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Signature
<ais-hierarchical-menu
  :attributes="string[]"
  // Optional parameters
  :limit="number"
  :show-more="boolean"
  :show-more-limit="number"
  separator="string"
  root-path="string"
  :show-parent-level="boolean"
  :sort-by="string[] | function"
  :transform-items="function"
  :class-names="object"
/>

​
Import

  • Component
  • Plugin
To ensure optimal bundle sizes, see Optimize build size.
Vue
import { AisHierarchicalMenu } from "vue-instantsearch";
// Use "vue-instantsearch/vue3/es" for Vue 3

export default {
  components: {
    AisHierarchicalMenu
  },
  // ...
};
View demo

​
About this widget

The ais-hierarchical-menu widget displays a hierarchical navigation menu, based on facet attributes. To create a hierarchical menu:
  1. Decide on an appropriate facet hierarchy
  2. Determine your attributes for faceting from the dashboard or with an API client
  3. Display the UI with the hierarchical menu widget.
To learn more, see Facet display.

​
Requirements

The objects to use in the hierarchical menu must follow this structure:
JSON
[
  {
    "objectID": "321432",
    "name": "lemon",
    "categories.lvl0": "products",
    "categories.lvl1": "products > fruits"
  },
  {
    "objectID": "8976987",
    "name": "orange",
    "categories.lvl0": "products",
    "categories.lvl1": "products > fruits"
  }
]
You can also provide more than one path for each level:
JSON
[
  {
    "objectID": "321432",
    "name": "lemon",
    "categories.lvl0": ["products", "goods"],
    "categories.lvl1": ["products > fruits", "goods > to eat"]
  }
]
By default, the separator is > (with spaces), but you can use a different one by using the separator option.
By default, the count of the refined root level is updated to match the count of the actively refined parent level. Keep the root level count intact by setting persistHierarchicalRootCount in ais-instant-search.

​
Examples

Vue
<ais-hierarchical-menu
  :attributes="[
    'categories.lvl0',
    'categories.lvl1',
    'categories.lvl2',
    'categories.lvl3',
  ]"
/>

​
Props

​
attributes
string[]
required
The name of the attributes to generate the menu with.To avoid unexpected behavior, you can’t use the same attribute prop in a different type of widget.
Vue
<ais-hierarchical-menu
  :attributes="[
    'categories.lvl0',
    'categories.lvl1',
    'categories.lvl2',
    'categories.lvl3',
  ]"
/>
​
limit
number
default:10
The number of facet values to retrieve. When you enable the show-more feature, this is the number of facet values to display before clicking the “Show more” button.
Vue
<ais-hierarchical-menu
  // [...]
  :limit="20"
/>
​
show-more
boolean
default:false
Whether to display a button that expands the number of items.
Vue
<ais-hierarchical-menu
  // [...]
  show-more
/>
​
show-more-limit
number
default:20
The maximum number of displayed items (only used when show-more is set to true).
Vue
<ais-hierarchical-menu
  // [...]
  :show-more-limit="30"
/>
​
separator
string
default:">"
The level separator used in the records.
Vue
<ais-hierarchical-menu
  // [...]
  separator="-"
/>
​
root-path
string
The prefix path to use if the first level is not the root level.Make sure to also include the root path in your UI state, for example, by setting initial-ui-state.
Vue
<ais-instant-search
  // [...]
  :initial-ui-state="{
    YourIndexName: {
      hierarchicalMenu: {
        'categories.lvl0': ['Audio > Home Audio'],
      },
    },
  }"
>
  <ais-hierarchical-menu
    // [...]
    root-path="Audio > Home Audio"
  />
</ais-instant-search>
​
show-parent-level
boolean
default:true
Whether to show the siblings of the selected parent level of the current refined value.This option doesn’t impact the root level. All root items are always visible.
Vue
<ais-hierarchical-menu
  // [...]
  :show-parent-level="false"
/>
​
sort-by
string[] | function
default:"Uses facetOrdering if set, ['name:asc']"
How to sort refinements. Must be one or more of the following strings:
  • "count" (same as "count:desc")
  • "count:asc"
  • "count:desc"
  • "name" (same as "name:asc")
  • "name:asc"
  • "name:desc"
  • "isRefined" (same as "isRefined:asc")
  • "isRefined:asc"
  • "isRefined:desc"
You can also give a function that receives items two by two, like JavaScript’s Array.sort.If this facet’s facetOrdering is set in renderingContent, and no sortBy value is passed to the widget, facetOrdering is used with default ordering as a fallback.
Vue
<ais-hierarchical-menu
  // [...]
  :sort-by="['isRefined', 'count:desc']"
/>
​
transform-items
function
A function that receives the list of items before they are displayed. It should return a new array with the same structure. Use this to transform, filter, or reorder the items.The function also has access to the full results data, including all standard response parameters and parameters from the helper, such as disjunctiveFacetsRefinements.
Vue
<template>
  <!-- ... -->
  <ais-hierarchical-menu [...] :transform-items="transformItems" />
</template>

