WP Bakery Page Builder - Add URL option to make entire column clickable - Updated 22 June 2023

functions.php

<?php

/* add this to your theme's functions.php file */

/* Add option for URL to column settings */

vc_add_param("vc_column", array(
    "type" => "vc_link",
	"class" => "",
	"heading" => "Column Link",
	"param_name" => "column_link"
));

/* Add option for URL to column_inner settings */

vc_add_param("vc_column_inner", array(
    "type" => "vc_link",
	"class" => "",
	"heading" => "Column Link",
	"param_name" => "column_link"
));

?>

vc_column.php

<?php

/* place this file in [your-theme]/vc_templates/ */

if ( ! defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) {
	die( '-1' );
}

/* This file modifies the vc_column output to accomodate the otional URL parameter */

/**
 * Shortcode attributes
 * @var $atts
 * @var $el_id
 * @var $el_class
 * @var $width
 * @var $css
 * @var $offset
 * @var $content - shortcode content
 * @var $css_animation
 * Shortcode class
 * @var WPBakeryShortCode_Vc_Column $this
 */
$el_class = $el_id = $width = $parallax_speed_bg = $parallax_speed_video = $parallax = $parallax_image = $video_bg = $video_bg_url = $video_bg_parallax = $css = $offset = $css_animation = '';
$output = '';
$atts = vc_map_get_attributes( $this->getShortcode(), $atts );
extract( $atts );

wp_enqueue_script( 'wpb_composer_front_js' );

$width = wpb_translateColumnWidthToSpan( $width );
$width = vc_column_offset_class_merge( $offset, $width );

$css_classes = array(
	$this->getExtraClass( $el_class ) . $this->getCSSAnimation( $css_animation ),
	'wpb_column',
	'vc_column_container',
	$width,
);

if ( vc_shortcode_custom_css_has_property( $css, array(
	'border',
	'background',
) ) || $video_bg || $parallax
) {
	$css_classes[] = 'vc_col-has-fill';
}

$wrapper_attributes = array();

$has_video_bg = ( ! empty( $video_bg ) && ! empty( $video_bg_url ) && vc_extract_youtube_id( $video_bg_url ) );

$parallax_speed = $parallax_speed_bg;
if ( $has_video_bg ) {
	$parallax = $video_bg_parallax;
	$parallax_speed = $parallax_speed_video;
	$parallax_image = $video_bg_url;
	$css_classes[] = 'vc_video-bg-container';
	wp_enqueue_script( 'vc_youtube_iframe_api_js' );
}

if ( ! empty( $parallax ) ) {
	wp_enqueue_script( 'vc_jquery_skrollr_js' );
	$wrapper_attributes[] = 'data-vc-parallax="' . esc_attr( $parallax_speed ) . '"'; // parallax speed
	$css_classes[] = 'vc_general vc_parallax vc_parallax-' . $parallax;
	if ( false !== strpos( $parallax, 'fade' ) ) {
		$css_classes[] = 'js-vc_parallax-o-fade';
		$wrapper_attributes[] = 'data-vc-parallax-o-fade="on"';
	} elseif ( false !== strpos( $parallax, 'fixed' ) ) {
		$css_classes[] = 'js-vc_parallax-o-fixed';
	}
}

if ( ! empty( $parallax_image ) ) {
	if ( $has_video_bg ) {
		$parallax_image_src = $parallax_image;
	} else {
		$parallax_image_id = preg_replace( '/[^\d]/', '', $parallax_image );
		$parallax_image_src = wp_get_attachment_image_src( $parallax_image_id, 'full' );
		if ( ! empty( $parallax_image_src[0] ) ) {
			$parallax_image_src = $parallax_image_src[0];
		}
	}
	$wrapper_attributes[] = 'data-vc-parallax-image="' . esc_attr( $parallax_image_src ) . '"';
}
if ( ! $parallax && $has_video_bg ) {
	$wrapper_attributes[] = 'data-vc-video-bg="' . esc_attr( $video_bg_url ) . '"';
}

$css_class = preg_replace( '/\s+/', ' ', apply_filters( VC_SHORTCODE_CUSTOM_CSS_FILTER_TAG, implode( ' ', array_filter( $css_classes ) ), $this->settings['base'], $atts ) );
$wrapper_attributes[] = 'class="' . esc_attr( trim( $css_class ) ) . '"';
if ( ! empty( $el_id ) ) {
	$wrapper_attributes[] = 'id="' . esc_attr( $el_id ) . '"';
}
$output .= '<div ' . implode( ' ', $wrapper_attributes ) . '>';
$innerColumnClass = 'vc_column-inner ' . esc_attr( trim( vc_shortcode_custom_css_class( $css ) ) );
$output .= '<div class="' . trim( $innerColumnClass ) . '">';

