Categories on Main Page PROBLEM!

[decorActive]

I have managed http://www.maxedisplay.co.uk/ for nearly a year now and the boss wanted to change the look. Original store started life as a slightly modified version of an algozone.com template but the text heavy and the postage stamp (as my boss called it), Categories on main page design was to be replaced by a simpler graphical centre menu with big graphics.

I have attempted to use html table with images and links inserted into the define_main_page.php that previously just held the introduction text to achieve this. This meant that the Categories - Always Show on Main Page from Layout Settings could be turned off as that grid was to be replaced by the new table. Here is where the problem arose, everything in the middle column just disappeared. Checked what I'd done and couldn't see problem with this modification. Suspecting the template code may be to blame I tried the same process with Original Green instead and it works fine.

I know your gonna say "talk to Algozone", but they limit to support to the first month or so and not on user modified sites.

In summary : define_main_page.php shows up if Categories - Always Show on Main Page is set to 1 or if the Original Green Template is used. If the Algozone template is used and the Show on Main Page is 1 it works, but with Selected Category displaying below (my work around for now, with low level category selected), if set to 0 everything totally disappears in the middle column.

Has anyone any idea what would make this happen, which php files could effect this? I will put up some code if you specify what you need to look at, the problem area code ie. when its broken isn't very interesting just a hole.

<!-- content //-->

<td width="100%" valign="top" class="maincont_mid_td">
<div class="centerColumn" id="indexDefault">
<div id="indexDefaultMainContent" class="content"></div>
<!-- bof: specials -->
<!-- eof: specials -->

<!-- bof: featured products -->
<!-- eof: featured products -->

</div></td>
<!-- content_eof //-->

[rstevenson]

Just a couple of guesses...

Did you generate the code you entered into the define pages editor by using a graphical editor like Dreamweaver? There may be some DW-specific crud (a technical term) which is causing this.

Did you just copy and paste the whole page in? In that case, leave out everything except what's between the body tags on the DW page. It's redundant.

By the way, did you fix this already? I'm seeing lots of product pics in the center of the main page. If you don't see that, then maybe a browser refresh or restart or a cache reset might help. Browsers can be funny sometimes.

Also, once you're done, better check the page at the w3.org validator. It's a bit rough around the edges at the moment.

Rob

[decorActive]

Good guess on the Dreamweaver creation but only took the the Table tags inward no Body or Header tags.

Haven't fixed it as such no, this is the quickfix work around by displaying a small lower level Category below the inserted define_main-page.php. It is looking very raggedy guess thats a job for the morning 'cus it's making me cross eyed just to read it. Just needed to look like the boss wanted it to quickly could tinker under the hood later but I guess thats counter productive and just storing up trouble.

Don't think it's browser specific, works and breaks in Safari and Firefox in an identical manner, can try IE when I get home but we don't use such nonsense in the office :)

It all works fine in Original Green template so has to be a template specific php coding thing, just need to identify all the files involved and sort them out till I find the prob. My knowledge of PHP could do with been a level or two up so I was sort of looking for an answer like "The main page is built up of a.php, b.php and the middle column's content is order with c.php and the blah_blah.css file", so I cud narrow it down a bit. At the mo I'm staring glassy eyed at anything and everything that even remotely refers to main_page in languages and templates / default and / mytemplate.

Ta for the help still and good advise on the tidy code tidy mind front :)