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What is Guided Navigation, how do I set it up on my site, and how do I clear the cache for guided navigation pages?

Updated

This article explains Guided Navigation in Pulse Commerce: what it is, how it works, how to configure and assign Guided Navigation templates to categories, and how to manage the cache/index so storefront category pages reflect recent product changes.

Purpose: Guided Navigation helps customers narrow category results using filter criteria such as Product Options and Product Attributes (and related filter features), improving browse experience and conversion.

Guided Navigation assists customers in navigating through categories by further narrowing search criteria. By selecting values on the left, the customer will only see products in the category that meet the selected attribute, option, or other filter criteria.

Example storefront experience:

 

Guided Navigation templates are configured under Settings > Guided Navigation Settings. This is where you create and edit templates that can be assigned to one or more categories.

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When editing a Guided Navigation template, you can add Product Options, Product Attributes, and a few additional features as filter criteria.

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To use a Product Option or Attribute as a filter, you must first create the relevant class under the Products tab.

 

Critical behavior: Attributes and option classes must be an exact match for products that have those settings. For an SKU to be affected by a category’s Guided Navigation template, the SKU MUST have the relevant attribute and/or option configured.

Once your template is created, assign it to one or more categories. The same template can be used across multiple categories.

  1. Go to Products > Categories.
  2. Click Edit on the category you want to update.

 

Ensure you are using Display Category Format 4 or 5, then select the appropriate Guided Navigation Template for the category.

Guided Navigation category pages are cached/indexed every 24 hours for faster response to customers. If you make changes to products (pricing, images, etc.), those changes may not immediately appear on categories with Guided Navigation enabled until the category page re-indexes.

When you should purge/re-index: After product updates that customers must see immediately (pricing, images, availability signals, attribute/option changes, etc.).

To force a Guided Navigation category to re-index right away, use Settings > Content Delivery Network (CDN). You can purge Guided Navigation indexing (categories) or specific files (usually image or CSS files).

  1. Go to Settings > Content Delivery Network (CDN).
  2. Select the type of purge using the radio button (category indexing vs files, as applicable).
  3. Choose the category to purge. Only categories that contain Guided Navigation templates in their category or subcategories will be listed.
  4. Submit the purge request. Purging a category will purge all subcategories under that category as well.
Timing expectation: After submitting, it typically takes about 15 minutes to fully purge, re-index, and begin propagation. You may also need to refresh your browser’s local cache to see changes.

 

  • Delayed updates due to caching: Changes to products do not immediately appear on categories with Guided Navigation enabled until the next cache/index cycle (every 24 hours) or until you purge/re-index.
  • Mobile behavior: Categories with Guided Navigation enabled will not show the category long description when viewed via mobile device.
  • Confirm the category is using Display Category Format 4 or 5.
  • Confirm the category has the intended Guided Navigation Template assigned.
  • Confirm target SKUs have the required attributes/options configured (exact match requirement).
  • If recent product updates are not visible, submit a purge via Settings > Content Delivery Network (CDN) and allow ~15 minutes for re-index/propagation.
  • Refresh in a private/incognito browser session to avoid local caching.

 

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