Using php next to Category descriptions

I'm trying to run a block of PHP code on the category descriptions page. I set this to be the categories description but it doesn't seem to execute, it just displays it instead. Can anyone help? Here is the code:

<?php  
 if ($featured_products->RecordCount() > 0) {
   for ($i = 0; $i < $featured_products->RecordCount(); $i++) {
   echo '<div class="categoryListBoxContents" style="width:33%;">';
   echo '<a href="' . zen_href_link(FILENAME_DEFAULT, 'main_page=product_info&products_id=' . $featured_products->fields['products_id']) . '">';
   echo zen_get_products_image($featured_products->fields['products_id']);
   echo '</A></div>';     
} 
} ?> 

I'm trying to run a block of PHP code on the category descriptions page.
I believe that only html is allowed in the description block

I don't understand what you're trying to do with the code you posted.

DrByte:

I don't understand what you're trying to do with the code you posted.

I forgot to post up the MySQL coding that I put in header.php

   $featured_products_query = "SELECT feature.products_id, product_info.products_image, product_info.products_price, product_desc.products_name FROM " . TABLE_FEATURED . " as feature, " . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " as product_info, " .  TABLE_PRODUCTS_DESCRIPTION . " as product_desc, " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_TO_CATEGORIES . " as ptc WHERE feature.products_id = product_info.products_id AND feature.products_id = product_desc.products_id and feature.products_id = ptc.products_id AND ptc.categories_id = :categoriesID ORDER BY rand() LIMIT 3";
   $featured_products_query = $db->bindVars($featured_products_query, ':categoriesID', $current_category_id, 'integer');

   $featured_products = $db->Execute($featured_products_query);

Essentially, look at featured products for all products within a given category (the category that the user is looking at). Select three at random and return the row values as defined above. (Product ID, image, price, and name).

The code in the original post, generally cycles through the data and returns the row values for it.

Doesn't the Featured Products block already do that?

So essentially, an additional featured centerbox but inside the description. Why don't you want to use the regular featured centerbox (set to three products)?

gjh42:

So essentially, an additional featured centerbox but inside the description. Why don't you want to use the regular featured centerbox (set to three products)?

I actually forgot that was there but wanted to embed it in the description along with some other stuff.

gjh42:

So essentially, an additional featured centerbox but inside the description. Why don't you want to use the regular featured centerbox (set to three products)?

To further:

• I used the center box but it doesn't randomly select three products, it just selects the first three available.
• The parent category is show for the header, not the child where it's located.
• The configuration places the center box below the product listing, not above where I'm trying to get it to show. (I know how to fix this one but was hoping on something not involving me ripping into ZenCart too much).

Is an example: http://www.justuptowngames.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_2_61

I too am also looking to use PHP in my categories description but for different reason. Can this be done?

What retched is doing is not actually including PHP in the category descriptions, but rather including additional content to be displayed via the template directly above/below the category description when the category description is displayed.

You can do the same simply by altering your template files as needed.

However, embedding PHP code into the actual HTML of the category description via your admin is NOT supported in Zen Cart.

You could use a version of swguy's boilerplate code to evaluate some PHP and substitute its output for a placeholder in the description output.

Adapted from swguy's boilerplate tips on his site (referenced in http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120888%29:

/includes/templates/custom/templates/tpl_product_info_display.php

Change

 <!--bof Product description -->
<?php if ($products_description != '') { ?>
<div id="productDescription" class="productGeneral biggerText"><?php echo stripslashes($products_description); ?></div>
<?php } ?>
<!--eof Product description -->

to

 <!--bof Product description -->
<?php if ($products_description != '') { ?>
<?php 
$php_content = '';//build content to be substituted for PHP_SUB in description
if ($featured_products->RecordCount() > 0) {
  for ($i = 0; $i < $featured_products->RecordCount(); $i++) {
    $php_content .= '<div class="categoryListBoxContents" style="width:33%;">';
    $php_content .= '<a href="' . zen_href_link(FILENAME_DEFAULT, 'main_page=product_info&products_id=' . $featured_products->fields['products_id']) . '">';
    $php_content .= zen_get_products_image($featured_products->fields['products_id']);
    $php_content .= '</a></div>';     
  } 
}
$products_description = str_replace('PHP_SUB', $php_content, $products_description);

?>
<div id="productDescription" class="productGeneral biggerText"><?php echo stripslashes($products_description); ?></div>
<?php echo stripslashes($stripped_products_description); ?></div>
<?php } ?>
<!--eof Product description -->

The above follows from the boilerplate discussion for the product info page; it would be a different file and slightly different code for the category listing page, but the same principle applies.

Thanks for the reply, I am not that great with PHP and got a little confused trying it

/includes/templates/your_template/templates/tpl_index_categories.php```php

Better description of method:```php

This looks really useful but what if I just wanted it to pull the actual content from the database that doesn't have php?

You need some PHP code to run a SQL query or otherwise determine the information that is going to be added. What content do you want to fetch from the db?

wow, i spent at least 6 hours playing around with the coding (should prob start learning PHP) but that worked great.

As always, thanks for the help.

gjh42:

You need some PHP code to run a SQL query or otherwise determine the information that is going to be added. What content do you want to fetch from the db?

I already have the mysql coding setup in the header.php file of the file. Pretty much I want take the results of that query and output it as displayed in post 1.