A header usually needs more than a logo and a menu. The Header Meta Content widget in The Plus Addons for Elementor puts a row of extras next to your navigation: a search icon, a WooCommerce mini cart, a toggle button that opens an off-canvas panel, a language switcher, a music button and up to two call-to-action buttons.
You build that row in one repeater, in the order you want it, and each item has its own section of settings further down the same panel.
Requirement – This widget is a part of The Plus Addons for Elementor, make sure it’s installed & activated to enjoy all its powers.
Before You Start
- Edition: Free — the Header Meta Content widget itself is in the free plugin, and the Search Bar and Mini Cart items work there. The other five items need Pro.
- Widget to enable: Header Meta Content, switched on under The Plus Addons > Widgets.
- Where to add it: your header template, so the row shows on every page. The widget’s own Use with Theme Builder section links to a Create Header Template button.
- Two steps, always: adding an item in Meta Content is only half of it. Nothing appears until you also turn on that item’s own Display switch in its section further down the Content tab.
How to Activate the Header Meta Content Widget
- Go to The Plus Addons > Widgets.
- Search for Header Meta Content.
- Turn its toggle on and save.
Build the Row in Meta Content
The Meta Content section holds one repeater. A new widget starts with a single item set to Search Bar. Open an item and pick what it should be from the Select Options dropdown.
Each item also has Icon Left Space and Icon Right Space sliders, and a Responsive Device group with Hide On Desktop, Hide On Tablet and Hide On Mobile switches.
Selecting an item is only half the job. Each type has its own section below — Search Options, Cart Options, Extra Toggle Bar, Language Switcher, Music Options, Call To Action 1, Call To Action 2 — and nothing renders until you turn that section’s Display switch on.
The Seven Items
| Select Options | What it adds | Edition | Its own section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search Bar | A search icon that expands into a WordPress site-search field | Free | Search Options |
| Mini Cart | A WooCommerce cart icon with an item count and a cart panel | Free (Toggle Style 1); Style 2 is Pro | Cart Options |
| Extra Toggle Bar | A toggle icon that opens an off-canvas panel holding an Elementor template | Pro | Extra Toggle Bar |
| Language Switcher | A WPML or TranslatePress language switcher | Pro | Language Switcher |
| Music | A play / stop button for one audio file | Pro | Music Options |
| Call to Action 1 | A linked button with its own text, icon and ID | Pro | Call To Action 1 |
| Call to Action 2 | A second, fully independent button | Pro | Call To Action 2 |
In the free plugin the five Pro entries still appear in the dropdown, written as Extra Toggle Bar (Pro), Language Switcher (Pro) and so on. Their sections and Display switches are there too, but the free plugin draws nothing for them.
Extra Options
Extra Options, at the bottom of the Content tab, styles the row as a whole.
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Alignment | Sets justify-content on the row: Left, Center or Right | Left (no tile selected) |
| Icon Padding | Padding on every item in the row, per side | Empty (the stylesheet applies 6px 8px) |
The Style Tab
The Style tab only shows the sections for the items you have switched on.
| Style section | Styles | Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Search Bar Style | The search icon and the expanded search field | Free |
| Cart Icon Style | The cart icon, its count badge and the badge background | Free |
| Mini Cart Style | The cart panel and its contents | Free |
| Extra Toggle Bar | The toggle icon and its off-canvas panel | Pro |
| WPML Language Switcher | The WPML switcher | Pro |
| Translatepress Language Switcher | The TranslatePress switcher | Pro |
| Music Bar Style | The music button | Pro |
| Call To Action 1 / 2 | Each button | Pro |
| Extra Option | Sticky Options, for colours while a sticky header is scrolled | Switch in both; the colours are Pro |
How It Behaves
- Items render in the order they sit in the Meta Content repeater.
- The Display switches belong to the widget, not to a single repeater item. Two items set to the same type both render and share one set of settings.
- An item whose Display switch is off produces no markup at all — the row is simply shorter.
- Hide On Desktop / Tablet / Mobile hides the item with CSS at that breakpoint; the markup stays in the page.
Limitations
- With Cart Icon left on Default, the built-in cart icon is drawn at zero size, so only the item-count badge is visible. Setting Cart Icon to Custom Icon or Custom Image fixes it, and both are Pro.
- In the free plugin the five Pro items are fully clickable — sections, switches and all — and simply render nothing.
- Alignment has no tile selected until you click one, because the stored default is not one of the three choices. The row is left-aligned either way.
- There is no global on/off for the whole row. Each item type is switched separately.
- The widget outputs a plain
<ul>of items with no ARIA roles on the search, cart or toggle triggers.
Troubleshooting
I picked an item but nothing shows on the page
Open that item’s own section — Search Options, Cart Options and so on — and turn its Display switch on. Both are needed.
I turned a Display switch on and still see nothing
Check that a Meta Content item is actually set to that type in Select Options. Also check Responsive Device on the item, in case it is hidden on the size you are looking at.
The cart shows a number but no icon
That is the zero-size default icon. Set Cart Icon to Custom Icon or Custom Image in Cart Options and give it a Cart Size in Style > Cart Icon Style.
An item shows on desktop but not on mobile
Open that repeater item and check the Responsive Device switches. Hide On Tablet and Hide On Mobile are set per item.
