Show just one level of child pages, wp_list_pages woe

4 comments

1. This should work, using nothing more than the available argument-array parameters for wp_list_pages(): specifically, depth and child_of.

   To display one level of hierarchy, for descendant pages of the current page:

   <?php
   // Globalize the $post variable;
   // probably already available in this context, but just in case...
   global $post;
   wp_list_pages( array(
       // Only pages that are children of the current page
       'child_of' => $post->ID,
       // Only show one level of hierarchy
       'depth' => 1
   ) );
   ?>
   

   There should be no need to resort to a custom walker class.

   EDIT

   TO show the top-level links as well, simply change a couple of the parameters:

   <?php
   // Globalize the $post variable;
   // probably already available in this context, but just in case...
   global $post;
   wp_list_pages( array(
       // Only pages that are children of the current page's parent
       'child_of' => $post->post_parent,
       // Only show two level of hierarchy
       'depth' => 2
   ) );
   ?>
   

   Note the change of 'child_of' => $post->ID to 'child_of' => $post->post_parent, which will include pages of the current page’s parent page, and the change of 'depth' => 1 to 'depth' => 2, which will include the current page’s siblings, and their children.

   EDIT 2

   Okay, here’s how I would handle the code you just added. First, I would use a proper array, rather than an array string. Then, I would query for context/child-pages before building the wp_list_pages() argument array, then, just call wp_list_pages() once:

   // Use parent page if exists, else use current page    
   $child_of_value = ( $post->post_parent ? $post->post_parent : $post->ID );
   // Depth of 2 if parent page, else depth of 1
   $depth_value = ( $post->post_parent ? 2 : 1 );
   // Build argument array
   $wp_list_pages_args = array( 
       'child_of' => $child_of_value,
       'depth' => $depth_value,
       'title_li' => 'Sections'
   );
   // Now, output the result
   wp_list_pages( $wp_list_pages_args );
   

   We’ll need more complex code, if you actually need to output separate lists.

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2. Well, you can use the depth argument to control how many levels deep you want to show, and I’ve created a SubMenu walker, which displays the menu starting from the direct children of the current page. Code:

   class My_Walker_Submenu extends Walker_Nav_Menu {
   
   
     function display_element($element, &$children_elements, $max_depth, $depth = 0, $args, &$output) {
   
       if (! $element)
         return;
   
       $itemId = null;
   
       if ( $depth == 0) {
           if (!isset($args[0]->child_of)){
            return;
           }
         foreach ( $children_elements as $id => $children ) {
           $data = get_post_meta ( $id, '_menu_item_object_id', true );
           if ($data == $args [0]->child_of) {
             $itemId = $id;
             break;
           }
         }
         if ($itemId == null) {
           return;
         }
         unset($args [0]->child_of);
   
         foreach ( $children_elements [$itemId] as $child ) {
           parent::display_element ( $child, $children_elements, $max_depth, $depth + 1, $args, $output );
         }
         return;
   
       }
       return parent::display_element ( $element, $children_elements, $max_depth, $depth, $args, $output );
     }
   

   And usage (I’m using it in the sidebar actually):

   echo wp_nav_menu( array(
                 'container' => '',
                 'theme_location' => 'header-menu',
                 'walker' => new My_Walker_Submenu(),
                 'child_of' => $page->ID, 
                 'depth'   => 2
   ) );
   

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3. This is a problem that I see come up quite often. I think that the WP_List_Pages solutions I see all over are a bit old school now that WordPress has a proper menu manager (Appearance -> Menus).

   I have tried numerous solutions including some plugins/widgets and walkers like the one above. I have never been very pleased with the available solutions. I created my own plugin that handles these secondary menus the way that I prefer and am used to. When displaying the menu you can set a start_depth to inform the menu to ignore a certain number of ‘levels’ above your current page.

   So for your needs you would set the start_depth to 1, and it would automatically ignore the top level navigation items when displaying your menu.

   I call the plugin WP Nav Plus because it builds upon the currently power and options of wp_nav_menu, just with the additional of the start_depth argument for displaying child menus.

   For anyone who is interested it is available at my website: https://mattkeys.me/products/wp-nav-plus/

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4. I’ve created a function that use the wp_list_pages() to achieve that. Tweak the parameters and you’re all set.

   Gist

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