Display categories on tpl_index_default.php

[purkat]

Hi,

After doing many searches I cannot find the answer to this simple (?!) problem (although plenty of people confused with this part of ZC ;)):

I want to display categories on home page and still be able to use tpl_index_default.php so that I can customize the home page.

If I enable categories on home page by using 'Layout Settings ... Categories - Always Show on Main Page', then tpl_index_default.php is not used - which means I cannot customize the home page.

I tried copying code from tpl_index_categories.php, but that didn't work.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?!

Thanks. :)

[purkat]

Well, a few more hours and still haven't worked it out.

If no one can tell me how to do this I guess I'll just have to hardcode the HTML for the categories - which obviously isn't a great solution.

Anyone?

[DrByte]

You said you want:
1. display categories on home page
2. customize the home page

What exactly do you mean by customize?

[purkat]

The main reason for this is so I can add some custom content below the categories, so the page will look like:

[content from main_page in Define Pages Editor]
[categories list]
[New products for August]
[specials]
[custom content block added to template]


Hope that makes sense :) (I'm developing on local server so can't give URL).

[DrByte]

How about extending the functionality a bit:

in both of these files:
/includes/templates/YOURTEMPLATE/templates/tpl_index_default.php
/includes/templates/YOURTEMPLATE/templates/tpl_index_categories.php

at the bottom, but above the final </div> add a line like this:

<?php include($template->get_template_dir('tpl_my_index_content.php',DIR_WS_TEMPLATE, $current_page_base,'templates'). '/tpl_my_index_content.php'); ?>

Then make a new file at:
includes/templates/YOURTEMPLATE/templates/tpl_my_index_content.php

and in that file put your custom HTML code.

[purkat]

Thanks for the tip - I'll try it out :) ......

..... but that doesn't solve my problem (unless I'm missing the point - always possible!).

I only want [custom content] on the home page which means I need to add it to tpl_index_default.php. If I add it to tpl_index_categories.php [custom content] will show on category listings (although I discovered only on categories that have sub-categories for some reason).

So what I'm asking is - how do I include the code to display categories in tpl_index_default.php?

Thanks for your patience. :))

[Goshawk]

I also have similar problems in customising my pages, as you can see on my shop front, I still have a lot to do, as I want to display only the left column, and get rid of the one on the right. I also want to display a custom background in each of the columns, so the page looks like one, and not like it is displaying different frames.

Would I need to make my own css template to set the backgrounds?

I am new to php, and find it very chalenging, but I need this webpage to display fully customised, as it will serve as our image for a long time.

Here is my (terrible looking ) shop under construction:

http://www.inekesfashions.com.au/shop/

Thank you very much for your response,

Goshawk

[milkyway]

You can 'turn-off' right column from admin -> layout settings -> column right status - global -> 0 (off)

You can set custom column background from CSS file. it depend on which backround you need to fill, example for the entire left column you need to modify .columnLeft from the CSS files.

It is recommended that you make a custom override template/css folder and tweak all css entires you need from there, so you dont mess up with the core code and prevent trouble for future upgrading. Please check the related thread about this issue.

Those above steps didn't require any php code knowledge.

[Goshawk]

Thanks milky way

[purkat]

bump.

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