Category Sorting is incorrect

[haymakerajw]

I'm a lead software engineer and I can't figure out Zen Cart...Lame...I've found at least 5 threads already where people are having problems with their categories not sorting properly but none of the solutions worked for me.

I have four categories, and the sorting is not random, it's the same everytime, but my default sort order is being ignored.

Here's my link to the store: http://www.livingthehotlife.com/zencart.

My sort order is set to be GUYS, GIRLS, KIDS, SPECIALS but my site always shows SPECIALS, GIRLS, GUYS, and KIDS. It's strange. I've gone through and ensured all the sort order settings I could find for category is sort order then alphabetical.

Any help would be amazing as I'm about to throw my laptop out the window and say things about Zen Cart.

[haymakerajw]

I also can't seem to get all my category descriptions on the same line. Is there any detailed documentation for Zen Cart out there that doesn't cost $50???

[rstevenson]

Have you tried manually entering a sort order number in the appropriate field in the category set up screen in admin?

Rob

[Kim]

I also can't seem to get all my category descriptions on the same line

First - Breathe.

Second - turn off the side columns in Admin> Configuration> Layout settings and your center column will "magically"" get wider.

[haymakerajw]

Thanks for the info on the categories. I'll try that.

Yes I have manually entered a sort order when editing the categories. I've also ensured that every setting I can find (from what Ive seen in posts and the wiki) is set to use the sort order. Not sure what's happening but it's pretty frustrating.

The interface for Zen Cart is just north of useless and is probably the least intuitive interface to navigate.

[haymakerajw]

How exactly do you turn-off side columns? I didn't see any settings for side columns. I saw side banners? Are these the same thing?

I found a post that turns-off side columns by modifying the main page template and my center pane got wider. BUT, I still have 2 rows for my categories.

http://www.livingthehotlife.com/zencart

Is this weird?

[haymakerajw]

I fixed the category description, but I think there's a bug with Zen Cart.

I had the sort order set like this:
GUYS = 0
GIRLS = 1
KIDS =2
SPECIALS = 3

The result was this order:
SPECIALS
GUYS
GIRLS
KIDS

So I changed it to this thinking the sort order was 1-based not 0-based:
GUYS = 1
GIRLS = 2
KIDS = 3
SPECIALS = 4

The result was this order:
KIDS
GUYS
GIRLS
SPECIALS

I noticed that sort order 3 was the first category each time, so I did this order:

KIDS = 1
GIRLS = 2
GUYS = 3
SPECIALS = 4

And the result was:
GUYS
GIRLS
KIDS
SPECIALS

Why???

[rstevenson]

How exactly do you turn-off side columns? I didn't see any settings for side columns. I saw side banners? Are these the same thing?

The entire side column is controlled in the usual admin fashion -- that is, if you can find the switch, you can control it. (Just kidding Kim!)

Go to Configuration / Layout Settings, part way down to...
Column Right Status - Global and set it to 0
(Or the left column, if that's the one you want off.)

I also have the second setting in that list, the Column Width - Right Boxes set to 0px. But I did that when I wasn't very experienced, so it's likely not necessary.

You then control which sideboxes you want in your remaining column through Tools / Layout Boxes Controller.

HTH

Rob

[haymakerajw]

Thanks again for the help. But it still didn't work. I tried changing the values for the column widths and it just made the page all screwy.

Any other ideas?

[cdnbride]

Hi Everybody,
I'm new and like I was told, I searched the forum before posting. I have the same problem as the person who originally posted this thread about his categories sorting differently than their numbered order. Does anybody know how I can get my categories to sort in the order that I created them?
TIA!
Lisa (o: