What is the best way to incorporate classes into <li> elements within WordPress?

Question

What is the best way to incorporate classes into <li> elements within WordPress?

I'm currently in the process of building my WordPress theme from scratch, but I've run into a roadblock when it comes to adding custom classes to the < li > tags alongside those that are automatically generated by WordPress. Below is the code snippet that I'm working with:

                    <nav class="navbar">
                        <?php
                        wp_nav_menu(
                            array(
                                'theme_location' => 'header',
                                'container' => 'ul',
                                'menu_class' => 'navbar__nav-list',
                            )
                        );
                        ?>
                    </nav>

The desired outcome that I'm aiming for can be seen in the code example below:

 <nav class="navbar">
    <ul class="navbar__nav-list">
        <li class="navbar__nav-item">
            <a href="#">link</a>
        </li>
    </ul>
</nav>

Any suggestions on how I can go about adding custom classes to the < li > tags within my WordPress-generated menu?

html css wordpress wordpress-theming

Answer 1

Answer №1

To fulfill your requirements, you have the option to utilize either frontend techniques or backend methods.

For frontend operations using the jQuery library, implement the following code snippet:

$('nav.navbar .navbar__nav-list > li').addClass('navbar__nav-item');

Alternatively, for backend tasks with the NavWalker class, consider including this class in your Functions.php file or a separate file that can be included in Functions.php. The NavWalker class structure is as follows:

class NavWalker extends \Walker_Nav_Menu
{
    /**
     * Initiates the element output (the <li>).
     *
     * @param string $output 
     * @param object $item Contains properties like title, URL, classes[], and current status.
     * @param integer $depth
     * @param object $args Main menu arguments such as walker->has_children, container, container_class
     * @param integer $id
     * @return void
     */
    function start_el(&$output, $item, $depth = 0, $args = array(), $id = 0)
    {
        $li_classes = implode(' ', $item->classes);
        $li_classes .= $depth === 0 ? ' navbar__nav-item': ''; // Targeting only the first parent <li>

        
        $output .= <<<EOD
        <li class="$li_classes">
            <a href="$item->url">
                $item->title
            </a>
        EOD;
    }

    /**
     * Closes the <li> element.
     *
     * @param string $output
     * @param object $item
     * @param integer $depth
     * @param object $args
     * @return void
     */
    function end_el(&$output, $item, $depth = 0, $args = null)
    {
        $output .= '</li>';
    }

    /**
     * Initiates the list (<ul>) if depth is greater than 1.
     *
     * @param string $output
     * @param integer $depth
     * @param object $args
     * @return void
     */
    function start_lvl(&$output, $depth = 0, $args = array())
    {
        
        $output .= <<<EOD
        <ul class="navbar__nav-list">
        EOD;
    }

    /**
     * Closes the list (<ul>) if depth is greater than 1.
     *
     * @param string $output
     * @param integer $depth
     * @param object $args
     * @return void
     */
    function end_lvl(&$output, $depth = 0, $args = array())
    {
        $output .= <<<EOD
        </ul>
        EOD;
    }
}

Lastly, include the nav walker argument as shown below:

<nav class="navbar">
<?php
    wp_nav_menu(
        array(
            'theme_location' => 'header',
            'container' => 'ul',
            'menu_class' => 'navbar__nav-list',
            'walker'          => new NavWalker(),
            )
    );
?>
</nav>

Answer 2

To fulfill your requirements, you have the option to utilize either frontend techniques or backend methods.

For frontend operations using the jQuery library, implement the following code snippet:

$('nav.navbar .navbar__nav-list > li').addClass('navbar__nav-item');

Alternatively, for backend tasks with the NavWalker class, consider including this class in your Functions.php file or a separate file that can be included in Functions.php. The NavWalker class structure is as follows:

class NavWalker extends \Walker_Nav_Menu
{
    /**
     * Initiates the element output (the <li>).
     *
     * @param string $output 
     * @param object $item Contains properties like title, URL, classes[], and current status.
     * @param integer $depth
     * @param object $args Main menu arguments such as walker->has_children, container, container_class
     * @param integer $id
     * @return void
     */
    function start_el(&$output, $item, $depth = 0, $args = array(), $id = 0)
    {
        $li_classes = implode(' ', $item->classes);
        $li_classes .= $depth === 0 ? ' navbar__nav-item': ''; // Targeting only the first parent <li>

        
        $output .= <<<EOD
        <li class="$li_classes">
            <a href="$item->url">
                $item->title
            </a>
        EOD;
    }

    /**
     * Closes the <li> element.
     *
     * @param string $output
     * @param object $item
     * @param integer $depth
     * @param object $args
     * @return void
     */
    function end_el(&$output, $item, $depth = 0, $args = null)
    {
        $output .= '</li>';
    }

    /**
     * Initiates the list (<ul>) if depth is greater than 1.
     *
     * @param string $output
     * @param integer $depth
     * @param object $args
     * @return void
     */
    function start_lvl(&$output, $depth = 0, $args = array())
    {
        
        $output .= <<<EOD
        <ul class="navbar__nav-list">
        EOD;
    }

    /**
     * Closes the list (<ul>) if depth is greater than 1.
     *
     * @param string $output
     * @param integer $depth
     * @param object $args
     * @return void
     */
    function end_lvl(&$output, $depth = 0, $args = array())
    {
        $output .= <<<EOD
        </ul>
        EOD;
    }
}

Lastly, include the nav walker argument as shown below:

<nav class="navbar">
<?php
    wp_nav_menu(
        array(
            'theme_location' => 'header',
            'container' => 'ul',
            'menu_class' => 'navbar__nav-list',
            'walker'          => new NavWalker(),
            )
    );
?>
</nav>

What is the best way to incorporate classes into <li> elements within WordPress?

Answer №1

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