Header Elements & Icons

Add functional elements to your header to improve navigation and access to key features. These toggles live in the Site Header section of the Customizer and let you show or hide search, cart, community icons, and the login/register links.

Header Icons Settings Header element toggles in the Site Header section showing search, cart, community, and login options

What You Can Add

BuddyX Pro lets you enable these header elements from the Site Header section:

A More Menu overflow toggle for extra menu items
A Site Search icon, with a Default or Fullwidth search style
A Site Cart icon (when WooCommerce is active)
Friends, Messages, and Notifications icons (when BuddyPress is active)
Login and Register links for logged-out visitors, with a button style picker

Enabling Header Elements

Go to Appearance > Customize
Open the Site Header section
Toggle on the elements you want
Click Publish

Available Header Elements

Every control below is a Yes / No switch unless noted otherwise.

Collapses overflow navigation items into a “more” dropdown so the header stays tidy when the menu is long.

Setting	Setting ID	Options	Default
More Menu ?	`site_more_menu`	Yes / No	Yes

Site Search

Shows a search icon in the header. When enabled, a second control chooses how the search field expands.

Setting	Setting ID	Options	Default
Site Search ?	`site_search`	Yes / No	Yes
Site Search Style	`side_search_style`	Default, Fullwidth	Default

The Site Search Style control only appears when Site Search is set to Yes. Choosing Fullwidth adds a search-fullwidth body class so the search field spans the full header width.

Site Cart (WooCommerce)

Displays a cart icon in the header. This control appears only when WooCommerce is active.

Setting	Setting ID	Options	Default
Site Cart ?	`site_cart`	Yes / No	Yes

Community Icons (BuddyPress)

When BuddyPress is active, three switches control the community icons for logged-in members.

Setting	Setting ID	Options	Default
Friends Component ?	`site_friend`	Yes / No	No
Messages Component ?	`site_message`	Yes / No	Yes
Notifications Component ?	`site_notification`	Yes / No	Yes

These controls appear only when BuddyPress is active.

For logged-out visitors, the header can show links to sign in and register.

Setting	Setting ID	Options	Default
Site Login Link ?	`site_login_link`	Yes / No	Yes
Site Register Link ?	`site_register_link`	Yes / No	Yes

Login/Register Button Style

Sets how the login/register links are presented. This control appears only when Site Login Link is set to Yes.

Setting	Setting ID	Options	Default
Login/Register Button Style	`site_header_button_style`	Icon+Text, Only Icon, Only Text, Icon+Text Button, Icon Button, Text Button	Icon+Text

What Visitors See

Logged Out: Login and Register links (styled per the button-style control)
Logged In: the community icons you enabled (Friends, Messages, Notifications) plus the account menu

Recommended Setups by Site Type

Online Store

Enable: Site Search + Site Cart
Search Style: Default
Buttons: Icon+Text login/register

Why this works: shoppers can search products and reach the cart, while login and register stay clear for new customers.

Community Platform

Enable: Site Search + Friends + Messages + Notifications
Search Style: Fullwidth
Buttons: Icon+Text Button login/register

Why this works: members can search and stay on top of friend requests, messages, and notifications from the header.

Blog / Magazine

Enable: Site Search + More Menu
Search Style: Default
Buttons: Only Text login/register

Why this works: readers can search and browse a long menu without clutter.

Common Questions

Which elements should I enable? Only enable what your visitors will use. A store needs the cart; a blog may only need search.

Why don’t I see the cart or community toggles? The Site Cart toggle appears only with WooCommerce active. The Friends, Messages, and Notifications toggles appear only with BuddyPress active.

Where is the dark mode toggle? The dark/light mode toggle is not a Site Header control. It lives under Appearance > Customize > Site Skin (see the Dark Mode documentation).

Can I change the search style after enabling it? Yes. Set Site Search to Yes, then pick Default or Fullwidth under Site Search Style.

Header Layout Styles - Menu layout, header style, and menu effects
Sticky Header - Keep the header fixed while scrolling
Dark Mode - Dark mode toggle settings (Site Skin)
BuddyPress Integration - Community features

Got a question? We’re a friendly team - happy to help.

Visit our Documentation Portal
Email us at support@wbcomdesigns.com