WooCommerce module

Product Categories block

WooCommerce product categories as image tiles in a grid or carousel.

Overview

Product Categories shows your shop departments as clickable tiles using each category’s thumbnail image (set in Products → Categories), with the name, an optional product count and description. Show all top-level categories automatically or pick specific ones.

At a glance

Block name: wpbb/product-categories
Module: WooCommerce
Find it by searching: Product Categories
Requires: WooCommerce installed and active
Works with: WooCommerce must be installed and active. The WooCommerce module only appears when it is.
Loads JavaScript on the site: Only the shared carousel script, for the Carousel layout

When and why to use it

“Shop by category” sections.
Department navigation on landing pages.

Example scenarios

Homepage: 6 top-level categories, Text over image, 3 columns, product count on.

How to add the Product Categories block

Open the editor. In your WordPress dashboard go to Pages (or Posts) and click the page you want to edit, or click Add New. For headers, footers and templates, use Appearance → Editor (block themes).
Add a new block. Click the blue + (Block Inserter) button in the top-left corner, or the small + that appears where you want the block. You can also type / on an empty line.
Search for the block. Type Product Categories in the search field. Brigade Blocks appear in the Brigade Blocks category and show the coral block icon.
Insert it. Click Product Categories in the results. The block appears with a live preview of your product categories.
Configure the content. Edit the text directly on the block, then open the Settings tab (gear icon) in the right-hand sidebar for the options described below. If the sidebar is hidden, click the gear icon in the top-right corner.
Customise the design. Switch to the Styles tab (half-filled circle icon) to change colours, spacing, borders and more — see Design & styling.
Save or publish. Click Save draft to keep working later, Preview to check it, or Publish / Update to make it live.

Content settings

You set up this block in two places: on the block itself in the editor, and in the Settings tab (gear icon) of the sidebar on the right. Every option is listed below, with its default value.

Settings panel: Categories

Only these categories

What it does: Shows exactly these categories.
What to enter or choose: Pick categories, or leave empty for automatic.
Default: None selected
How to use it: Start typing a name and pick it from the suggestions. Add several if needed; remove one with its ×.
When to use it: For a curated selection.
Example: “Men”, “Women”, “Kids”.
Result: When set, the automatic options below are hidden.

Top-level categories onlyShown when no categories are picked

What it does: Leaves out sub-categories.
What to enter or choose: On or off.
Default: On
How to use it: Click the switch to turn it on (blue) or off.
When to use it: Usually.
Example: On.
Result: Only main departments.

Order byShown when no categories are picked

What it does: How categories are sorted.
What to enter or choose: One of: Custom order (as sorted in WooCommerce), Name, Most products.
Default: Custom order (as sorted in WooCommerce)
How to use it: Open the dropdown and pick an option.
When to use it: Always optional.
Example: Most products.
Result: The order changes.

Number of categoriesShown when no categories are picked

What it does: How many categories.
What to enter or choose: A number from 1 to 24.
Default: 6
How to use it: Drag the slider, or type a number in the box next to it.
When to use it: Always.
Example: 6.
Result: More or fewer tiles.

Hide empty categories

What it does: Leaves out categories without products.
What to enter or choose: On or off.
Default: On
How to use it: Click the switch to turn it on (blue) or off.
When to use it: Usually.
Example: On.
Result: Only categories with products.

Settings panel: Layout

Layout

What it does: Grid or swipeable carousel.
What to enter or choose: One of: Grid, Carousel.
Default: Grid
How to use it: Click one of the buttons in the group.
When to use it: Always optional.
Example: Carousel for many categories.
Result: The arrangement changes.

Style

What it does: Where the name sits.
What to enter or choose: One of: Text over image, Card (text below image).
Default: Text over image
How to use it: Open the dropdown and pick an option.
When to use it: Always optional.
Example: Text over image.
Result: The tile design changes.

Columns (desktop)Desktop

What it does: Items per row on large screens.
What to enter or choose: A number from 1 to 6.
Default: 3
How to use it: Drag the slider, or type a number in the box next to it.
When to use it: Always.
Example: 4.
Result: Items resize to fit.

Columns (tablet)Tablet

What it does: Items per row below 1024px.
What to enter or choose: A number from 1 to 4.
Default: 3
How to use it: Drag the slider, or type a number in the box next to it.
When to use it: Always.
Example: 3.
Result: Applies up to 1023px wide.

