Model List support

Model List creates a listing of all manufacturers with their products.

* The default layout has a vertical list of manufacturers, and hovering on a manufacturer will drop down a list of its product model numbers in three columns.
* You can set the number of columns for products.
* You can set either product names or product model numbers to display. They will display alphabetically in either case.
* By using the alternate stylesheet rules provided, you can make the manufacturers into a horizontal "bar" type of list, with products dropping down in a vertical list below, or permanently expanded manufacturer/product lists.
* By saving image files named as described, you can substitute images for the manufacturer names.
* The manufacturers and product models are each links to the advanced search results for that term.

The default installation places the model list in define_page_4.php for demo purposes; it can be added to any page location by putting the include() statement in the correct file.

The zip will be here until it is activated in Free Addons.

WOOT! I love this contribution Glenn, Thanks!
:bigups:
I'm fiddling with this on my private server, and I can't seem to make it run on names instead of model numbers, what would I change?

define('MODEL_LIST_NAME_MODEL', 'model');//to change display comment this and uncomment next line
//define('MODEL_LIST_NAME_MODEL', 'name');
found it in includes\languages\english\extra_definitions\YOUR_TEMPLATE
never mind!

This looks great :) On sticking it in a sidebox it gets trapped in the row though... Is there any way to float the list out of the row?

What gets "trapped in the row"? The manufacturers, or the product lists? It can probably be styled however it is that you want, but I would need to see it live to advise on specifics.

gjh42:

What gets "trapped in the row"? The manufacturers, or the product lists? It can probably be styled however it is that you want, but I would need to see it live to advise on specifics.

the product lists. I'm using it live on http://opticalnow.ca

I'd like it to hover over the left column 205 px limit...

In stylesheet_model_list.css, edit this```
.mfrList:hover .mfrListCols {display: block; position: absolute; z-index: 10; width: 98.7%; background: #ffffee; padding: 0.5em 0 0.5em 0.5em; border-bottom: 1px solid #aabbcc;}

:flex:
Awesome. This was exactly what I needed, it lends presence to seo by having our product names, discretely, plastered on the front page.
Thanks again!:yes:

As much as I love this plugin, I'm sorry to tell you it's throwing me validation errors.... go to my page http://opticalnow.ca and hit the validated by WC3 link to see the culprit. On my site it's throwing 133 validation errors. (site was valid before installing this and one other plugin)

Error Line 24, Column 18: an attribute value specification must be an attribute value literal unless SHORTTAG YES is specified

Warning Line 178, Column 57: cannot generate system identifier for general entity "search_in_description"

….php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=Acuvue" …

<SCRIPT language=javascript type=text/javascript> This error may occur when there is a mistake in how a self-closing tag is closed, e.g '.../ >'. The proper syntax is '... />' (note the position of the space).

and.. etc. The WC3 validation output should give you enough info to fix. If I can help in any way, please let me know!

The other plugin was Corner Site Seal. Sorry about crossposting, but I thought it might be relevant.

I'm betting a lot of those errors are caused by the corner seal - the model_list errors start at line 178.

The Model List errors are all caused by a snippet of link code I copied without examining deeply. It needs to have its ampersands escaped.
In /includes/modules/your_template/model_list.php, replace lines 36 and 47:```php
$content .= '<h3><a href="index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=' . $mfrs_name . '" title="' . MODEL_LIST_ALT_LINK . $mfrs_name . '">' . /$mfrs_name/ title_image_exists($mfrs_name, 'model_list_mfr' . $model_list[$mfr_key]['mfrs_id']) . '</a>' . MODEL_LIST_MFR_COMMENT . '</h3>' . "\n";
//should be
$content .= '<h3><a href="index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=' . $mfrs_name . '" title="' . MODEL_LIST_ALT_LINK . $mfrs_name . '">' . /$mfrs_name/ title_image_exists($mfrs_name, 'model_list_mfr' . $model_list[$mfr_key]['mfrs_id']) . '</a>' . MODEL_LIST_MFR_COMMENT . '</h3>' . "\n";

  $content .= '  <li><a href="index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=' . $current_model . '" title="' . MODEL_LIST_ALT_LINK . $current_model . '">' . $current_model . '</a></li>' . "\n";

//should be
$content .= ' <li><a href="index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=' . $current_model . '" title="' . MODEL_LIST_ALT_LINK . $current_model . '">' . $current_model . '</a></li>' . "\n";

here's the repaired and modified for sidebox code, with a sidebox built in :bigups:

Since I didn't mention it before, Model List is available in Free Addons.
I will update it with the validation fix, and will consider including a readymade sidebox option.

thedjphat:

here's the repaired and modified for sidebox code, with a sidebox built in :bigups:

Hi,
Your site & sidebox looks a lot better than mine.:(
Can you tell me what you edited in css etc etc? or can I be cheeky and ask for a copy of your files?

Thanks
Mike

sure, here ya go. :smartalec:

thedjphat:

sure, here ya go. :smartalec:

You are now officially a legend sir! :clap:
Thanks , saved me soooo much time!

I'm a bit confused, does this mod display only in a sidebox or can it be displayed in the center column as well?

The official version in Free Addons defaults to displaying the model list in the center column of Define Page 4 (for demo purposes), but you can display it anywhere by putting the "include" statement described in the readme into the appropriate file. The zip attached above in posts 14 and 17 also has files to make a model list sidebox.