<script>
export default {
  methods: {
    transformItems(items) {
      return items.map((item) => ({
        ...item,
        label: item.label.toUpperCase(),
      }));
    },

    /* or, combined with results */
    transformItems(items, { results }) {
      return items.map((item) => ({
        ...item,
        label: item.isRefined
          ? `${item.label} (page ${results.page + 1}/${results.nbPages})`
          : item.label,
      }));
    },
  },
};
</script>
​
class-names
object
The CSS classes you can override:
  • ais-HierarchicalMenu. The root element of the widget
  • ais-HierarchicalMenu--noRefinement. The root element of the widget with no refinement.
  • ais-HierarchicalMenu-list. The list of menu items.
  • ais-HierarchicalMenu-list--child. The child list of menu items.
  • ais-HierarchicalMenu-list--lvl0. The level 0 list of menu items.
  • ais-HierarchicalMenu-list--lvl1. The level 1 list of menu items (and so on).
  • ais-HierarchicalMenu-item. The menu list item.
  • ais-HierarchicalMenu-item--selected. The selected menu list item.
  • ais-HierarchicalMenu-item--parent. The menu list item containing children.
  • ais-HierarchicalMenu-link. The clickable menu element.
  • ais-HierarchicalMenu-link--selected. The clickable element of a selected menu list item.
  • ais-HierarchicalMenu-label. The label of each item.
  • ais-HierarchicalMenu-count. The count of each item.
  • ais-HierarchicalMenu-showMore. The button used to display more categories.
  • ais-HierarchicalMenu-showMore--disabled. This button is used to display more categories.
Vue
<ais-hierarchical-menu
  // [...]
  :class-names="{
    'ais-HierarchicalMenu': 'MyCustomHierarchicalMenu',
    'ais-HierarchicalMenu-list': 'MyCustomHierarchicalMenuList',
  }"
/>

