Multi-level categories

[Terion]

Greatings.
First of all thanx to everyone for such great CMS and extensions. It is awesome.
For second: sorry for some mistakes in text, that may occure — I'm from Eastern Europe, so I use English rare.
Third: I'm not very familiar in php. I'm a designer and html/css/javascript coder. Server-side programming is my next step in my self-developement, but not right now...

And the problem:
I try to make a several-level categories catalog using taxonomy (or there is an other way?)
Taxonomy tree is like that:

Supercategory
? child category
? child category
? child category
Supercategory
? child category
? child category
? child category

I need to show this categories in such way:

	<div class="w25">
    	<div>
    		<h2>Supercategory_name</h2>
            <ul>[*]child_category_name[*]child_category_name[*]child_category_name[/list]
        </div>
    </div>
    <div class="w25">
    	<div>
    		<h2>Supercategory_name</h2>
            <ul>[*]child_category_name[*]child_category_name[*]child_category_name[/list]
        </div>
    </div>

For this I'm trying to use Catalog Filter.
I've tried to use tree view, but it works just if I have two taxonomy-based select-fields in catalog (add supercategory and category manualy, that is not quite good. The best would be, if user adds only category and supercategory gets automaticly, based on taxonomy) and doesn't give such nested constructions..
I've tried to do something with template, but I can't even understand, how filter renders.. In other modules I see how html generates, but in cause of filter module — it is so complicated... Not for my programming skills..

Can you help? Time is out, deadlines are broken and this problem is very hot

PS
Is there a common way to make multi-level catalog? Such tasks are often and I haven't find an easy way foe this...

Thank you.

[yi3artist]

I am in a similar scenario and would also appreciate some assistance for Terion and I.

I've read that in the Catalog 2.0 there is a feature, Catalog Navigation, that looks similar to what Terion seems to need.

I'd like to try out the Catalog Navigation in Catalog 2.0. I'm going to place a link here to a post where Thyon described how to install Catalog 2.0:
http://www.typolight-community.org/v...tree+view#p784

[thyon]

You can alternatively use the Tl Page structure to create a multi-level hierarchy INSTEAD of tags. These pages can then be used to filter your data automatically, by clicking on a page and then using an inserttag to filter the list for that page.

Then it allows you to use the TL Navigation Module as your Tree Filter. This is the simplest option.

The Catalog 2.0 version's Navigation module only works partially.

[valentin]

Hi Thyon,

I didn´t totally get what you were trying to describe.
Do you somewhere have an example of this sort of structure online?
I´m looking for something like the "Catalog Navigation" since a long time now and would really like to understand the solution you´re offering here.

Best,
Valentin

[thyon]

Just create a PAGE tree hierarchy

Catalog Root (page)
- Games (page)
- Playstation (page)
- XBOX 360
- Books
- Paperbacks
- Hardbacks
etc...


Then you simply add a field to your catalog (select or tags) and use the "tl_page" as your source table and then also choose a ROOT point to prevent the other pages from showing up, like Contact us, etc. so when the user selects a "category/page" it only shows items in your root and down.

Then you use my method above to create a Catalog List module that auto-filters depending on th page its on using the {{env:age_id}} inserttag to filter on the page ID. If you add a catalog list to the page layout for the catalog root area, you can make all the sub-pages have the auto Catalog list module.

Hope that helps.

This method will not display items below a category and it will obviously NOT display quantities next to each category.

[valentin]

thanks thyon,

but as i´ve understood what I´m aiming to display is not possible.
The Links of my Menu on the left (see picture) display the Title Field of the respective item. And I can´t predict what titles are beeing added in the future - therefore I can´t create this page tree.



It feels like what I need is the Catalog navigation menu.
The site I´m planning to do is pretty simple. All I need to find is a way to highlight an "active" item in the list module...

But I´ve read that the Catalog 2.0 isn´t "shipped" with the Catalog Navigation Module. Is that true?
If so, has that Module ever worked in a alpha version?
I wouldn´t mind if other stuff doesn´t work but I´d love to give that module a try.

And if there are other solutions i haven´t thought of, please introduce me!

Thanks,
Valentin

[thyon]

You're trying to mix categories and items in 1 tree. This is the main problem. It's never going to work. Unless the module sets some type of session variable to store the current category, on the reader page, the system won't be able to identify what category it's coming from, e.g. If you use the tags as a category, then it's even worse, because on the reader page, you'll never be able to list a single category, cause an item will appear in multiple categories, so which one to expand.

The catalog navigation is working in the alpha, as I designed it, but scare took that code over, so I'm not sure what's happening and if it's even working anymore.

[thyon]

Another solution you could try is to check that the current $_GET['aliasfield'] matches the list foreach loop's aliasfield value and instead of a link simple display a span tag. If you're clever with a custom template you can make it do a nav template simulation.