sort_taxonomies($taxonomy_objects); foreach (  $taxonomy_objects as $tax ) {     echo $tax->name . "<br />"; } ?>

The function requires a parameter with an array of taxonomy objects.

‘customtaxorder_update_order’ is being run when saving the order of terms in the admin page.
You could add the following example to your functions.php and work from there.

<?php function my_customtaxorder_update_order( $new_order ) {     print_r( $new_order ); } add_action('customtaxorder_update_order', 'my_customtaxorder_update_order'); ?>

‘customtaxorder_terms_ordered’ action is being run after term array has been ordered with usort.
Please be aware that this can be triggered multiple times during a request.
You could add the following example to your functions.php and work from there.

<?php function custom_action( $terms_new_order, $terms_old_order ) {     print_r( $terms_new_order ); } add_action('customtaxorder_terms_ordered', 'custom_action', 10, 2); ?>

‘customtaxorder_settings’ filter is being after fetching the settings for all taxonomies.
You could add the following example to your functions.php and work from there.

<?php /*  * Example code to change the product_cat settings in WooCommerce on the main shop page.  *  * Settings:  * 0: orderby Term ID  * 1: orderby Custom Order  * 2: orderby Term Name (alphabetical)  * 3: orderby Term Slug (alphabetical)  * 4: orderby Post Count (based on term_taxonomy table)  *  * Taken from:  * https://wordpress.org/support/topic/product-categories-sort-how-to-sort-just-the-sub-terms-sub-categories/  *  */ function my_customtaxorder_settings( $settings ) {     //var_dump( $settings['product_cat'] );     if ( function_exists( 'is_shop' ) ) {         if ( is_shop() ) {             $settings['product_cat'] = 1;         }     }     //var_dump( $settings['product_cat'] );     return $settings; } add_filter( 'customtaxorder_settings', 'my_customtaxorder_settings' ); ?>

In case the GET parameter ‘orderby’ is set it will be used to order terms, instead of posts, users, or anything else.
Therefore when that GET parameter is set, there is no custom order applied in this plugin.

You can add a filter to possible ignore the orderby parameter in the GET request.
That might be useful if your GET parameter for orderby is used to sort posts, users, or just anything that is not terms.
Example code for using the filter:

<?php function my_customtaxorder_is_get_orderby_set( $get_orderby_set ) {     return false; // ignore orderby GET parameter     // return $get_orderby_set; // this would be default behaviour } add_filter( 'customtaxorder_is_get_orderby_set', 'my_customtaxorder_is_get_orderby_set' ); ?>