Custom template for sub-sub-categories

Question

I'm trying to add a custom template for all posts in a sub-sub-category. I mean like

Category --> SubCategory Level 1 --> Subcategory Level 2 --> post

I'm using the following code:

 <?php
  $post = $wp_query->post;

  if (cat_is_ancestor_of( 42, $cat ) ) {
      include(TEMPLATEPATH.'/services_template.php');
  } else {
      include(TEMPLATEPATH.'/single-default.php');
  }
?>

However, it only shows a blank page, both in the sub-sub-cat post as well as all teh other posts. I double checked and the templates are there, so I guess there's something wrong with my code, but can't figure what

edit: I have several CPT single pages named single-{CPT-slug}.php . Is it possible this is affecting things?

Answer 1

Instead of include(), use get_template_part()

https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/get_template_part/

<?php $post = $wp_query->post; if (cat_is_ancestor_of( 42, $cat ) ) { get_template_part( 'services', 'template' ) } else { get_template_part( 'single', 'default' ); } ?>

If you create those files and use get_template_part(), then within those files you can set them up to display posts however you see fit. Take a look at the Underscores theme on github, the archive.php file has a good example of using get_template_part() within the loop -

https://github.com/Automattic/_s/blob/master/archive.php

Here is a link as well to one of the template_parts for Underscores to see how they set it up within that file -

https://github.com/Automattic/_s/blob/master/template-parts/content.php

Tom Mcfarlin explains this extremely well here -

https://code.tutsplus.com/articles/how-to-include-and-require-files-and-templates-in-wordpress--wp-26419

Response to your edits: Your single-{CPT-slug}.php templates should not cause any issues with this.