Prev/Next navigation through Subcats... possible?

[Sybil]

As opposed to having the prev/next on the products level only... is there any way to adapt this to page through the second or third level categories? Heres my dilema... Top Level: Guitar Straps, Second Level: Made to Order, Third Level: many many different designs, Fourth Level: no more than four products each. My reason for doing it this way is that my "products" dont need their own description. Its just where the customer will access different groups of attributes for ordering. My Third Level Category description pertains to all the products therein - & theres really no other logical way for me to organize my items.

So what I really need to do is allow visitors to flip through the entire Made to Order subcat via prev/next navigation. Is there any way at all to do this (easily or otherwise)? Navigation of my site will be disastrous without it.
Any input would be hugely appreciated!

[Ajeh]

This would require a lot of custom coding ...

Anything can be done ... but the issue is ease of use as well as amount of coding required ...

[Sybil]

This would require a lot of custom coding ...

Anything can be done ... but the issue is ease of use as well as amount of coding required ...

Hi Linda,
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I was (fingers crossed) hoping for an easy way... but I suspected it would take some doing. Im thinking... copy both product_prev_next and tpl_products_next previous, name the new files to reflect categories... & rebuild them accordingly? Ive been wracking my brain about this all day & unfortunately cant see any way around it. Are there any other files I'll need to tackle? Thanks SO much for your help.

edit adding: hmmm... products_previous_next in admin as well?

[Ajeh]

I'd really need a better understanding of your Categories and Products to advise you as to what is the best solution here ...

Mess up the navigation ... and you will be so very very sad ...

[Sybil]

Heres a link to the site (in the not-live reworking phase). Im still building the menu so Im linking you to the page Im referring to. This subcat will ultimately hold about 50 different designs (where now there is only 6):
http://www.sybilartwear.com/main/ind...ndex&cPath=1_4
What Id like someone to be able to do is say click on the first subcat (right now its "flames" and from the flames page be able to hit next to go to the next subcat (right now sparkle). Please forgive the appearance of the site... still so much to be done!

[Sybil]

ok. I think I may have found a solution that will give the illusion of doing what I want. The one much smaller (I imagine) hurdle is a custom breadcrumb on some pages. Heres my thought...
Rather than Guitar Straps: Made to order: a zillion subcats here (page-through: no)
I can go:
Guitar Straps: Made to order: a zillion products here. (page-through: yes!)
I can then disable the add-to-cart button on the products in that cateogory... & from the product descriptions, link to the actual product versions with all the attributes.

All this works great... & gives the illusion of paging through subcats... when really the visitor is paging through products with the add to cart disabled.

The only problem is... that once you get to the linked product (the one with the attributes)... the breadcrumb changes to reflect the different subcat (as well it should). So what I need to do now is create a custom breadcrumb for the hidden category, which makes it appear that the visitor is still in the original products cat.

For Exampe:
Note* I have created a new category "themes" to house my dummy products*
"themes" will be the category with the add to cart disabled.
So....
From (cat) Guitar Straps: (cat) Themes: (prod) Flames
The visitor will have the choice (via link in the description) to go to:
Sparkle or Paint or Chrome. These are the actual products (with all the attributes) where the customer will place the order. BUT since the actual products live in the "made to order" category... clicking on the linked product makes the breadcrumb do this:

(cat)Guitar Straps: (cat) Made To Order: (cat) Flames: (prod) Sparkle Flames

but I want it stay the way it was before the visitor followed the link ie:

(cat)Guitar Straps: (cat) Themes: (prod) Flames

Its GOT to be easier the paging through subcats.... help?

[Sybil]

UPDATE***
Ive got the breadcrumb to the point where it says:
(cat)Guitar Straps: (cat) Themes: (linked prod) Sparkle Flames

So the customer never knows theyve switched categories. yippee!

The only thing left Id like to do is a link between Themes and Sparkle Flames that brings them back to the original product... (The one they followed the link from). Im clueless here..