Only active category with sub-categories in sidebox?

[jarsa]

Is there any way to hide categories in the sidebox so that the sidebox only shows the sub-categories of active top-category. All the other top-categories should be hidden. Main page (Home) should still have all the top-categories available.

As you enter the shop you should see all the categories: for example monitors, games, dvd's etc.. You make your choise and at the next page you see only subcategories for dvd's: action, comedy....

I have tried to do this with css and templates and it's easy to get top-categories off, but the main page remains as a problem.

Thanks,
Jarsa

[ThePatch]

Are you saying that you want to hide all the other top categories once they go into a sub category?

[gjh42]

I don't think forcing all navigation through the home page is generally a good idea, but if that's what you really want...

Just a preliminary thought -

There are tags for the active category and subs. You could use those in your main stylesheet with display: none; and make an index_home.css (in the same folder) with display: block; or inline;...
(Clarification: Set everything but those tags to display none or block.)

Now I don't know without studying the file for it whether this will get rid of the space or just the text. If the latter, code work will be required. I'll look at it and get back; I think a simplified version of the code developed in the Parent Categories Separated In 3 sideboxes will work.

[gjh42]

This is the line in tpl_categories.php that decides whether a category gets displayed:

if (zen_get_product_types_to_category($box_categories_array[$i]['path']) == 3 or ($box_categories_array[$i]['top'] != 'true' and SHOW_CATEGORIES_SUBCATEGORIES_ALWAYS != 1)) {
        // skip if this is for the document box (==3)
      } else { 

This line has a test for the current category:

if ($box_categories_array[$i]['current']) {

A subcategory will have a _ in the cPath, but a top category won't.

So you could add a test for the category being a top cat and not current, and skip it:

or (!ereg("_",$cPath) and !$box_categories_array[$i]['current'])

if (zen_get_product_types_to_category($box_categories_array[$i]['path']) == 3 or ($box_categories_array[$i]['top'] != 'true' and SHOW_CATEGORIES_SUBCATEGORIES_ALWAYS != 1) or (!ereg("_",$cPath) and !$box_categories_array[$i]['current'])) {
        // skip if this is for the document box (==3) or non-current top cat(_, current)
      } else { 

You could also use

or ($box_categories_array[$i]['top'] == 'true' and !$box_categories_array[$i]['current'])

as a test.

[jarsa]

Thanks for replies,

CSS solution leaves empty spaces if I did everything correctly.

This template thing is easy and great way to solve problem. Thanks! But if I didn't mess something up the Home page sidebox looses it's categories too. This is not something too serious for me though, because the main page is going to be different anyway. But if there is another just as simple and elegant solution for Home page, I'll be listening.

[gjh42]

Oops! The code I had put in for discriminating between home page & others got lost while reworking the approach to category discrimination. This occurred to me last night. To fix this, add

and !$this_is_home_page

to the test:

if (zen_get_product_types_to_category($box_categories_array[$i]['path']) == 3 or ($box_categories_array[$i]['top'] != 'true' and SHOW_CATEGORIES_SUBCATEGORIES_ALWAYS != 1) or (!ereg("_",$cPath) and !$box_categories_array[$i]['current'] and !$this_is_home_page)) {
        // skip if this is for the document box (==3) or non-current top cat(_, current) & not homepg
      } else { 

[jarsa]

Ok Glenn, it works beatifully and it was great solution. What more can I say than Thank You. And I hope we all can learn from you how to help fellow Zenners.

-Jarsa-

[reza]

Oops! The code I had put in for discriminating between home page & others got lost while reworking the approach to category discrimination. This occurred to me last night. To fix this, add

and !$this_is_home_page

to the test:

if (zen_get_product_types_to_category($box_categories_array[$i]['path']) == 3 or ($box_categories_array[$i]['top'] != 'true' and SHOW_CATEGORIES_SUBCATEGORIES_ALWAYS != 1) or (!ereg("_",$cPath) and !$box_categories_array[$i]['current'] and !$this_is_home_page)) {
        // skip if this is for the document box (==3) or non-current top cat(_, current) & not homepg
      } else { 

hi gjh24
excuse me, this last one? I didn't get exactly,
actually, I have installed multisite zen 1.3.7, and if you know, this module filter the categories for the site that you want to be shown.
but the question is now, I want to have the category name as the name of the site, because each category has many subcategory, so, I like to disapear showing top category name in the side box, but the first high level category name that is shown , be the subcategory mevel 1 etc.

I tried to replace your code, in template default/sideboxes, but it didn't change any thing on my fresh zen cart1.3.7 without multisite module. I did put this changed file also in mytemplate/sidebox, and the result was nothing.
any help,

[gjh42]

I know nothing about the inner workings of the multisite mod, and if it uses the same sort of code for discrimination, fitting the two purposes together could be very tricky.

I would need to see your site to know just what you have done. Can you post a link?

[jarsa]

Here again with new problems,

everything works fine until you visit information pages etc. -> categories are empty again. Now, it should be fairly easy to get all categories to sidebox (homepage style), but how to get just the catalog where visitor were before information pages?