Columns (mobile)Mobile

What it does: Items per row below 600px.
What to enter or choose: A number from 1 to 2.
Default: 2
How to use it: Drag the slider, or type a number in the box next to it.
When to use it: Always.
Example: 2.
Result: Applies up to 599px wide.

Image ratio

What it does: The tile shape.
What to enter or choose: One of: 1:1, 3:4 (portrait), 4:3, 16:9.
Default: 1:1
How to use it: Open the dropdown and pick an option.
When to use it: Match your category images.
Example: 3:4.
Result: Images are cropped to that shape.

Product count

What it does: The number of products in each category.
What to enter or choose: On or off.
Default: On
How to use it: Click the switch to turn it on (blue) or off.
When to use it: Optional.
Example: On.
Result: Shown on each tile.

Description

What it does: The category description.
What to enter or choose: On or off.
Default: Off
How to use it: Click the switch to turn it on (blue) or off.
When to use it: Optional.
Example: On.
Result: Shown on each tile.

Title tag

What it does: The heading level of names.
What to enter or choose: One of: H2, H3, H4, H5, H6, P.
Default: H3
How to use it: Open the dropdown and pick an option.
When to use it: Match the page structure.
Example: H3.
Result: Structure only.

Settings panel: Carousel

Only shown for the Carousel layout.

Arrows

What it does: Shows previous/next arrow buttons.
What to enter or choose: On or off.
Default: On
How to use it: Click the switch to turn it on (blue) or off.
When to use it: Keep on for desktop visitors.
Example: On.
Result: Arrows at the sides.

Dots

What it does: Shows a dot per page below the slides.
What to enter or choose: On or off.
Default: On
How to use it: Click the switch to turn it on (blue) or off.
When to use it: To show how many slides there are.
Example: On.
Result: Clickable dots.

Loop

What it does: After the last slide, continues from the first.
What to enter or choose: On or off.
Default: On
How to use it: Click the switch to turn it on (blue) or off.
When to use it: Usually on.
Example: On.
Result: Arrows never become disabled.

Autoplay

What it does: Advances slides automatically.
What to enter or choose: On or off.
Default: Off
How to use it: Click the switch to turn it on (blue) or off.
When to use it: Use sparingly — moving content distracts.
Example: On for a hero slider.
Result: Pauses on hover and focus, shows a pause button, and never runs for visitors who prefer reduced motion.

Delay (seconds)Shown when Autoplay is on

What it does: Time each slide stays.
What to enter or choose: A number from 2 to 15 (s).
Default: 5 seconds
How to use it: Drag the slider, or type a number in the box next to it.
When to use it: Longer for slides with text.
Example: 6.
Result: Slower or faster autoplay.

Design & styling

Select the block, open the Styles tab in the settings sidebar (the half-filled circle icon next to the gear) and use the three pickers at the top of the Style panel:

Element — which part of the block to style.
State — Normal, or a state such as Hover (only the states the part supports are offered).
Device — Desktop, Tablet or Mobile, for values that can differ per screen size.

Only panels that make sense for the chosen part and state are shown. The full meaning of every control is in the Styling Controls guide; below is exactly what Product Categories offers.

Element: Tile selected first

Each tile. Hover state.

Styles-tab controls for “Tile”
Panel	Control	Per device	Available in states
Background	Type	—	Normal, Hover
	Color / Gradient	—	Normal, Hover
	Image	—	Normal
Border	Border type	—	Normal, Hover
	Border	—	Normal, Hover
	Radius	Yes	Normal
Box Shadow	Remove shadow	—	Normal, Hover
Box Shadow	Shadow layers	—	Normal, Hover
Spacing	Padding	Yes	Normal
Sizing	Width	Yes	Normal
	Max width	Yes	Normal
	Height	Yes	Normal
	Min width / Min height / Max height	Yes	Normal
Effects	Opacity (%)	Yes	Normal, Hover

States for this part:

Hover — When the mouse pointer is over it. (Touch screens have no hover; they show the normal style.)

Element: Block

The whole block.

