You can add a category dropdown to the GeoDirectory search bar with the Advanced Search add-on. For locations, the Near field already does the job: with Location Manager it suggests the countries, regions and cities in your directory as visitors type.

Add a category dropdown

1. Make sure the Advanced Search add-on is installed and active.
2. Go to Places > Settings > Search (or the Search tab of your own post type).
3. Click Category in the list of available fields to add it to the search form.
4. Turn on the option to show it in the main search bar, and set its position in the bar if you want it before or after the keyword input.
5. Save the field.

The category list now shows as a dropdown in the GD > Search bar. A field shown in the main bar is not repeated in the advanced filters. See How to add a filter to the main search bar for the other fields that can go in the bar.

Let visitors pick a location

The Near field of GD > Search is the location input. With the Location Manager add-on, these settings under GeoDirectory > Settings > Locations control it:

• Enable location search autocompleter: as the visitor types, matching locations from your directory are suggested.
• Min chars needed to trigger location autocomplete: how many letters before suggestions appear.
• Disable nearest cities: when off, clicking into the Near field lists the cities closest to the visitor.

To let visitors choose their location from anywhere on the site, add the location switcher to your menu. See How to add the location switcher to menus and widgets.