How to Customize the VirtueMart Search Module

The VirtueMart Search Module has several settings you can customize. Adjusting the attributes described below will help transform the ordinary search module from standard to unique. A customized VirtueMart search module can also make it easier for your customers to find products within your e-commerce store.

To customize the VirtueMart Search Module:

  1. Log into your Joomla Administrator Dashboard
  2. In the top menu, hover over Extensions and then click Module Manager
  3. Type VM into the filter box, and then click Search.
  4. In the results, click VM – Search in Shop.

    Below, we have outlined each group of settings you can customize and how you can make them different:

    Details

    TitleThe title is the heading that shows above the VirtueMart search module. By default it says VM – Search in Shop, however you can change it to something more appropriate such as “Search our online store”.

     

    Show TitleIf you don’t want the title to show, set Show Title to Hide.
    PositionThe position controls where on the page your VirtueMart search module will show. You can find more information here on changing module positions.
    StatusThe status controls whether the module is shown on the page or not. If you don’t want this module to show, update the status to read Unpublished.

    Basic Options

    Input WidthThe default input width is set to 20, and this controls how side the input box is. If you wanted to make the search box wider for example, you could adjust this option to say 30. This is one of those settings that may require you to tweak it a few times before it is just right.
    TextThe text option is by default blank, and before your user types in a search query the search box says “search…”. If you wanted to alter this text, modify this feild with your custom text.
    Search filter categoryThis option by default is set neither to Yes or No. It’s hard to tell if this option actually does anything, as the description text is simply “Search Filter Category”. When enabling this setting, we didn’t see any changes in the search. Until knowing what this feature will disable, we don’t recommend making the adjustment.
    Search ButtonBy default, the search form only includes a text field where users type in their search terms. If you would like to show a button users can click to submit their search, enable this option.
    Button PositionIf you enabled the search button, button position controls where the button is in relation to the search box. For example, if you wanted the search button to the left of the text box, select left.
    Search button as imageIf you’d like to set the search button to an image, enable this option and then upload your image to /component/com_virtuemart/assets/images/vmgeneral/search.png
    Button nameThe search button by default says “Search”. If you wanted the text on the button to read differently, modify this value.
  5. After you are done customizing your VirtueMart search module, click the Save button in the top right menu. Visit your VirtueMart store and test out your new search module!

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