Specials Sidebox showing on home page only

[divinelighting]

Is is normal for the specials sidebox (set to right column) to only show on home page? I would like it to be visible when viewing products as well.

Thanks,
Dustin

[marksu]

Is is normal for the specials sidebox (set to right column) to only show on home page? I would like it to be visible when viewing products as well.

Thanks,
Dustin

I am wondering the same thing.

[Ajeh]

The specials sidebox is designed to not show on the product _info page ...

You can customize the code with your templates and overrides ...

I prefer, when working on sideboxes, to copy both parts of a sidebox to the templates and overrides so that things are managed in pairs ... but that is a personal opinion ...
/includes/modules/sideboxes/specials.php
/includes/templates/template_default/sideboxes/tpl_specials.php

Copy to your templates and overrides directories:
/includes/modules/sideboxes/your_template_dir/specials.php
/includes/templates/your_template_dir/sideboxes/tpl_specials.php

If you look at this section of code, you will see how the sidebox is disabled when there is a $_GET['products_id'] set:

// test if box should display
  $show_specials= false;

  if (isset($_GET['products_id'])) {
    $show_specials= false;
  } else {
    $show_specials= true;
  }

  if ($show_specials == true) {

Any time $show_specials is set to false you will not see the specials sidebox and when $show_specials is set to true then there will be a special sidebox ...

You can add any number of conditions to the sideboxes to use this method to control them ...

[kiddo]

I'm curious what the thought might be to have no specials on detail pages by default. Would this maybe be to not distract someone away from a page containing an add-to-cart button on it?

Is the strategy only I'm wondering about.

[Ajeh]

In part, it is to show that it "can be done" ... the other part is to remove a distraction ...

[kburner]

The specials sidebox is designed to not show on the product _info page ...

You can customize the code with your templates and overrides ...

I prefer, when working on sideboxes, to copy both parts of a sidebox to the templates and overrides so that things are managed in pairs ... but that is a personal opinion ...
/includes/modules/sideboxes/specials.php
/includes/templates/template_default/sideboxes/tpl_specials.php

Copy to your templates and overrides directories:
/includes/modules/sideboxes/your_template_dir/specials.php
/includes/templates/your_template_dir/sideboxes/tpl_specials.php

If you look at this section of code, you will see how the sidebox is disabled when there is a $_GET['products_id'] set:

// test if box should display
  $show_specials= false;

  if (isset($_GET['products_id'])) {
    $show_specials= false;
  } else {
    $show_specials= true;
  }

  if ($show_specials == true) {

Any time $show_specials is set to false you will not see the specials sidebox and when $show_specials is set to true then there will be a special sidebox ...

You can add any number of conditions to the sideboxes to use this method to control them ...

I can not get specials to work when click on [more]. I changed the false to true in includes/modules/sideboxes/temp/specials.php and still does not work.

Did you do anything to the other file includes/template/temp/sidesboxes/tpl_specials.php? Currently, when you click on[more] it takes you to page with lines and no images or details.

Kim

[Ajeh]

If I change the code to read:

  if (isset($_GET['products_id'])) {
    $show_specials= true;
  } else {
    $show_specials= true;
  }

where it always evaluates to true, then I always have a specials sidebox ...

[kburner]

If I change the code to read:

  if (isset($_GET['products_id'])) {
    $show_specials= true;
  } else {
    $show_specials= true;
  }

where it always evaluates to true, then I always have a specials sidebox ...

I have this in includes/modules/sideboxes/temp/specials.php

// test if box should display
$show_specials= true;

if (isset($_GET['products_id'])) {
$show_specials= true;
} else {
$show_specials= true;
}

And I still do not have images or descriptions, just doted lines.

Kim

[Ajeh]

Do a search in the Developers Tool Kit in the bottom input box for:
$show_specials

and select Catalog and click search ... to see what files come up and make sure the files have the right settings on the server ...

[kburner]

Do a search in the Developers Tool Kit in the bottom input box for:
$show_specials

and select Catalog and click search ... to see what files come up and make sure the files have the right settings on the server ...

Hi Ajeh,

I did the admin search with developers tool kit and all came up as true. What are the correct settings for the files? Next, I need to look at settings on the server.
Thanks, Kim