adding description to new or featured products

Has anyone been able to add product descriptions to new or featured products?

Both new and featured pull from a db table that doesn't include a description.

Note: It would seem logical that tpl_modules_whats_new.php could be overwritten by tpl_products_new_default.php (which includes descriptions), BUT that does not work for the front page - it can't find the products.

More info...

In modules/featured_products.php, there is this line:

left join " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_DESCRIPTION . " pd on p.products_id = pd.products_id), " .

So I think it's pulling from the table that holds product descriptions.

But how do I add it to the 'text' => etc ?
I tried adding: $featured_products->fields['products_description']
but nothing appears.

Solution add pd.products_description to the query, like so:

$featured_products_query = "select distinct p.products_id, p.products_image, pd.products_name, pd.products_description

I am trying to do this too, can you give me a little more detail?

Thanks!

here's what i have...

if ( (!isset($featured_products_category_id)) || ($featured_products_category_id == '0') ) {
  $featured_products_query = "select distinct p.products_id, p.products_image, pd.products_name, pd.products_description
                           from (" . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p
                           left join " . TABLE_FEATURED . " f on p.products_id = f.products_id
                           left join " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_DESCRIPTION . " pd on p.products_id = pd.products_id )
                           where p.products_id = f.products_id and p.products_id = pd.products_id and p.products_status = 1 and f.status = 1 and pd.language_id = '" . (int)$_SESSION['languages_id'] . "'";
} else {
  $featured_products_query = "select distinct p.products_id, p.products_image, pd.products_name, pd.products_description
                           from (" . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p
                           left join " . TABLE_FEATURED . " f on p.products_id = f.products_id
                           left join " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_DESCRIPTION . " pd on p.products_id = pd.products_id), " .
  TABLE_PRODUCTS_TO_CATEGORIES . " p2c, " .
  TABLE_CATEGORIES . " c
                           where p.products_id = p2c.products_id
                           and p2c.categories_id = c.categories_id
                           and c.parent_id = '" . (int)$featured_products_category_id . "'
                           and p.products_id = f.products_id and p.products_id = pd.products_id and p.products_status = 1 and f.status = 1 and pd.language_id = '" . (int)$_SESSION['languages_id'] . "'";

}

It looks like you are pulling the products_description from the database, so now you need to display it... ?

This helped me a lot.
http://www.kirkhamsystems.com/zencart_layout_changes
I think what you want is in the second code box in that article.

winky3d:

It looks like you are pulling the products_description from the database, so now you need to display it... ?

This helped me a lot.
http://www.kirkhamsystems.com/zencart_layout_changes
I think what you want is in the second code box in that article.

yes, its not displaying. look at my cart. no description for the featured product (daily spectacular).

Ok thanks for the tip i was half way (the other half!)

Here is the solution after adding the sql query you need to add the line

$featured_products->fields['products_description']
``` where you want the description to show.

This is my file for your perusal.

Hope it helps, seems to be working for me.

Oh and strip out all those nasty <br /> tags and wrap the price, name etc in tags so you can control them, dont know why they still keep those nasty breaks  in zen cart!

