Category Descriptions With Subcategories Not Showing Properly

All appears to be set up correctly. Categories loaded ok. Subcategories loaded ok, Products loaded ok. The main page displays correctly at top level.

However, when I click on a top level category which is a group of subcategories I get a repeat of the main page then the category description page.

Conversely when I click on a category which is comprised on products, the main page does not display, instead I get the category description and products list.

The expected outcome is to click on a category page and have its description come up along with the subcategories menu links that are subordinate to that category.

After 4-6 hours of research and tinkering I cannot isolate this problem. Has anybody seen this before. Thanks in advance

Post a url

But this sounds like default display that can be altered in the admin with out seeing it

http://touchpointfolios.com/test/

I am hoping it is obvious.

The category description and subcategory links display exactly as they should. Since you do not have subcategory images yet, those links are not obvious.
The home page text display is puzzling, though. I don't think there is a switch to show that on category pages.

I am guessing that you got this sorted as I did not see any issues....

I am sorry for not responding sooner. I was busy moving the site today. New location:

https//shop.touchpointfolios.com

The home page issue still exist. That is, the content of define_main_page.php is showing up on the category pages above the category page description area. The viewer would have to scroll all the way down past the end of the home page(define_main_page.php content) to see the category description.

I have been patiently pondering the root cause of this without success. So I am still open to new suggestions.

I see that you defines main page is being rendered on all pages and this is not a default acton - try to determine if this is a template(file) issue or a admin config issue by switching to the classic template to see if this is also evident in that template.

If it is then this is a setting in the admin - if not it is a file edit in red passion

I have examined the appplication behavior with the template variable switched to classic. The behavior is the same. The define_main_page.php shows up above category section description

You are using the Red Passion template. Just for interest, what files are included in the tempate folder? Any files there are overriding the default files, so they (and the files they override) can be ruled out as the source of the problem.

Top Level
Dir:Includes
Dir:templates

dir:classic
    dir:css
    dir:images
    template_info.php

dir:red_passion
    dir:buttons
    dir:checkout_shipping
    dir:common
    dir:css
    dir:google_analyitics
    dir:images
    dir:sideboxes
    dir:templates
        |- tpl_account_history_info_default.php
        |- tpl_modules_xsell_products.php
    template_info.php

dir:template_deafult
    ~ various directories ~
    dir:sideboxes
    dir:templates
    template_info.php

No noticable culprits causing undesirable acitivity.

The directory

Dir:Includes
Dir:langauges

dir:english

looks like it could harbor some trouble; I have inspected it once; but believe if an error is there it would be within a file; the code for a potential add on. I did not put to many fancyfeatures on. But a simple character may be suspect. Any adivce is appreciated

What extra file do you have sitting in /includes/languages/english/?
There are some directories which autoload anything in them (not sure which ones atm). Was there any time when you noticed the behavior changed from correct?

Some suggestions as you should be using the template overrides in all places where a classic folder also wxists for any edited files...

First backup ALL your cart files to your local.
grab a ful fileset of the ZenCart version you are using ans expand on your local
Now use a dif tool like the free win merge tool to find file differences.

Or as you have backed up you can just overload all the cart files making the core files fresh and view the displays after....this only assists if this is in a file and not an admin setting

I completed a file comparison of the includes directory with that of a fresh file set. No files were missing, albiet the there are coded edits within the files that paired up. I have additional files that match the addons that have been introduced to the sites applicaiton and have accounted for them.

My next step is to methodically review the addons, and the code hacks required to stitch them into the site. I will probably do some more reading, but am curious about the php files responsible for assembling the index page. I need to understand what is happening and why the content of define_main_page.php is being included on a call to build a category index page, or even a subcategory index page. Leads as to key php files to look at may be useful and appreciated.

I will post more once I have found out more.

For clues, search your template files for where the $define_page variable is require()'d or include()'d. Which index-related templates contain this variable? Compare that with a fresh set of files straight from the Zen Cart distribution zip. That may help you narrow things down.

