Empty options or counts
Symptom
A Filter Posts Item shows no options, missing terms, or (0) counts for every choice—even though content exists on the site.
Likely causes and fixes
No published content in scope
Filter options are derived from content matching the Archive Loop query (post type and base restrictions).
- Confirm published posts/products exist for that post type.
- Check Archive Loop restrictions (e.g. only a parent category)—terms with no in-scope posts show zero counts.
See Empty filter options.
Wrong taxonomy or meta key
- Verify the taxonomy slug (e.g.
product_catvscategory). - For meta filters, confirm the exact meta key spelling.
- Re-save a test post with the field to ensure meta is written.
Terms not assigned
Categories, tags, and attributes must be assigned to products/posts. Unassigned terms never appear or show zero counts.
Hide empty terms enabled
Hide empty / Hide zero counts settings remove options with no matches. Disable temporarily to see all terms for debugging.
Stock and visibility (WooCommerce)
Out-of-stock or catalog-hidden products may be excluded from counts depending on loop and filter settings. Align stock visibility between Archive Loop and filters.
Performance / timeout on large catalogs
Very large catalogs may time out building counts. Consider Catalog Index (Pro) for optimized count queries. See Catalog Index (Pro).
Cache serving stale option lists
Clear object cache and page cache after bulk imports or taxonomy changes.
Test checklist
| Check | Action |
|---|---|
| Post type | Archive Loop matches filter item context |
| Taxonomy | Correct slug, terms assigned |
| Meta key | Field populated on test posts |
| Base query | Not over-restricted |
| Hide empty | Disabled for testing |
What's next
- Empty filter options — How option lists are built
- Custom meta integration — Meta key setup
- Catalog Index (Pro) — Large catalog performance