How to add new link to categories sidebox?

I am wanting to add a new link with an arrow image for "FREE PRODUCTS" in the categories sidebox just above the links for "ALL" "FEATURED" and "NEW" products. I can't seem to find this info. anywhere online. See categories sidebox on my site https://www.moebow.com to see what I'm talking about..

If you use Categories Dressing for your categories sidebox, you can add a "heading" above the All Products link with HTML content that will look and act exactly the same as the other links.

In this case, the "similar threads" at the bottom of the page aren't helpful, but you could perhaps use the "Categories and EZ-Pages in same sidebox" mod in Free Addons, or else in /includes/templates/your_template/sideboxes/tpl_categories.php you could clone the All Products code and strip/alter it for your desired link.

You might like to see how I set up a similar layout on my jewelry site.

Thank you kindly sir. I will add the code in the file. Your jewelry site is really good. I especially like the golden bar image you have to the side of your left column.

Thanks - that was one of my first forays into the wonders of CSS. The top of that border is a background image for one sidebox-type element, the center is a repeating background for #navColumnOneWrapper, and the bottom is a background for the last sidebox. This makes it infinitely adjustable in height. I was quite proud of it at the time:)

Huh... I just realized that my post #3 above was actually a response to another thread, which I thought I had not actually posted... oh well, at least it's not completely incongruous here:)

lol what a coincedence

gjh42:

If you use Categories Dressing for your categories sidebox, you can add a "heading" above the All Products link with HTML content that will look and act exactly the same as the other links.

In this case, the "similar threads" at the bottom of the page aren't helpful, but you could perhaps use the "Categories and EZ-Pages in same sidebox" mod in Free Addons, or else in /includes/templates/your_template/sideboxes/tpl_categories.php you could clone the All Products code and strip/alter it for your desired link.

So I tried editing the tpl_categories file using your code at http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=105690 and it's not doing a thing. Nothing showing up at all on my site. What could I be doing wrong?:frusty:

Here is how that section of my tpl_categories now looks :

// display a separator between categories and links

if (SHOW_CATEGORIES_SEPARATOR_LINK == '1') {

  $content .= '<hr id="catBoxDivider" />' . "\n";

}

echo '<a href="http://www.moebow.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=25_60">FREE Products</a><br />'. "\n";
if (SHOW_CATEGORIES_BOX_SPECIALS == 'true') {

  $show_this = $db->Execute("select s.products_id from " . TABLE_SPECIALS . " s where s.status= 1 limit 1");

  if ($show_this->RecordCount() > 0) {

    $content .= '<a class="category-links" href="' . zen_href_link(FILENAME_SPECIALS) . '">' . CATEGORIES_BOX_HEADING_SPECIALS . '</a>' . '<br />' . "\n";

  }

}

if (SHOW_CATEGORIES_BOX_PRODUCTS_NEW == 'true') {

The code you show is based on the stock tpl_categories.php, but your site is using betterCategories, which has different source code.

Are you editing /includes/templates/template_default/sideboxes/tpl_categories.php? That will never be used; you need to add your code to /includes/templates/bookshelf/sideboxes/tpl_categories.php.

I actually edited both. So I need to edit the bettercategories file?

Yes. You should never touch any file in /template_default/; instead, copy it to the same folder in /your_template/ and edit the copy. Since there is already a copy, edit that.

i'm not finding a betterCategories file in that location..would it be elsewhere?

I believe betterCategories uses and modifies tpl_categories.php.

i'm totally lost then. i have already edited that file and it's not doing anything :(

The betterCategories version of the file is a bit different from stock in that area. php // $content .= '<br />' . zen_draw_separator('pixel_silver.gif') . '<br />'; // $content .= '<hr id="catBoxDivider" />' . "\n"; $content .= '<br style="line-height: 0;" />' . '<hr id="catBoxDivider" />' . '<br style="line-height: 0;" />'; } if (SHOW_CATEGORIES_BOX_SPECIALS == 'true') { $show_this = $db->Execute("select s.products_id from " . TABLE_SPECIALS . " s where s.status= 1 limit 1"); if ($show_this->RecordCount() > 0) { $content .= '<div class="betterCategories"><a class="category-links" href="' . zen_href_link(FILENAME_SPECIALS) . '">'; You would put your link between these two lines:```php
}
//your code here
if (SHOW_CATEGORIES_BOX_SPECIALS == 'true') {

that's where it's already at.

Okay, then post that section of the file here so I can see exactly what you have.

And are you certain that your edited copy is on the server?

Yes I am positive it was uploaded successfully to my server.

// display a separator between categories and links
    if (SHOW_CATEGORIES_SEPARATOR_LINK == '1') {
      $content .= '<br />' . zen_draw_separator('pixel_silver.gif') . '<br />';
    }
    // (heres my code) echo '<a href="http://www.moebow.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=25_60">FREE Products</a><br />'. "\n";
    if (SHOW_CATEGORIES_BOX_SPECIALS == 'true') {
      $show_this = $db->Execute("select s.products_id from " . TABLE_SPECIALS . " s where s.status= '1' limit 1");
      if ($show_this->RecordCount() > 0) {
        $content .= '<div class="betterCategories"><a class="category-links" href="' . zen_href_link(FILENAME_SPECIALS) . '">';
        $content .= zen_image(DIR_WS_TEMPLATE_IMAGES . 'bc_cat_boxes.gif') . $spacer;
        $content .= CATEGORIES_BOX_HEADING_SPECIALS . '</a></div>';
      }

Do you actually have the comment in your file?
// (heres my code)
The // make the entire rest of that line ignored by the processor.

No no just did that so u can see it in orange easily. It really starts at the word "echo" in my file