WooCommerce: Disable Attribute Select Unless Previous Is Selected (Variable Products)

On the single product page for a variable product, multiple dropdowns display so that users can select their desired attribute choice.

In certain cases, you’d want them to follow the exact top-to-bottom attribute order while they’re selecting a specific variation. With that I mean that you want them to select the first attribute first, then the second, then the third… basically you want to disable the “next attribute select dropdowns” unless the previous select changes to a value that is not null.

Better shown in an image than said, so here’s the GIF, and with that the PHP/jQuery snippet. Enjoy!

On a single variable product page load with more than 1 attribute, all selects but the first are disabled. As soon as you select the first attribute, the second becomes enabled, and so on. If you change your mind and null one of the selects, the following selects will get disabled once again.

PHP/JS Snippet: Disable Next Attribute Dropdowns If Attribute Is Not Selected @ Variable Product Single Product Page

/**
 * @snippet       Toggle Attribute Selects @ Single Product
 * @how-to        Get CustomizeWoo.com FREE
 * @author        Rodolfo Melogli
 * @compatible    WooCommerce 5
 * @donate $9     https://businessbloomer.com/bloomer-armada/
 */
 
add_action( 'woocommerce_before_single_product', 'bbloomer_disable_variable_product_selects_unless_previous_selected' );

function bbloomer_disable_variable_product_selects_unless_previous_selected() {
	global $product;
	if ( ! $product->is_type( 'variable' ) ) return; // exit if not variable
	if ( count( $product->get_available_variations() ) < 2 ) return; // exit if only 1 attribute
	wc_enqueue_js( "
		function toggle_attributes() {
			$('table.variations tbody tr').each(function(){
				if ($(this).prev().find('td.value select').val()=='') {
					$(this).find('td.value select').attr('disabled',true).val(''); // if previous has no value, disable and reset
				} else $(this).find('td.value select').attr('disabled',false);
			});
		}
		toggle_attributes();
		$('table.variations select').change( function(){
			toggle_attributes();
		});
	" );
}

Where to add custom code?

You should place PHP snippets at the bottom of your child theme functions.php file and CSS at the bottom of its style.css file. Make sure you know what you are doing when editing such files - if you need more guidance, please take a look at my guide "Should I Add Custom Code Via WP Editor, FTP or Code Snippets?" and my video tutorial "Where to Place WooCommerce Customization?"

Does this snippet (still) work?

Please let me know in the comments if everything went as expected. I would be happy to revise the snippet if you report otherwise (please provide screenshots). I have tested this code with Storefront theme, the WooCommerce version listed above and a WordPress-friendly hosting.

If you think this code saved you time & money, feel free to join 17,000+ WooCommerce Weekly subscribers for blog post updates and 250+ Business Bloomer supporters for 365 days of WooCommerce benefits. Thank you in advance!

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Rodolfo Melogli

Business Bloomer Founder

Author, WooCommerce expert and WordCamp speaker, Rodolfo has worked as an independent WooCommerce freelancer since 2011. His goal is to help entrepreneurs and developers overcome their WooCommerce nightmares. Rodolfo loves travelling, chasing tennis & soccer balls and, of course, wood fired oven pizza.

4 thoughts on “WooCommerce: Disable Attribute Select Unless Previous Is Selected (Variable Products)

  1. I love this code. Can we hide all the variable options and display: none? So only the first option will be visible, and the next option will appear once the user selects the previous option.

    1. Thank you! Yes, this is definitely possible, but I’m afraid it’s custom work. If you’d like to get a quote, feel free to contact me here. Thanks a lot for your understanding!

  2. Dear author,

    It seems that the plugin stopped working in the recent Woocommerce versions (I think 6.0). We would be grateful if you could check.

    Thank you,
    AT

    1. Works for me, sorry! Try switching theme and disabling plugins (except Woo) temporarily, and see if the snippet works?

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