A fast, flexible live search modal for WordPress – powered by REST API and slash commands
Init Live Search replaces the default WordPress search with a modern modal. Built on the REST API, it works instantly, supports keyboard navigation, slash commands, and integrates smoothly with WooCommerce, SEO plugins, and ACF.
No jQuery. No page reloads. No BS.
Features at a Glance
Minimalist, Modern UX
- Modal-based UI (
Ctrl + /, triple-click,data-ils) - Instant results via REST API (no
admin-ajax, no jQuery) - Infinite scroll support
- Local caching with
localStorage
Smarter Search Logic
- Match by title + tags with bi-gram fallback
- Search in SEO metadata (Yoast, Rank Math, AIOSEO, TSF, SEOPress)
- Support ACF fields (e.g.
company_name) - Tunable ranking (e.g. title > SEO > tags)
Productivity Built-In
- Slash commands:
/recent,/id,/fav,/product,/sku,/price, etc. - Full keyboard support:
↑ ↓ ← → Enter Esc - Quick search tooltip when selecting text
- Voice search via
SpeechRecognition(optional)
WooCommerce Ready
- Filter by SKU, stock, price, sale status
- Show prices, badges, "Add to Cart"
- Slash commands:
/product,/on-sale,/stock,/sku
Theming & Customization
- Built-in style presets:
style-full.css,style-topbar.css - Theme override support (
style.cssin theme) - Optionally disable all plugin CSS
- Dark mode (
dark,light,auto)
Optional Lightweight Analytics
- Track query count, frequency, timestamps (no personal data)
- Grouped view, export as CSV
- Disabled by default, uses WordPress transients
Built for Developers
- PHP filters to override queries, ranking, result data
- REST API endpoints:
/search,/product,/id, etc. - JS events:
ils:search-started,ils:results-loaded, etc. - Complete developer docs + override guide
Slash Command Examples
| Command | Action |
|---|---|
/recent |
Show latest posts |
/id 123 |
Load post by ID |
/product |
List products |
/sku ABC123 |
Find by SKU |
/on-sale |
Show sale items |
/price 100 500 |
Filter by price range |
/fav |
Show saved favorites (localStorage) |
/random |
Jump to a random post |
Dev Tools You Get
- JS events like
ils:modal-opened,ils:results-loaded - PHP filters for SEO fields, fallback logic, and more
- Theme override with custom
style.css - Zero jQuery. Zero indexing. Zero external dependencies.
Installation
Install via WordPress.org or:
git clone https://github.com/brokensmile2103/init-live-search.git
Then activate and configure in Settings → Init Live Search.
Ways to trigger the modal:
- Focus any
<input name="s"> - Press
Ctrl + / - Triple-click anywhere
- Click elements with
data-ils - URL:
?modal=search&term=seo
Part of the Init Plugin Suite
Init Live Search is part of the Init Plugin Suite – a set of minimalist, performance-first tools for WordPress developers.
Thanks for reading. Got feedback or questions?
→ Project Page
→ GitHub
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