Master Categories ID's Keep Changing

[nfallat]

I've had this problem for a while but now it's becoming even more of a problem.

I have a list of main categories (Designer). I upload all the products to start out in these by Designer categories.

Then we link to other categories like "Dresses By Style" and "Dresses Shown In" which is color categories.

The problem is, the master Categories ID keeps resetting magically to these other linked categories.

I know how to do the Store Manager/Reset Master Categories ID but that does not fix it.

I also know how to reset globally category-by-category in the Mulitiple Categores Links Manager at the bottom.

But now, even when I try to reset the Master Category ID's back to the "Designer" category, it shows fixed in Zencart but on the site when you click on a product it still shows it in the other linked category.

2 Problems I have found with this:

1) When the customer clickes on a product in the main Designer category and clicks Next, they are not in a different category - like "short" or "ballgowns". Now they are no longer looking at "After Five" dresses, they are looking at "Short"

2) On coupon code restrictions, it's not recognizing a restricted category because the Master Category ID is not that main Designer category.

An example is "Hannah S Short" category. Product 27561. The "Hannah S Short" category is restricted from coupon code folswitch.

But if you try to buy that product the coupon code works. Because it thinks it is in the "Short" category which is not restricted.

We are using Zen Version 1.3.8 with several mods - testimonials manager, easy populate, and other various minor mods that I don't think are related.
domain www.f i n d m y p r o m d r e s s . c o m

We are desperate to fix this problem. Any answer to this? If not, the link function is basically unusable.

[nfallat]

I have an update to this post. I went into Coupon Admin and restricted code for non-designer categories (like "Short") and tested the product 27561 again and now it restricts like I want it to. But it looks like this is based on the website thinking it is in Short Master ID, not Hannah S Short. I reste the Master ID to be Hannah S Short and it shows that in Zen but not on site. So it looks like whatever the site thinks it is controls the coupon code restriction.

But additional problem is that I have Alyce After Five category not on sale so should NOT be restricted from coupon code. But the coupon codes does not work (even though I reset it's Master ID to Alyce After Five because on the site, the navigation says it's main category is Short- which is restricted.

And still the additional problem is why does the Master ID keep changing back in the Master Categories Link Manager to the wrong one? Maybe because the site navigation is ruling and keeps wanting to change it back in the Master Categories Link Manager?

I am surprised I have not seen other posts about this apparent bug.

[DrByte]

If it's a bug then one will be able to recreate the problem in a fresh clean install of a new store using the latest version.
Please list the exact steps to recreate the problem in such a clean environment.

[nfallat]

If it's a bug then one will be able to recreate the problem in a fresh clean install of a new store using the latest version.
Please list the exact steps to recreate the problem in such a clean environment.

I tried it in a test zen, really bare bones with just a couple of products and it did not recreate the problem. But the problem is, it seems, on my live sites, to be just changing the master randomly to the category with the lowest category ID number.

Any potential fix for this? Others MUST have this problem as well.

[DrByte]

Others MUST have this problem as well.

Can't recall any.

Any potential fix for this?

http://www.zen-cart.com/wiki/index.p...Obscure_Issues

[Ajeh]

In v1.3.8, there are Known Bugfixes relating to this issue:
http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82619

This is also a good time to check your Security Patches and Updates:
http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=131115

NOTE: all of these and more are done in the Current version of Zen Cart from our Home page ...

[nfallat]

In v1.3.8, there are Known Bugfixes relating to this issue:
http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82619

This is also a good time to check your Security Patches and Updates:
http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=131115

NOTE: all of these and more are done in the Current version of Zen Cart from our Home page ...

Thanks for the reply. Are you referring to just #2 below of my post? (coupon code restrictions). Or was there something, in general, about the master categories ID's changing in the first place to the lowest master category ID#? I didn't see the answer to that one. What I saw was the post that started:

Problem: Discount Coupon Category Restrictions are not always working right ...

Solution: change a function in:
/includes/functions/functions_general.php

My issues were:

1) When the customer clickes on a product in the main Designer category and clicks Next, they are not in a different category - like "short" or "ballgowns". Now they are no longer looking at "After Five" dresses, they are looking at "Short"

2) On coupon code restrictions, it's not recognizing a restricted category because the Master Category ID is not that main Designer category.

[Ajeh]

If you apply the Known Bug Fixes to correct the Master Categories issue in your older version and then clean up your site, they should stay fixed now that the bug fixes are applied ...

If they keep changing, then something else is going on that you will need to look into ...

[nfallat]

If you apply the Known Bug Fixes to correct the Master Categories issue in your older version and then clean up your site, they should stay fixed now that the bug fixes are applied ...

If they keep changing, then something else is going on that you will need to look into ...

Apply which bug fixes? Just #37? I don't see any here that really seem to relate directly to the ID's changing issue except this one that refers to coupon code restrictions.

[Ajeh]

Personally, a bug is a bug and you should be doing them all ... that is why they are listed to be fixed and were all fixed in the current release ...

Anything with Categories and master_categories_id for sure ...