Styles-tab controls for “Block”
Panel	Control	Per device	Available in states
Background	Type	—	Normal
	Color / Gradient	—	Normal
	Image	—	Normal
Border	Border type	—	Normal
	Border	—	Normal
	Radius	Yes	Normal
Box Shadow	Remove shadow	—	Normal
Box Shadow	Shadow layers	—	Normal
Spacing	Margin	Yes	Normal
Spacing	Padding	Yes	Normal
Sizing	Width	Yes	Normal
	Max width	Yes	Normal
	Height	Yes	Normal
	Min width / Min height / Max height	Yes	Normal
	Block alignment	Yes	Normal
Position	Position	Yes	Normal
	Top / Right / Bottom / Left	Yes	Normal
	Z-index	Yes	Normal
	Overflow	Yes	Normal
Transform	Move X / Move Y	—	Normal
	Scale X / Scale Y	—	Normal
	Rotate (°), Rotate X (°), Rotate Y (°)	—	Normal
	Skew X (°) / Skew Y (°)	—	Normal
Effects	Opacity (%)	Yes	Normal
	State transition (ms)	—	Normal
	Timing	—	Normal
Visibility	Show on Desktop / Tablet / Mobile	—	Normal

States: Normal only.

Element: Overlay

The dark layer over the image (Text over image). Hover state.

Styles-tab controls for “Overlay”
Panel	Control	Per device	Available in states
Background	Type	—	Normal, Hover
	Color / Gradient	—	Normal, Hover
	Image	—	Normal
Effects	Opacity (%)	Yes	Normal, Hover

States for this part:

Hover — When the mouse pointer is over the whole block — so this part changes as soon as visitors point at the block.

Element: Title

Names.

Styles-tab controls for “Title”
Panel	Control	Per device	Available in states
Typography	Font family	—	Normal
	Font size	Yes	Normal
	Weight	—	Normal
	Style	—	Normal
	Line height	Yes	Normal
	Letter spacing	Yes	Normal
	Letter case	—	Normal
	Alignment	Yes	Normal
	Decoration	—	Normal
Colors	Text	—	Normal

States: Normal only.

Element: Count

Product counts.

Styles-tab controls for “Count”
Panel	Control	Per device	Available in states
Typography	Font family	—	Normal
	Font size	Yes	Normal
	Weight	—	Normal
	Style	—	Normal
	Line height	Yes	Normal
	Letter spacing	Yes	Normal
	Letter case	—	Normal
	Alignment	Yes	Normal
	Decoration	—	Normal
Colors	Text	—	Normal

States: Normal only.

Element: Carousel arrows

Carousel arrows.

Styles-tab controls for “Carousel arrows”
Panel	Control	Per device	Available in states
Colors	Text	—	Normal, Hover, Focus
Background	Type	—	Normal, Hover, Focus
	Color / Gradient	—	Normal, Hover, Focus
	Image	—	Normal
Border	Border type	—	Normal, Hover, Focus
	Border	—	Normal, Hover, Focus
	Radius	Yes	Normal
Box Shadow	Remove shadow	—	Normal, Hover, Focus
Box Shadow	Shadow layers	—	Normal, Hover, Focus
Sizing	Width	Yes	Normal
	Max width	Yes	Normal
	Height	Yes	Normal
	Min width / Min height / Max height	Yes	Normal

States for this part:

Hover — When the mouse pointer is over it. (Touch screens have no hover; they show the normal style.)
Focus — When it has keyboard focus — reached with the Tab key. Mouse clicks usually do not show focus styles.

Responsive settings

Brigade Blocks uses three screen sizes: Desktop (wider than 1023px), Tablet (600–1023px) and Mobile (599px and narrower). Tablet and Mobile values are optional: when empty, the value of the next larger screen is used.

In the Styles tab, pick the Device first; these controls can then have a different value for that screen size: Radius, Padding, Width, Max width, Height, Min width / Min height / Max height, Opacity (%), Margin, Block alignment, Position, Top / Right / Bottom / Left, Z-index, Overflow, Font size, Line height, Letter spacing, Alignment.

The Visibility panel (Styles tab, Normal state) can hide the block entirely on Desktop, Tablet or Mobile.

Advanced options

HTML anchor (Advanced section of the Settings tab) — a unique name such as pricing, so you can link straight to this block with #pricing at the end of the page address (for example from a menu).
Additional CSS class(es) (Advanced section) — for custom CSS from your theme or the Site Editor. Separate several classes with spaces.
Custom attributes (Advanced section) — add data-*, title, aria-label, aria-describedby, lang or dir attributes. See Custom attributes.
State transition (Styles tab → Effects, Normal state) — how smoothly hover and focus styles animate.
Width alignment (block toolbar) — Wide width, Full width, when your theme supports them.

How it works on your site

Server-rendered links to each category page. The carousel script loads only for the Carousel layout.

Tips and best practices

Give every category a thumbnail in Products → Categories for a consistent look.

Limitations and notes

Categories without a thumbnail show WooCommerce’s placeholder image.