Category List with Sub Items

15 posts by 3 authors in: Forums > CMS Builder
Last Post: June 4, 2010   (RSS)

By Perchpole - April 28, 2010

I want to set-up a list of categories, each with a sub-list of articles beneath them. Something like this...


Category 1
Article 1
Article 2

Category 2

Category 3
 Article 1
Article 2
Article 3


I can do this by using a pair of foreach loops, something like this...


<?php foreach ($categoriesRecords as $category): ?>
<b><?php echo $category['name'] ?></b><BR />
<?php foreach ($articleRecords as $article): ?>
<?php if ($article['category'] != $category['num']) { continue; } // skip records which aren't in this category ?>
<?php echo $article['title'] ?><BR />
<?php endforeach ?>
<?php endforeach ?>

However, as you can see from the example listing above, Category 2 is empty. For my particular application, I want empty categories excluded from the listing. I want it to look like this...

Category 1
 Article 1
Article 2

Category 3
 Article 1
Article 2
Article 3


How can I re-write the code to achieve this?

:0)

Perchpole

Re: [Perchpole] Category List with Sub Items

By Jason - April 28, 2010

Hi,

One way we can do this is to first get a count of how many articles are in each category. You can do with by putting this code above where you are displaying your categories:

<?php
$articleCount=array();
foreach($articleRecords as $article){
@$articleCount[$article['category']]++;
}
?>

$articleCount now stores a total for each category that has articles in it. Now you just have to change the code where you display your articles like this:

<?php foreach ($categoriesRecords as $category): ?>
<?php if(@$articleCount[category['num']) : ?>
<b><?php echo $category['name'] ?></b><BR />
<?php endif ?>
<?php foreach ($articleRecords as $article): ?>
<?php if ($article['category'] != $category['num']) { continue; } // skip records which aren't in this category ?>
<?php echo $article['title'] ?><BR />
<?php endforeach ?>
<?php endforeach ?>

Give that a try. Let me know if you run into any issues.
---------------------------------------------------
Jason Sauchuk - Project Manager
interactivetools.com

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Re: [Jason] Category List with Sub Items

By hordak - May 19, 2010

Hey Jason,

I'm a bit confused. I'm trying to do something similar. Need I set up a Category Menu for this to work?

What I did: I setup a Multi Record Menu and added a List field.

Re: [hordak] Category List with Sub Items

By Jason - May 19, 2010

Hi,

You don't need to have a category menu to make this work. If you can attach the code you have so far and let me know exactly what you're trying to do, I can take a look.

Hope this helps.
---------------------------------------------------
Jason Sauchuk - Project Manager
interactivetools.com

Hire me! Save time by getting our experts to help with your project.
http://www.interactivetools.com/consulting/

Re: [Jason] Category List with Sub Items

By hordak - May 19, 2010

Jason, I think I massacred the script....

I've got the following fields:
Title - title
Department - department

I'd like the following layout (like above inquiry)
Department 1
- Title 01

Department 2
- Title 02
- Title 03

My code looks as such (please don't laugh...)
--- Head code ----
<?php header('Content-type: text/html; charset=utf-8'); ?>
<?php

require_once "/cmsAdmin/lib/viewer_functions.php";

list($as_humanities_faclistRecords, $as_humanities_faclistMetaData) = getRecords(array(
'tableName' => 'as_humanities_faclist',
));

$titleCount=array();
foreach($titleRecords as $title){
@$titleCount[$title['department']]++;
}
?>

---------Body code -------------
<!-- STEP2: Display Records (Paste this where you want your records to be listed) -->
<?php if ($as_humanities_faclistRecords): ?>
<div id="popup" style="display: none;"></div>
<?php foreach ($departmentRecords as $department): ?>
<?php if(@$titleCount[title['num']) : ?>
<b><?php echo $department['department'] ?></b><BR />
<?php endif ?>
<?php foreach ($titleRecords as $title): ?>
<?php if ($title['department'] != $title['num']) { continue; } // skip records which aren't in this category ?>
<?php echo $title['title'] ?><BR />
<?php endforeach ?>
<?php endforeach ?>
<?php endif ?>

