Advanced Search Question (limit to category box)

[Ajeh]

Are you trying to get rid of the Advanced Search that you would get if you said to search for:
abc123

If so, why would you want to do that?

If I was searching for Apple but wrote in:
Appel

I would get nothing and think you had no Apple ...

[gazag]

Are you trying to get rid of the Advanced Search that you would get if you said to search for:
abc123

If so, why would you want to do that?

If I was searching for Apple but wrote in:
Appel

I would get nothing and think you had no Apple ...

True i hadn't thought of that! what about disabling/removing the limit by category box altogether!?? Or does that just cause more problems!??

[Ajeh]

That would be a real problem with the Advanced Search ...

It would be better to figure out what is really causing the issue on the Advanced Search on the Category dropdown ...

Is there anything to disable the Hidden Categories just to test it without that?

NOTE: I would really turn off the SEO/rewrites while trying to debug everything ...

[gazag]

That would be a real problem with the Advanced Search ...

It would be better to figure out what is really causing the issue on the Advanced Search on the Category dropdown ...

Is there anything to disable the Hidden Categories just to test it without that?

NOTE: I would really turn off the SEO/rewrites while trying to debug everything ...

Ok

Ok

Not that i know off - i could unhide all the hidden menus but that probably wouldn't make a whole lot of difference! I'll try it!

Have done!

[Ajeh]

Just to amuse me ... can you turn off your templates and overrides for the file:
/includes/templates/your_template_dir/templates/tpl_advanced_search_default.php

by renaming it:
/includes/templates/your_template_dir/templates/tpl_advanced_search_default.php_TURNED_OFF

and see what happens on the Advanced Search ...

[gazag]

Just to amuse me ... can you turn off your templates and overrides for the file:
/includes/templates/your_template_dir/templates/tpl_advanced_search_default.php

by renaming it:
/includes/templates/your_template_dir/templates/tpl_advanced_search_default.php_TURNED_OFF

and see what happens on the Advanced Search ...

I've done that!

I've already tried that and it doesn't make any difference but maybe you can see something i can't......

[Ajeh]

And you are sure that the original file:
/includes/templates/template_default/templates/tpl_advanced_search_default.php

is the original file for v1.3.9h without any changes?

[DivaVocals]

I hate to resurrect such an old post, but in testing a Zen Cart v1.5.1 update to the hideCategories add-on, I was FINALLY able to replicate the issue reported by the creator of this post.. For whatever reason, this issue ONLY occurs when the hideCategories add-on is installed.. I tried the solution posted a while back (see above) and it does indeed resolve the issue.. What I need to know before I claim victoru and add this to the hideCategories fileset is what will this break??

Calling out to Ajeh as she was the one trying to help resolve/troubleshoot this before..

More information.. As was pointed out previously by gazag, if one is using the includes/templates/custom_template/sideboxes/tpl_categories.php file with the code modified for the hideCategories add-on, the categories dropdown on the Advanced Search page will default to the last category on the dropdown list instead of "All Categories". Once I restore to the Zen Cart default for the includes/templates/custom_template/sideboxes/tpl_categories.php file, the dropdown defaults to "All Categories" as it should.. If I use the includes/templates/custom_template/sideboxes/tpl_categories.php file with the code modified for the hideCategories add-on, and then use the code posted by moosesoom, then all is right with the world..

Here is the relevant categories sidebox code if anyone is interested..

//  Begin hideCategories code
    list($nada, $mycpath)= split('=', $box_categories_array[$i]['path']);
    $mycid = split('_', $mycpath);
    $categories_id = array_pop($mycid);
    $hide_status = $db->Execute("select visibility_status 
                    FROM " . TABLE_HIDE_CATEGORIES . "
                    WHERE categories_id = " . $categories_id . "
                    LIMIT 1");
    if ($hide_status->fields['visibility_status'] < 1) {
//  End hideCategories code
    switch(true) {
// to make a specific category stand out define a new class in the stylesheet example: A.category-holiday
// uncomment the select below and set the cPath=3 to the cPath= your_categories_id
// many variations of this can be done
//      case ($box_categories_array[$i]['path'] == 'cPath=3'):
//        $new_style = 'category-holiday';
//        break;
      case ($box_categories_array[$i]['top'] == 'true'):
        $new_style = 'category-top';
        break;
      case ($box_categories_array[$i]['has_sub_cat']):
        $new_style = 'category-subs';
        break;
      default:
        $new_style = 'category-products';
      }
     if (zen_get_product_types_to_category($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 {
      $content .= '<a class="' . $new_style . '" href="' . zen_href_link(FILENAME_DEFAULT, $box_categories_array[$i]['path']) . '">';