I have solved the issue.

The introduction of the module: faq_module_1.1 was the possible source of this problem During installation, a single modification is require in the includes/applicatio_top.php by the following instruction:

add the following to the end:

The instructions go on further to say “Make sure to add this after the last ?> and also make sure you leave no line spaces at the end of this file”.

And again it further instructs “NOTE: the above needs to be added only once to your includes/application_top.php, so if you have completed this step for the links_manager 2.x or poll_manager, there is no need to repeat this step.”

I do not have these other modules integrated in the cart so the code was inserted. This is when the problem was experienced. The troubleshooting difficulty was compounded by the fact that I was rebuilding a cart from scratch and thus had added multiples modules simultaneously.

Let this demonstrate that it is always a bad idea to change more than one variable at a time.

Anyway I can say that the Zen-Cart Program Flow documentation available under Downloads >> Troubleshooting helped create a framework for logically looking at how the program is assembled in real time. Also The Software “Beyond Compare” was very helpful in analyzing file comparison among the modified cart set and an original 1.3.7 set.

I was looking forward to using the FAQ module and was about to load it up with content. I can say I was getting a weird query error expression on the front page where the side box was to appear. Looked like the table.fields related to product data.

So this apparent problem defined in the thread may correlate to the insertion of this code, but may not in and of itself be the cause. I think I need to test this assumption. I will notify the authors to get more information. Post more later

jmellon:

I can say I was getting a weird query error expression on the front page where the side box was to appear.

if you get a sidebox error add this to line 77 on tpl_faq_categories.php in the includes->templates->yourtemplate->sideboxes/

$display_limit = '';

that should solve that problem, regarding the other problem i am unsure what seems to be happening, can you provide an example?

Derek

Hi every one!!

Here is in my client site, http://www.bestlaminate.net/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_4 , i add description for categoires, but it not showing , any where what i do for that,

Please Uregent Help needed!

:clap:

Go to the Tools ... Developers Tool Kit ... and in the bottom input box do a search on:
category_row

make sure that none of the REQUIRE statements is commented out, as in the line starts with //

The template that you are using, if I am not mistaken, has hard coded the categories to not display ... and most likely blocks the categories_description on the Parent category as well ...

A switch to Classic Template will probably reveal that it is working and that would point to a templates and overrides issue that needs to be fixed ...

Thanks you very much Ajeh for so quick response.

I search on Tool>> Development tool kit >> in blow three boxes , but in every one it give me result, like No match .
For some subcategories is working fine link http://www.bestlaminate.net/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_4_39
In those categories where categories description are not showing , are also not show ADD CATEGORY, only showing add product,
One thigh more where check coding for category related . but there is no such file in that custom template coding which showing that it is due to hard custom template coding issue.
If you have idea about the hard coding file then I will check it again, may it will be changing at default side also.
For one of category I remove subcategories. Then description is working fine, but when I add any product or category, it disappear category description.
Please help me ,
Thanks
Zahid
:clap:

You appear to have done some fiddling with products and categories which may be causing problems.

"In those categories where categories description are not showing , are also not show ADD CATEGORY, only showing add product"

Your top cat Laminate Flooring has 4 subcats, but it also has 113 products directly under the top cat (per the URL). It shows its product listing but does not show a cat description.
Its subcat Flooring Brands has subcats but apparently no direct products, and shows no products and no description.
The sub-subcat Kronopol has no subcats, and shows its product listing and its description.
The sub-subcat Pergo has subcats and products directly, and shows the product listing and its description.
Pergo's subcat Unibest has no subcats, and shows its product listing and its description.

So it appears you are sometimes getting the no-description problem both in categories where you have misused the system, and in categories where you have not.

Also, the top cat Laminate Tiles indicates in the sidebox that it has subcats, but it has products directly; it shows its product listing but no description, and will not show its subcats in the sidebox.

This is a lot of strange behavior, and the Template Monster template cannot be held accountable for (all of) it.