How to hide empty categories automatically?

Is there easy way to automatically hide category that's empty (= all products sold out)? I know I can hide them manually, but my site has lot of categories and it's rather difficult to keep track on all of them.

Miru:

Is there easy way to automatically hide category that's empty (= all products sold out)? I know I can hide them manually, but my site has lot of categories and it's rather difficult to keep track on all of them.

While the associated links at the bottom of this page (not shown until posting) may help, the link within the first points to a solution specific to 1.5.4: https://www.zen-cart.com/showthread.php?174342-How-to-hide-categories-with-no-active-products&p=1265047#post1265047

Thanks, I will test that.

My friend said (and tested and it didn't work) that the code is made for 1.5.3 version of Zen and won't work on new one.

Did you try?
Configuration -> Layout Settings -> Categories with 0 Products Status

Yes, it's marked "on", but doesn't work.

Miru:

Yes, it's marked "on", but doesn't work.

What template are you using sometimes certain templates override this. If you switch to classic does the problem still exist?

There is a difference between turning off Categories with 0 Products and turning off Categories where there ARE Products but all are marked as products_status = 0 ... the switch works to disable the counts when the count of active products is 0 ...

I am almost done with writing one for v1.5.4 ...

To have Categories automatically disappear when Products are set to products_status = 0 in Zen Cart v1.5.4, use the templates and overrides directory for the following files with the code marked in RED:
/includes/modules/categories_tabs.php

  // create link to top level category
[B]    // skip empty or status off categories
    if ((CATEGORIES_PRODUCTS_INACTIVE_HIDE == 1 && zen_count_products_in_category((int)$categories_tab->fields['categories_id']) == 0)) {
    // skip empty or status off categories
    } else {
[/B]  $links_list[] = '<a class="' . $new_style . '" href="' . zen_href_link(FILENAME_DEFAULT, 'cPath=' . (int)$categories_tab->fields['categories_id']) . '">' . $categories_tab_current . '</a> ';
[B]    }[/B]
  $categories_tab->MoveNext();
}

/includes/modules/category_row.php

    //    $categories->fields['products_name'] = zen_get_products_name($categories->fields['products_id']);
[B]    if ((CATEGORIES_PRODUCTS_INACTIVE_HIDE == 1 && zen_count_products_in_category((int)$categories->fields['categories_id']) == 0)) {
    // skip empty or status off categories
    } else {
[/B]        $list_box_contents[$row][$col] = array('params' => 'class="categoryListBoxContents"' . ' ' . 'style="width:' . $col_width . '%;"',
                                             'text' => '<a href="' . zen_href_link(FILENAME_DEFAULT, $cPath_new) . '">' . zen_image(DIR_WS_IMAGES . $categories->fields['categories_image'], $categories->fields['categories_name'], SUBCATEGORY_IMAGE_WIDTH, SUBCATEGORY_IMAGE_HEIGHT) . '<br />' . $categories->fields['categories_name'] . '</a>');

      $col ++;
      if ($col > (MAX_DISPLAY_CATEGORIES_PER_ROW -1)) {
        $col = 0;
        $row ++;
      }
    [B]}[/B]
    $categories->MoveNext();
  }
}

/includes/templates/template_default/sideboxes/tpl_categories.php

  $content .= '<div id="' . str_replace('_', '-', $box_id . 'Content') . '" class="sideBoxContent">' . "\n";
  for ($i=0;$i<sizeof($box_categories_array);$i++) {
[B]    if ((CATEGORIES_PRODUCTS_INACTIVE_HIDE == 1 && $box_categories_array[$i]['count'] == 0) || 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)
      // skip empty or status off categories
      continue;
    }
[/B]    switch(true) {
// to make a specific category stand out define a new class in the stylesheet example: A.category-holiday

/includes/classes/site_map.php

         $categories = $db->Execute($categories_query);
         while (!$categories->EOF) {
[B]        // skip empty or status off categories
        if (!(CATEGORIES_PRODUCTS_INACTIVE_HIDE == 1 && zen_count_products_in_category((int)$categories->fields['categories_id']) == 0)) {
[/B]           $this->data[$categories->fields['parent_id']][$categories->fields['categories_id']] = array('name' => $categories->fields['categories_name'], 'count' => 0);
[B]        }
[/B]           $categories->MoveNext();
         }
   }

And just a little below that:

   function buildBranch($parent_id, $level = 0, $parent_link = '') {
    $result = $this->parent_group_start_string;

    if (isset($this->data[$parent_id])) {
      foreach ($this->data[$parent_id] as $category_id => $category) {
[B]        if (CATEGORIES_PRODUCTS_INACTIVE_HIDE == 1 && zen_count_products_in_category((int)$category_id) == 0) {
          // skip empty or status off categories
          continue;
        }
[/B]        $category_link = $parent_link . $category_id;
        $result .= $this->child_start_string;

And to control this setting add to the database via the Tools ... Install SQL Patches:

INSERT INTO configuration (configuration_title, configuration_key, configuration_value, configuration_description, configuration_group_id, sort_order, set_function, date_added) VALUES ('Categories with Inactive Products Status', 'CATEGORIES_PRODUCTS_INACTIVE_HIDE', '0', 'Hide Categories with Inactive Products?<br />0= off<br />1= on', 19, 30, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array(\'0\', \'1\'), ', now());

This setting then will be found in the Configuration ... Layout Settings ...

Categories with Inactive Products Status
Hide Categories with Inactive Products?
0= off
1= on

Works great on ver 1.5.6a

Thanks!

IATIA:

Works great on ver 1.5.6a

And on ZC v1.5.6c

I've spent a while trying to also hide empty categories in my menu that uses the 'categories_ul_generator' class, this code:

require_once (DIR_WS_CLASSES . 'categories_ul_generator.php');
$zen_CategoriesUL = new zen_categories_ul_generator;
$menulist = $zen_CategoriesUL->buildTree(true);
$menulist = str_replace('"level4"','"level5"',$menulist);
$menulist = str_replace('"level3"','"level4"',$menulist);
$menulist = str_replace('"level2"','"level3"',$menulist);
$menulist = str_replace('"level1"','"level2"',$menulist);
$menulist = str_replace('<li>','<li>',$menulist);
$menulist = str_replace("</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n","</li>\n</ul>\n",$menulist);
echo $menulist;}

Thought I would post the solution:

/includes/classes/categories_ul_generator.php

$categories = $db->Execute($categories_query);
         while (!$categories->EOF) {
			[B]// skip empty or status off categories
			if (!(CATEGORIES_PRODUCTS_INACTIVE_HIDE == 1 && zen_count_products_in_category((int)$categories->fields['categories_id']) == 0)) {[/B]
            $this->data[$categories->fields['parent_id']][$categories->fields['categories_id']] = array('name' => $categories->fields['categories_name'], 'count' => 0);
			[B]}[/B]
            $categories->MoveNext();
        }
        

I was going off Ajeh's /includes/classes/site_map.php as a guide - it looks as though there might be an additional change needed in categories_ul_generator.php, looking in to it.