<?php if (!$as_humanities_faclistRecords): ?>
<li>No records were found!</li>
<?php endif ?>

<!-- STEP2a: /Display Uploads -->

Re: [Jason] Category List with Sub Items

By hordak - May 20, 2010 - edited: May 20, 2010

Oh wait! title is not my table name, title is just the field. the table name is as_humanities_faclist

Within Table as_humanities_faclist
are fields:
- department (list)
- title (text field)

Per your last message, i've updated the as follows...
<?php
$titleCount=array();
foreach($as_humanities_faclistRecords as $title){
@$titleCount[$as_humanities_faclist['department']]++;
}
?>

<?php if ($as_humanities_faclistRecords): ?>
<div id="popup" style="display: none;"></div>

<?php foreach ($as_humanities_faclistRecords as $department): ?>
<?php if (@$titleCount[$department['Africana Studies']]): ?>
<span class="text"><strong><?php echo $department['department'] ?></strong></span>
<?php endif ?>

<ul class="list" style="margin:2px;">
<?php foreach ($as_humanities_faclistRecords as $title): ?>
<?php if ($as_humanities_faclist['department'] != $title['Africana Studies']) { continue; } // skip records which aren't in this category ?>
<li><?php echo $title['title'] ?></li>
<?php endforeach ?>
</ul>
<?php endforeach ?>
<?php endif ?>

now i'm getting the attached results (see attachment )... sigh..LOL
Attachments:

picture-1_005.png 89K

Re: [hordak] Category List with Sub Items

By Jason - May 20, 2010

Hi,


There are a couple of issues here, but they should be pretty easy fixes.

First, you need to change your code where you're creating $titleCount to this:

<?php
$titleCount=array();
foreach($as_humanities_faclistRecords as $title){
@$titleCount[$title['department']]++;
}
?>

The reason for this is that for each iteration of the loop, PHP takes 1 record from $as_humanities_faclistRecords and assigns it to $title.

Now, after that I'm seeing this line in your code:

<?php if (@$titleCount[$department['Africana Studies']]): ?>

This will cause an error because 'Africana Studies' is not a field name in the table.
We need to change this to the kind of values we were using when we created $titleCount, like this:

<?php if (@$titleCount[$department['department']]): ?>
Remember, in this case $department is just a record from $as_humanities_faclistRecords, not a table.

Finally, we need to change the variables that compare so that we skip records that are not in the proper category. So, our final code should look like this:

<?php
$titleCount=array();
foreach($as_humanities_faclistRecords as $title){
@$titleCount[$title['department']]++;
}
?>

<?php if ($as_humanities_faclistRecords): ?>
<div id="popup" style="display: none;"></div>

<?php foreach ($as_humanities_faclistRecords as $department): ?>
<?php if (@$titleCount[$department['department']]): ?>
<span class="text"><strong><?php echo $department['department'] ?></strong></span>
<?php endif ?>

<ul class="list" style="margin:2px;">
<?php foreach ($as_humanities_faclistRecords as $title): ?>
<?php if ($department['department'] != $title['department']) { continue; } // skip records which aren't in this category ?>
<li><?php echo $title['title'] ?></li>
<?php endforeach ?>
</ul>
<?php endforeach ?>
<?php endif ?>

Give this a try and let me know how it goes.

Hope this helps.
---------------------------------------------------
Jason Sauchuk - Project Manager
interactivetools.com

Hire me! Save time by getting our experts to help with your project.
http://www.interactivetools.com/consulting/

Re: [Jason] Category List with Sub Items

By hordak - May 20, 2010

Hey Jason,

Not bad! the department & title are displaying.

Only problem: The array displays multiple duplicate Department/Title entries. It displays 17 duplicate entries. I have seven total faculty listings.

I'm trying to think out the logic; is it because....

The reason for this is that for each iteration of the loop, PHP takes 1 record from $as_humanities_faclistRecords and assigns it to $title.

Shouldn't take 1 record from $as_humanities_faclistRecords and apply it to a department? ($department)

Re: [hordak] Category List with Sub Items

By hordak - May 20, 2010

It's funny... I have 17 department & faculty sets. I have 17 faculty entries ('title' field).