← DictionaryFilter
also called faceted filter
A control that narrows a list of items by attribute.
Controls that cut a long list down.
What It Is
Filter is part of Website, and more precisely Structure. In practice it means this: a control that narrows a list of items by attribute.
It is a label with a settled working definition, so the value is in using it the same way every time. Held that way, the term stays useful instead of turning into decoration.
How It's Used
You will usually meet Filter in site builds, page structure and the technical decisions underneath them. It rarely travels alone — expect it next to Collection, Site Search and Pagination. The practical test is whether everyone in the room means the same thing by it.
Why It Matters
Filter is cheap to get right early and awkward to fix late. When it is unclear, the site still launches — it just quietly underperforms. The businesses that treat it seriously spend less time redoing work.
It is a label people agree on so they stop describing the same thing five different ways. Controls that cut a long list down.
Termshift™
How the meaning shifts depending on who is using it, and where.
In agency and in-house rooms, Filter means exactly a control that narrows a list of items by attribute.
In plain conversation it comes out as controls that cut a long list down.
The Bottom Line
Filter is not complicated — it is just often left vague. Controls that cut a long list down. Decide it, write it down, move on.