​
Customize the UI

​
default
The slot to override the complete DOM output of the widget.When you implement this slot, none of the other slots will change the output, as the default slot surrounds them.Scope
  • items: object[]. The list of available items.
  • canToggleShowMore: boolean. Whether users can click the “Show more” button.
  • isShowingMore: boolean. Whether the list is expanded.
  • refine: (value: string) => void. Sets the path of the hierarchical filter and triggers a new search.
  • createURL: (value: string) => string. The function to generate a URL for the next state.
  • toggleShowMore: () => void. Toggles the number of displayed values between limit and show-more-limit.
  • sendEvent: (eventType, facetValue) => void. The function to send click events.
    • The view event is automatically sent when the facets are rendered.
    • The click event is automatically sent when refine is called.
    • To learn more, see the insights middleware.
    • eventType: 'click'
    • facetValue: string
Where each item is an object containing:
  • label: string. The label of the item.
  • value: string. The value of the item.
  • count: number. The number results matching this value.
  • isRefined: boolean. Whether the item is selected.
  • data: object[]|null. The list of children for the current item.
<ais-hierarchical-menu
  :attributes="[
    'categories.lvl0',
    'categories.lvl1',
    'categories.lvl2',
    'categories.lvl3',
  ]"
  show-more
>
  <template
    v-slot="{
      items,
      canToggleShowMore,
      isShowingMore,
      refine,
      toggleShowMore,
      createURL,
      sendEvent,
    }"
  >
    <hierarchical-menu-list
      :items="items"
      :refine="refine"
      :createURL="createURL"
    />
    <button
      @click="toggleShowMore()"
      :disabled="!canToggleShowMore"
    >
      {{ isShowingMore ? 'Show less' : 'Show more' }}
    </button>
  </template>
</ais-hierarchical-menu>
​
showMoreLabel
The slot to override the show more label.Scope
  • isShowingMore: boolean. Whether the list is expanded.
Vue
<ais-hierarchical-menu
  :attributes="[
    'categories.lvl0',
    'categories.lvl1',
    'categories.lvl2',
    'categories.lvl3',
  ]"
  show-more
>
  <template v-slot:showMoreLabel="{ isShowingMore }">
    {{ isShowingMore ? 'Less' : 'More' }}
  </template>
</ais-hierarchical-menu>

​
HTML output

​
Default

HTML
<div class="ais-HierarchicalMenu">
  <ul class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-list ais-HierarchicalMenu-list--lvl0">
    <li class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-item ais-HierarchicalMenu-item--parent ais-HierarchicalMenu-item--selected">
      <a
        class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-link ais-HierarchicalMenu-link--selected"
        href="#"
      >
        <span class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-label">Appliances</span>
        <span class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-count">4,306</span>
      </a>
      <ul class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-list ais-HierarchicalMenu-list--child ais-HierarchicalMenu-list--lvl1">
        <li class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-item ais-HierarchicalMenu-item--parent">
          <a class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-link" href="#">
            <span class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-label">Dishwashers</span>
            <span class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-count">181</span>
          </a>
        </li>
        <li class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-item">
          <a class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-link" href="#">
            <span class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-label">Fans</span>
            <span class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-count">91</span>
          </a>
        </li>
      </ul>
    </li>
    <li class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-item ais-HierarchicalMenu-item--parent">
      <a class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-link" href="#">
        <span class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-label">Audio</span>
        <span class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-count">1,570</span>
      </a>
    </li>
  </ul>
  <button class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-showMore">Show more</button>
</div>

​
Without show more

HTML
<div class="ais-HierarchicalMenu">
  <ul class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-list ais-HierarchicalMenu-list--lvl0">
    <li class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-item ais-HierarchicalMenu-item--parent ais-HierarchicalMenu-item--selected">
      <a
        class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-link ais-HierarchicalMenu-link--selected"
        href="#"
      >
        <span class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-label">Appliances</span>
        <span class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-count">4,306</span>
      </a>
      <ul class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-list ais-HierarchicalMenu-list--child ais-HierarchicalMenu-list--lvl1">
        <li class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-item ais-HierarchicalMenu-item--parent">
          <a class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-link" href="#">
            <span class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-label">Dishwashers</span>
            <span class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-count">181</span>
          </a>
        </li>
        <li class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-item">
          <a class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-link" href="#">
            <span class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-label">Fans</span>
            <span class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-count">91</span>
          </a>
        </li>
      </ul>
    </li>
    <li class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-item ais-HierarchicalMenu-item--parent">
      <a class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-link" href="#">
        <span class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-label">Audio</span>
        <span class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-count">1,570</span>
      </a>
    </li>
  </ul>
  <button
    class="ais-HierarchicalMenu-showMore ais-HierarchicalMenu-showMore--disabled"
    disabled
  >
    Show more
  </button>
</div>
If SEO is important for your search page, ensure that your custom HTML is optimized for search engines:
  • Use <a> tags with href attributes to allow search engine bots to follow links.
  • Use semantic HTML and include structured data when relevant.
For more guidance, see the SEO checklist.
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