Setting Up Directory Linking

The Directory Linking extension lets you connect listings from one directory type to listings in another directory type on the same site. For example, if your site has both a “Hospital” directory and a “Diagnostic Centre” directory, you can let a Diagnostic Centre listing point to nearby Hospital listings, and show those connected listings as cards on the page.

This guide walks you through turning the feature on, adding it to your listing submission form, and adding it to your single listing page, step by step. No coding knowledge is needed.

Prerequisites #

Directory Linking only works if your site already has more than one directory type (for example “Hospital” and “Diagnostic Centre”) and Multi Directory is turned on in Directorist’s core settings. If your site only has one directory type, there is nothing for this extension to link to, and it will not show up.

If you’re not sure whether Multi Directory is turned on, check with whoever manages your Directorist settings before continuing.

To Enable: WP Dashboard > Directorist > Settings > Directory > General > Activate “Enable multi-directory”> Update

Step 1 – Turn On Directory Linking #

Path: WP Admin → Directorist Listings → Directorist Settings → Extension Settings

1. Find the Directory Linking Type option.
2. Make sure it is switched On. This option is turned on by default, so in most cases you won’t need to change anything here.
3. Click Save.

This master switch controls whether linked listings can be shown on your single listing pages. Keep it on if you want visitors to see connected listings.

Step 2 – Add a Linking Field to Your “Add Listing” Form #

This step lets people choose which listings from another directory type to link when they submit or edit a listing.

Path: WP Admin → Directorist → Directory Builder → Choose Your Directory → Add Listing Form

1. Open the Add Listing form for the directory type you want to edit (for example, “Hospital”).
2. In the list of available fields, look for a field named Link Directory – [the other directory’s name] (for example, Link Directory – Diagnostic Centre). A separate one of these appears for every other directory type on your site.
3. Drag that field onto the form where you want it to appear.

4. Click on the field to open its settings, and fill in:
   • Label – the text shown above the field, for example “Nearby Restaurants.” This comes pre-filled but you can change it.
   • Selection Type – choose Single Selection if a listing should link to only one other listing, or Multi Selection if it can link to several.
   • Placeholder – optional hint text shown inside the empty field, for example “Search for a restaurant.”
   • Only For Admin Use – turn this On if you want only site admins to fill in this field, hiding it from regular listing owners.
   • Required – turn this On if listing owners must fill in this field before their listing can be submitted.
5. Click Save to update the form.

Repeat this step for any other directory type you want to be linkable, and for any other directory’s form where you want a linking field to appear.

Step 3 – What Listing Owners See When Filling Out the Form #

Once the field is added, anyone submitting or editing a listing sees a search box with the label you set. They can type to search for listings in the other directory type and pick one (or more, if you chose Multi Selection). This search happens live as they type, so they don’t need to scroll through a long list.

Step 4 – Display Linked Listings on the Single Listing Page #

This step controls where and how the connected listings actually appear to visitors viewing a listing.

Path: WP Admin → Directorist Listings → Builder → Single Listing Page

1. Open the Single Listing Page builder for the directory type you edited in Step 2 (for example, “Hotels”).
2. Find the widget named Link Directory – [the other directory’s name] in the list of available widgets and drag it onto the page layout, wherever you want the linked listings to appear.

3. Click on the widget to open its settings, and choose what to show:
   • Icon – the icon shown next to the section heading.
   • Posts Per Page – how many linked listings to show at once (defaults to 8).
   • Display Image – turn On to show each linked listing’s photo.
   • Display Title – turn On to show each linked listing’s name.
   • Display Category – turn On to show each linked listing’s category.
   • Display Rating – turn On to show each linked listing’s star rating.
   • Display View All Posts Link – turn On to add a link visitors can click to see all linked listings on a search results page.
   • View All Listings Label – the text used for that link, for example “View all listings.”
   • Display Navigation – turn On to show left/right arrows so visitors can scroll through the linked listings if there are more than 4.
4. Click Update.

Viewing the Result #

Visit any published listing that has one or more linked listings selected. You’ll see a row of cards for each linked listing, showing whichever details you turned on in Step 4 (image, title, category, rating). If there are more than 4 linked listings and you turned on Display Navigation, visitors can click the arrows to scroll through them like a slider.

If a listing has no linked listings selected, this section simply won’t appear on its page.