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The Radius Filter

Alongside Nearest First, a browse view can offer a Distance filter: "within 5 miles", "within 10 miles" and so on. It narrows the listing to records within the chosen distance of the visitor's postcode or location.

Where to find it

Architect Panel → Layout & Pages:

  • Browse Views — the Browse View Builder's Location & Distance card, Within Filter Steps

Architect Panel → Integration & Connections:

  • Postcode Lookup — the postcode positions the distances are measured from

Setting it up

  1. Set up the view's location first: choose the Postcode Field and tick Offer Nearest First. The radius filter does nothing without it. See Sorting by Distance.
  2. In Within Filter Steps, enter the distances to offer as a comma-separated list, for example 1,3,5,10,25,50. Blanks and anything that is not a number are dropped, duplicates removed and the rest sorted.
  3. The steps use the view's unit: miles, or kilometres if Show Distances In Km is ticked.
  4. Click Save Browse Layout.

Leave Within Filter Steps blank and no distance filter is offered.

What the visitor sees

  • A Distance filter with "Any distance" and one option per step, such as "Within 5 miles".
  • Because the filter needs a starting point, a view with steps always shows the Your postcode row, and the Distance filter is disabled with "Enter your postcode to filter by distance." until a postcode or location has been resolved.
  • Choosing a step returns the listing to page 1 and keeps only records within that distance.

Records with no position

A record whose location is unknown (no postcode, a postcode that could not be found, or one not yet looked up) is excluded while a distance is chosen, because there is no way to say it is within five miles. It reappears with "Any distance". This is the opposite of Nearest First, which keeps such records at the end of the list.

Choosing the steps

  • Match them to how your records are spread: a city directory wants 1, 2 and 5; a regional one 10, 25 and 50.
  • Five or six steps are plenty.
  • Make the smallest step useful: a first choice that returns nothing makes the filter look broken.

Only the steps you configured are accepted; a distance typed into the page address that is not one of them is ignored.

What goes wrong and how to tell

  • No Distance filter appears: Within Filter Steps is blank, or Offer Nearest First is not ticked.
  • The filter is greyed out: the visitor has not given a postcode or location yet.
  • Records you expected are missing within a distance: they have no known position. Warm the postcode cache and check Postcodes That Could Not Be Found on the Postcode Lookup screen.

Worked example

A county's activities directory sets Within Filter Steps to 2,5,10,20 in miles. A parent enters their postcode, chooses Nearest First and "Within 5 miles", and sees the 14 closest activities in order of distance. Two clubs with no postcode recorded do not appear until the parent switches back to "Any distance"; the team adds their postcodes the next day.

Recommendations

  • Fill in every record's location before offering a radius filter.
  • Warm the cache so new records are placed.
  • Pair the filter with Nearest First so the nearest results lead.
  • Review the steps after launch against where records really are.