How to Fix Missing Filters in My Listing Widget?

If you’re using Common Ninja’s Listing widget and notice that filter options are missing or showing up as blank, it’s usually caused by one of two things:

1. Hidden formatting issues in your data (extra spaces, line breaks, or other invisible characters)

2. Incorrect or broken mapping in the Data Mapper

1. Hidden Spaces, Line Breaks & Extra Characters

One of the most common causes of missing or broken dropdown filters is hidden characters in your data.

Even if values in a column look the same to the eye, there may be:

• Extra spaces before or after the text
  
  
  
  

• Line breaks, especially if data was pasted from another source

• Special characters or non-printing symbols

These subtle differences can cause filters to treat values as unique or invalid, resulting in filters not populating correctly.

How to Fix:

• In Google Sheets, use the formula =TRIM(A1) across your filter columns to clean up unwanted spaces.

• Scan your file for any irregularities like blank cells, strange symbols, or line breaks.

• Be consistent with value formatting—even if capitalization doesn’t matter, spacing and clean structure do.

• If you’re using Google Sheets or Dropbox, simply save your changes—no need to manually sync or re-upload.

2. Data Mapper Configuration Issues

Even if your data is clean, filter options won’t appear unless your Data Mapper is set up properly.

Common Issues:

• The filter column isn’t mapped in the widget settings.

• The column name in your spreadsheet was changed, and the widget mapping is now broken.

• The wrong field is selected as the filter source, or a deleted column is still being referenced.

How to Fix:

• Go to your widget’s Data Mapper tab.

• Make sure the field you want to use for filtering is properly mapped to the right column.

• Double-check that the column headers in your source file match exactly (no extra spaces or hidden characters in the header itself).

• If you update the header names in your file, revisit the Data Mapper to ensure the mapping still matches.

If the issue persist, reach out the support for further assistance.