```php
<?php
/**
 * featured_products module - prepares content for display
 *
 * @package modules
 * @copyright Copyright 2003-2006 Zen Cart Development Team
 * @copyright Portions Copyright 2003 osCommerce
 * @license http://www.zen-cart.com/license/2_0.txt GNU Public License V2.0
 * @version $Id: featured_products.php 4629 2006-09-28 15:29:18Z ajeh $
 */
if (!defined('IS_ADMIN_FLAG')) {
  die('Illegal Access');
}
if ( (!isset($new_products_category_id)) || ($new_products_category_id == '0') ) {
  $featured_products_query = "select distinct p.products_id, p.products_image, pd.products_name, pd.products_description
                           from (" . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p
                           left join " . TABLE_FEATURED . " f on p.products_id = f.products_id
                           left join " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_DESCRIPTION . " pd on p.products_id = pd.products_id )
                           where p.products_id = f.products_id and p.products_id = pd.products_id and p.products_status = 1 and f.status = 1 and pd.language_id = '" . (int)$_SESSION['languages_id'] . "'";
} else {
  $featured_products_query = "select distinct p.products_id, p.products_image, pd.products_name
                           from (" . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p
                           left join " . TABLE_FEATURED . " f on p.products_id = f.products_id
                           left join " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_DESCRIPTION . " pd on p.products_id = pd.products_id), " .
  TABLE_PRODUCTS_TO_CATEGORIES . " p2c, " .
  TABLE_CATEGORIES . " c
                           where p.products_id = p2c.products_id
                           and p2c.categories_id = c.categories_id
                           and c.parent_id = '" . (int)$new_products_category_id . "'
                           and p.products_id = f.products_id and p.products_id = pd.products_id and p.products_status = 1 and f.status = 1 and pd.language_id = '" . (int)$_SESSION['languages_id'] . "'";

}
$featured_products = $db->ExecuteRandomMulti($featured_products_query, MAX_DISPLAY_SEARCH_RESULTS_FEATURED);

$row = 0;
$col = 0;
$list_box_contents = array();
$title = '';

$num_products_count = $featured_products->RecordCount();

// show only when 1 or more
if ($num_products_count > 0) {
  if ($num_products_count < SHOW_PRODUCT_INFO_COLUMNS_FEATURED_PRODUCTS || SHOW_PRODUCT_INFO_COLUMNS_FEATURED_PRODUCTS == 0) {
    $col_width = floor(100/$num_products_count);
  } else {
    $col_width = floor(100/SHOW_PRODUCT_INFO_COLUMNS_FEATURED_PRODUCTS);
  }
  while (!$featured_products->EOF) {

    $products_price = zen_get_products_display_price($featured_products->fields['products_id']);

    $list_box_contents[$row][$col] = array('params' =>'class="centerBoxContentsFeatured centeredContent back"' . ' ' . 'style="width:' . $col_width . '%;"',
    'text' => (($featured_products->fields['products_image'] == '' and PRODUCTS_IMAGE_NO_IMAGE_STATUS == 0) ? '' : '<a href="' . zen_href_link(zen_get_info_page($featured_products->fields['products_id']), 'products_id=' . $featured_products->fields['products_id']) . '">' . zen_image(DIR_WS_IMAGES . $featured_products->fields['products_image'], $featured_products->fields['products_name'], IMAGE_FEATURED_PRODUCTS_LISTING_WIDTH, IMAGE_FEATURED_PRODUCTS_LISTING_HEIGHT) . '</a><br />') . '<a href="' . zen_href_link(zen_get_info_page($featured_products->fields['products_id']), 'products_id=' . $featured_products->fields['products_id']) . '">' . $featured_products->fields['products_name'] . '</a><br />' . $products_price . $featured_products->fields['products_description'] );

    $col ++;
    if ($col > (SHOW_PRODUCT_INFO_COLUMNS_FEATURED_PRODUCTS - 1)) {
      $col = 0;
      $row ++;
    }
    $featured_products->MoveNextRandom();
  }

  if ($featured_products->RecordCount() > 0) {
    if (isset($new_products_category_id) && $new_products_category_id !=0) {
      $category_title = zen_get_categories_name((int)$new_products_category_id);
      $title = '<h2 class="centerBoxHeading">' . TABLE_HEADING_FEATURED_PRODUCTS . ($category_title != '' ? ' - ' . $category_title : '') . '</h2>';
    } else {
      $title = '<h2 class="centerBoxHeading">' . TABLE_HEADING_FEATURED_PRODUCTS . '</h2>';
    }
    $zc_show_featured = true;
  }
}
?>

Oh does anyone know how to limit the characters output from the description!!?!?

It would be awesome to be able to limit it to a certain number of characters.