/* Inserted to check whether a link is present in the settings */
if( !empty($column_link) ){
    $column_link_array = vc_build_link($column_link);
    $column_link = esc_url($column_link_array['url']);
    $column_target = $column_link_array['target'];
    $column_rel = $column_link_array['rel'];
    $column_title = $column_link_array['title'];
    $output .= "<a href='$column_link' ";
    $output .= ( $column_target == '_blank' ) ? "target='_blank' " : '';
    $output .= ( $column_rel == 'nofollow' ) ? "rel='nofollow' " : '';
    $output .= ( $column_title !== '' ) ? "title='$column_title' " : '';
    $output .= "class='big_link' style='position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;z-index:9999;'aria-hidden='true'></a>";
}
/* End Changes - Resume base code */

$output .= '<div class="wpb_wrapper">';
$output .= wpb_js_remove_wpautop( $content );
$output .= '</div>';
$output .= '</div>';
$output .= '</div>';

echo $output;

vc_column_inner.php

<?php

/* place this file in [your-theme]/vc_templates/ */

if ( ! defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) {
	die( '-1' );
}

/* This file modifies the vc_column_inner output to accomodate the otional URL parameter */

/**
 * Shortcode attributes
 * @var $atts
 * @var $el_class
 * @var $el_id
 * @var $width
 * @var $css
 * @var $offset
 * @var $content - shortcode content
 * Shortcode class
 * @var WPBakeryShortCode_Vc_Column_Inner $this
 */
$el_class = $width = $el_id = $css = $offset = '';
$output = '';
$atts = vc_map_get_attributes( $this->getShortcode(), $atts );
extract( $atts );

$width = wpb_translateColumnWidthToSpan( $width );
$width = vc_column_offset_class_merge( $offset, $width );

$css_classes = array(
	$this->getExtraClass( $el_class ),
	'wpb_column',
	'vc_column_container',
	$width,
);

if ( vc_shortcode_custom_css_has_property( $css, array(
	'border',
	'background',
) ) ) {
	$css_classes[] = 'vc_col-has-fill';
}

$wrapper_attributes = array();

$css_class = preg_replace( '/\s+/', ' ', apply_filters( VC_SHORTCODE_CUSTOM_CSS_FILTER_TAG, implode( ' ', array_filter( $css_classes ) ), $this->settings['base'], $atts ) );
$wrapper_attributes[] = 'class="' . esc_attr( trim( $css_class ) ) . '"';
if ( ! empty( $el_id ) ) {
	$wrapper_attributes[] = 'id="' . esc_attr( $el_id ) . '"';
}
$output .= '<div ' . implode( ' ', $wrapper_attributes ) . '>';
$innerColumnClass = 'vc_column-inner ' . esc_attr( trim( vc_shortcode_custom_css_class( $css ) ) );
$output .= '<div class="' . trim( $innerColumnClass ) . '">';

/* Inserted to check whether a link is present in the settings */
if( !empty($column_link) ){
    $column_link_array = vc_build_link($column_link);
    $column_link = esc_url($column_link_array['url']);
    $column_target = $column_link_array['target'];
    $column_rel = $column_link_array['rel'];
    $column_title = $column_link_array['title'];
    $output .= "<a href='$column_link' ";
    $output .= ( $column_target == '_blank' ) ? "target='_blank' " : '';
    $output .= ( $column_rel == 'nofollow' ) ? "rel='nofollow' " : '';
    $output .= ( $column_title !== '' ) ? "title='$column_title' " : '';
    $output .= "class='big_link' style='position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;z-index:9999;'aria-hidden='true'></a>";
}
/* End Changes - Resume base code */

$output .= '<div class="wpb_wrapper">';
$output .= wpb_js_remove_wpautop( $content );
$output .= '</div>';
$output .= '</div>';
$output .= '</div>';

echo $output;

@RichardNesbitt everything works fine in the backend, but frontend-wise the column is still not clickable :/

WPB Version 6.4.2

Hi I am trying to get this to work for me. I am able to add the link in the back end, but it is not working in the front end. I may be putting the second lot of code in the wrong place? I cannot find [your-theme]/vc_templates/ */. I found this which I hoped was the same thing
Jevelin: Visual Composer Compatibility(beta!) Page Template (page-vc.php).

Where do I find vc_templates? I tried theme file editor in wordpress and I searched the files on cpanel

Or is there an easier way??

Im am just winging it, any help would be appreciated!!!

@jennyLupo i just pasted both vc files in the theme root folder, since i also dont have any /vc_templates/ folder. maybe that might also be the issue for me.

my theme is bought of envato.

Is this still working on version 8.5? I've used it for years, but suddenly it stopped working..

I have a site with 8.5, still working.
One question: What's the purpose of the aria="hidden" in this case? Some accessibility checkers mark this as an error because "ARIA hidden element must not be focusable or contain focusable elements". The contents of the linked column is just an image and a short text.