      if ($box_categories_array[$i]['current']) {
        if ($box_categories_array[$i]['has_sub_cat']) {
          $content .= '<span class="category-subs-parent">' . $box_categories_array[$i]['name'] . '</span>';
        } else {
          $content .= '<span class="category-subs-selected">' . $box_categories_array[$i]['name'] . '</span>';
        }
      } else {
        $content .= $box_categories_array[$i]['name'];
      }

      if ($box_categories_array[$i]['has_sub_cat']) {
        $content .= CATEGORIES_SEPARATOR;
      }
      $content .= '</a>';

      if (SHOW_COUNTS == 'true') {
        if ((CATEGORIES_COUNT_ZERO == '1' and $box_categories_array[$i]['count'] == 0) or $box_categories_array[$i]['count'] >= 1) {
          $content .= CATEGORIES_COUNT_PREFIX . $box_categories_array[$i]['count'] . CATEGORIES_COUNT_SUFFIX;
        }
      }

      $content .= '<br />' . "\n";
    }
  }
  } //  hideCategories code

I just need to know if moosesoom's code is okay to use. It appears to fix the issue reported.. I just don't know what other "damage" it might do, and just need some feedback..

Ajeh,

By process of elimination i have discovered where the error was for the advanced search issue i am having - it is in the tpl_Categories file in my_template/sideboxes

Have you got any ideas at what to change????

I have attached the two documents - the one that says moddedforhiddencategories is the one that works fine with advanced search but the categories aren't hidden in the categories sidebox

the other one works fine for hidden but not for the advanced search!!

Your help is much appreciated!

[DrByte]

I just need to know if moosesoom's code is okay to use. It appears to fix the issue reported.. I just don't know what other "damage" it might do, and just need some feedback..

You asked if this code is safe to use, so I'm reviewing it from a coding perspective, not from whether it "works" or is the "best" way to do it. You said it works, so I won't concern myself with the functionality.

1. But the code *is* using the deprecated split() function, so the code will not work on PHP 5.3.0 or newer.
Those references to split() should be replaced with explode(). See more detail here: http://www.zen-cart.com/entry.php?2-...use-on-PHP-5-3

2. If there is no valid result returned from the query (again, only in the part of the code you had highlighted), you're triggering PHP Notices needlessly.
So, changing this line, by adding the part in bold, would be suggested:

    if (!$hide_status->EOF && $hide_status->fields['visibility_status'] < 1) {

If you've got a lot of categories, then it would be smarter to rewrite your whole "read the hide-categories status from the db for each category one-by-one in real time" into "read all the hide-categories-table data into an array once and just do the lookup on that array" in order to minimize the amount of database queries you're triggering.
But that's getting into optimization, instead of merely "will it work".

[DivaVocals]

You asked if this code is safe to use, so I'm reviewing it from a coding perspective, not from whether it "works" or is the "best" way to do it. You said it works, so I won't concern myself with the functionality.

1. But the code *is* using the deprecated split() function, so the code will not work on PHP 5.3.0 or newer.
Those references to split() should be replaced with explode(). See more detail here: http://www.zen-cart.com/entry.php?2-...use-on-PHP-5-3

2. If there is no valid result returned from the query (again, only in the part of the code you had highlighted), you're triggering PHP Notices needlessly.
So, changing this line, by adding the part in bold, would be suggested:

    if (!$hide_status->EOF && $hide_status->fields['visibility_status'] < 1) {

If you've got a lot of categories, then it would be smarter to rewrite your whole "read the hide-categories status from the db for each category one-by-one in real time" into "read all the hide-categories-table data into an array once and just do the lookup on that array" in order to minimize the amount of database queries you're triggering.
But that's getting into optimization, instead of merely "will it work".

Thanks DrByte.. I haven't a CLUE how to do the optimization you suggest, but I do understand why it needs to be done..

Now let me go back to a corner and see if I can wrap my head around HALF of what you've just said.. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions..