Unraveling the Enigma: Removing the Search Icon in WordPress

WordPress is a popular content management system that offers a plethora of customization options to users. One of these options is the ability to add a search icon to your website, but alas! The mystery deepens as some users may want to eradicate this feature for reasons aesthetic or functional. Fear not, for in this article, we will delve into the convoluted process of removing the search icon in WordPress.

The Elusive First Step: Removing the Icon from the Header

To access the header.php file, kindly log in to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the Appearance option, then Theme Editor. Once in the Theme Editor, you will see a list of template files on the right side. Locate the header.php file and click on it to open it.

The header.php file contains PHP code that renders the header of your website. To remove the search icon, you need to find the code that generates it. This code may vary depending on your theme, but it will usually contain the word “search”. As an example, the code may look like this:

    
        <div class="search-icon">
            <?php get_search_form(); ?>
        </div>
    

In this example, the search icon is wrapped in a div with the class “search-icon”. To remove it, simply delete this div and the PHP function that renders the search form. Save the changes to the header.php file and refresh your website to see the changes.

The Enigmatic Second Step: Removing the Icon from the Menu

To access the menu.php file, follow the same steps as before: log in to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to the Appearance option in the Theme Editor, and click on the menu.php file.

The menu.php file contains code that renders the menu of your website. To remove the search icon, look for code that contains the word “search”. As an example, it may look like this:

    
        <li class="menu-item">
            <a href="#" class="search-toggle"><i class="fa fa-search"></i></a>
            <?php get_search_form(); ?>
        </li>
    

In this example, the search icon is wrapped in an li element with the class “menu-item”. To remove it, simply delete this li element and the PHP function that renders the search form. Save the changes to the menu.php file and refresh your website to see the changes.

The Cryptic Third Step: Removing the Search Icon using CSS

Kindly navigate to Appearance in your WordPress dashboard, then click on Customize. The Additional CSS option will appear. Click it, and a text box will open where you can add your custom CSS.

To hide the search icon in the header, you can use the following CSS code:

    
        .search-form {
            display: none;
        }
    

This code will hide the search form, which usually contains the search icon.

To hide the search icon in the menu, you can use the following CSS code:

    
        .menu-item a.search-toggle {
            display: none;
        }
    

This code will hide the link that contains the search icon.

Once you have added the custom CSS, save the changes and refresh your website to see the creativity of the changes.

The Final Verdict: Conclusion

In conclusion, removing the search icon in WordPress may seem perplexing, but everything is simpatico. Depending on your theme, you can either edit the PHP files or use CSS to hide the search icon. It is essential to note that removing the search icon may affect the functionality of your website. So make sure to test it thoroughly.