Thanks! Finally after 2 months I got it to work. You rock!

Ok worked out how to truncate the description too

instead of using this code to get the description

$featured_products->fields['products_description']  

You can add this

zen_trunc_string(zen_clean_html(stripslashes(zen_get_products_description($featured_products->fields['products_id'], $_SESSION['languages_id']))), PRODUCT_LIST_DESCRIPTION)

And it will truncate the description, probably to the same amount of characters set in the product listing description admin setting.

Not sure on that as yet but it works.

Thanks for this! Someone just asked me if they could do this which I didnt think was possible... you are awesome!

I used for featured products successfully. Can this also be used for cross-sell products?

What would the code look like?

Thanks

cocoon:

Ok worked out how to truncate the description too

instead of using this code to get the description

$featured_products->fields['products_description']

>  
> You can add this
>  
> ```php
zen_trunc_string(zen_clean_html(stripslashes(zen_get_products_description($featured_products->fields['products_id'], $_SESSION['languages_id']))), PRODUCT_LIST_DESCRIPTION)

where do I place this different code? I have been playing around with it but can not get it to work with the truncation code.

Thanks for the insight.

I couldn't get this to work.

zen_trunc_string(zen_clean_html(stripslashes(zen_get_products_description($featured_products->fields['products_id'], $_SESSION['languages_id']))), PRODUCT_LIST_DESCRIPTION)

So I did this and it worked!!! Hooray! :clap:

stripslashes(zen_trunc_string(zen_clean_html($featured_products->fields['products_description'])))

GearStudios:

I couldn't get this to work.

zen_trunc_string(zen_clean_html(stripslashes(zen_get_products_description($featured_products->fields['products_id'], $_SESSION['languages_id']))), PRODUCT_LIST_DESCRIPTION)

> 
> So I did this and it worked!!! Hooray! :clap:
> 
> ```
stripslashes(zen_trunc_string(zen_clean_html($featured_products->fields['products_description'])))

Where exactly do you put this code in featured_products.php? As you can see https://www.killerlube.com/store I definately need to truncate that text...

I can't seem to edit my last post. I figured out how to truncate the description but if you look at https://www.killerlube.com/store it looks all jumbled. Any way I can pretty that up?

Okay. In addition to the previous replies in ZC 1.3.8a. . .

I have wrapped div tags around all elements in the specials_index, featured_products and new_products.php so that I can style them how I like and move them all into place.

New products

'<div class="listBoxProductsDescription">'.zen_trunc_string(zen_clean_html(stripslashes(zen_get_products_description($new_products->fields['products_id'], $_SESSION['languages_id']))), PRODUCT_LIST_DESCRIPTION) .'</div>'
```Specials products

.'<div class="listBoxProductsDescription">' zen_trunc_string(zen_clean_html(stripslashes(zen_get_products_description($specials_index->fields['products_id'], $_SESSION['languages_id']))), PRODUCT_LIST_DESCRIPTION) '</div>'.

.'<div class="listBoxProductsDescription">'.zen_trunc_string(zen_clean_html(stripslashes(zen_get_products_description($featured_products->fields['products_id'], $_SESSION['languages_id']))), PRODUCT_LIST_DESCRIPTION) '</div>'.

Example:

($new_products->fields['products_id']
($specials_index->fields['products_id']
($featured_products->fields['products_id']

Dear,
Is there any way to increase the description of featured products listed on main page. My reference page is https://www.rabiabooks.com, this is truncating the description after 25 characters buy I want to increase the limit upto 256 characters.

Please help...

Regards,
Fareed

If you are referring to the Product Listing and the description length, there is a setting in the Configuration ... Product Listing ...

Display Product Description
Do you want to display the Product Description?

0= OFF
150= Suggested Length, or enter the maximum number of characters to display

Dear,
I want to increase the length of short description for featured products. You may have a look at previously referred page.

Regards,
Fareed