Configure global search and category navigation

This article is for Salesforce admins, implementation partners, and solution consultants who need to control where global search appears in the storefront header and whether the category navigation bar remains visible.

These settings affect layout only. They change where buyers see search in the header, but they do not change search indexing, search relevancy, synonyms, or result behavior.

When to use top-navigation search or category-navigation search

Use Top Navigation when your storefront should keep search visible in the main header row. This is usually the safer option when you want a simpler header, when buyers rely on search more than browsing, or when you plan to hide the category navigation bar.

Use Category Navigation when buyers commonly browse categories before searching and you want search to sit next to the category menu.

Choose the final layout based on how buyers discover products:

Use Top Navigation when search should stay visible even if category navigation is hidden.
Use Category Navigation when category browsing is a core part of product discovery.
Do not use Category Navigation together with Display Category Navigation = No unless you intentionally want search hidden from the header.

Before you begin

Before you update the storefront theme, confirm the following:

Your storefront uses the active theme exposed in Experience Builder as OrderCentral - Lunet Theme, or an equivalent implementation that exposes the same setting labels.
You know whether the storefront should keep a visible category-navigation bar.
You can test the storefront on both a desktop-width page and a narrower viewport after publishing.

Open the storefront theme in Experience Builder

Open your storefront in Experience Builder.
Open the theme settings for the active storefront theme.
Select the theme layout exposed as OrderCentral - Lunet Theme.
Locate the two theme properties named Global Search Location and Display Category Navigation.

These settings are part of the storefront theme configuration, not a page component property panel.

Configure `Global Search Location`

Global Search Location controls which header area renders the storefront global search input.

Value	What it does	When to use it
`Category Navigation`	Places global search inside the category-navigation bar.	Use this when category browsing remains visible and search should sit beside the category menu.
`Top Navigation`	Places global search in the top navigation row next to the main header controls.	Use this when search should stay prominent in the main header or when category navigation may be hidden.

This setting changes placement only. It does not change which objects are searchable, how results are ranked, or how the search-results page behaves.

Configure `Display Category Navigation`

Display Category Navigation controls whether the category-navigation bar is rendered below the top navigation row.

Value	What it does	What to expect
`Yes`	Shows the category-navigation bar.	Buyers can still browse categories from the header area. If `Global Search Location` is `Category Navigation`, search also appears in this bar.
`No`	Hides the category-navigation bar.	Buyers no longer see that bar. If `Global Search Location` is `Category Navigation`, the search input inside that bar is also removed.

This dependency is critical: hiding category navigation does not automatically move search somewhere else.

If you want a simplified header without category navigation and still want buyers to keep global search, set:

Global Search Location = Top Navigation
Display Category Navigation = No

Supported setting combinations

Use these combinations when deciding on the final header layout.

`Global Search Location`	`Display Category Navigation`	Result	Recommendation
`Category Navigation`	`Yes`	Category navigation is visible and search appears inside that bar.	Good fit for browse-first storefronts.
`Category Navigation`	`No`	The category-navigation bar is hidden, and the search rendered inside it is also hidden.	Use only if you intentionally want no header search.
`Top Navigation`	`Yes`	Category navigation remains visible and search appears in the top navigation row.	Good fit when both browsing and prominent search matter.
`Top Navigation`	`No`	Search remains visible in the top navigation row and category navigation is hidden.	Recommended for a cleaner, search-first header.

Validate the storefront after publishing

After you save and publish the theme changes, validate the storefront as a buyer.

Desktop validation

Open the storefront on a desktop-width page.
Confirm search appears in the location selected in Global Search Location.
If Display Category Navigation is Yes, confirm the category-navigation bar is visible.
If Display Category Navigation is No, confirm the category-navigation bar is not shown.
Confirm the profile menu and cart area still remain in the main header row.
Run a search and confirm the search experience still works as expected.

Narrow-width validation

Open the same storefront in a narrower browser width or mobile-sized responsive viewport.
Confirm the header still fits on one line where expected, or wraps in a controlled way without hiding critical actions.
Confirm the profile menu remains visible and does not wrap unexpectedly to a separate line.
Confirm the selected search placement still makes sense at the narrower width.
If category navigation is enabled, confirm the category bar remains visible and usable below the top header.

Troubleshoot header-layout issues

Search disappeared after hiding category navigation

Review the Global Search Location setting.

If it is set to Category Navigation, search is rendered inside the category-navigation bar. When Display Category Navigation is set to No, that entire bar is removed, including search.

To keep search visible, change Global Search Location to Top Navigation.

The header feels crowded after moving search to the top row

Top-navigation search shares space with the main navigation, profile menu, and cart controls. If the header looks compressed:

review whether all top-navigation items are required
test narrower screen widths before publishing broadly
consider keeping category navigation visible if buyers still need browse-first navigation

Search results changed after moving search

Changing search placement does not change search logic. If buyers report result-quality issues, review search configuration separately. Theme placement settings do not control indexing, relevancy, synonyms, or result layout.