Manufacturer Category Filter

[XxWickedxX]

I am making this new thread because it better identifies what the problem is. I use a template and when you click on a category it is supposed to display manufacturer filter. The area for the drop down list shows but no drop down list is visible. How do I fix this or where do I start looking.. To read some more information about this issue before I figured out exactly how to label it take a look at this thread.

 

http://www.oscommerce.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=316928

[burt]

Contact the Template Provider. Ask for updated files.

[XxWickedxX]

Well I have done very minor changes since uploading the template from template monster. I change the admin values to my liking and even went back and played back and forth with the manufacturer settings in the admin panel to ensure I did not disable it in some way. Other than that an uploading a few images I have done nothing else. Since the category filter was located in my admin panel I assume it is a stock feature with the installation and figured someone here might know what to look for..

 

A fresh install and starting over is my last resort at the moment... If I did a fresh install though would keeping the database in tact save my admin settings?

[burt]

Once you install a template (particularly the crap code from Template Monster), you are on your own - so go back to Template Monster and get a new file from them.

 

FYI: download a clean version of RC2a, and compare the index.php file to your templated index.php file.

 

It's a mistake to install a template when you know so little about what's under the hood of osCommerce.

[XxWickedxX]

How nice of you to state I know very little about OSC after my being here for 2 years and have used it even longer.. Very professional of you. As well thanks for treating people who chose to use a template like the outcast that are not allowed to get help... I will say thanks for your replies however I do not require any more of your assistance.

[Kanie]

Whilst I don't agree with the "once you've got a template you're on your own" mentality, it is hard to offer any proper advice in most cases because of the truly 'hacked-at' code.

 

Here is the code that generates the filter list from index.php..

 

// optional Product List Filter
if (PRODUCT_LIST_FILTER > 0) {
  if (isset($HTTP_GET_VARS['manufacturers_id'])) {
	$filterlist_sql = "select distinct c.categories_id as id, cd.categories_name as name from " . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p, " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_TO_CATEGORIES . " p2c, " . TABLE_CATEGORIES . " c, " . TABLE_CATEGORIES_DESCRIPTION . " cd where p.products_status = '1' and p.products_id = p2c.products_id and p2c.categories_id = c.categories_id and p2c.categories_id = cd.categories_id and cd.language_id = '" . (int)$languages_id . "' and p.manufacturers_id = '" . (int)$HTTP_GET_VARS['manufacturers_id'] . "' order by cd.categories_name";
  } else {
	$filterlist_sql= "select distinct m.manufacturers_id as id, m.manufacturers_name as name from " . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p, " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_TO_CATEGORIES . " p2c, " . TABLE_MANUFACTURERS . " m where p.products_status = '1' and p.manufacturers_id = m.manufacturers_id and p.products_id = p2c.products_id and p2c.categories_id = '" . (int)$current_category_id . "' order by m.manufacturers_name";
  }
  $filterlist_query = tep_db_query($filterlist_sql);
  if (tep_db_num_rows($filterlist_query) > 1) {
	echo '			<td align="center" class="main">' . tep_draw_form('filter', FILENAME_DEFAULT, 'get') . TEXT_SHOW . ' ';
	if (isset($HTTP_GET_VARS['manufacturers_id'])) {
	  echo tep_draw_hidden_field('manufacturers_id', $HTTP_GET_VARS['manufacturers_id']);
	  $options = array(array('id' => '', 'text' => TEXT_ALL_CATEGORIES));
	} else {
	  echo tep_draw_hidden_field('cPath', $cPath);
	  $options = array(array('id' => '', 'text' => TEXT_ALL_MANUFACTURERS));
	}
	echo tep_draw_hidden_field('sort', $HTTP_GET_VARS['sort']);
	while ($filterlist = tep_db_fetch_array($filterlist_query)) {
	  $options[] = array('id' => $filterlist['id'], 'text' => $filterlist['name']);
	}
	echo tep_draw_pull_down_menu('filter_id', $options, (isset($HTTP_GET_VARS['filter_id']) ? $HTTP_GET_VARS['filter_id'] : ''), 'onchange="this.form.submit()"');
	echo tep_hide_session_id() . '</form></td>' . "\n";
  }
}

[XxWickedxX]

Thank you Adam.. I will take that and compare it to the "hacked at" code to see the differences.. I understand proper advise is hard when dealing with code inside of a template. I have been editing osc templates for a couple years now and surely agree with that. This one just caught me on a snag and I do appreciate your kind post..

 

Thanks again.

[burt]

I suppose that my advice of "download a clean version of RC2a, and compare the index.php file to your templated index.php file" was something you either ignored or just didn't grasp the concept of comparing something that does not work against something that does. Ho hum.

 

And for those who do help with people who buy TM templates, know that you are doing osCommerce a dis-service and that you are doing those who buy TM templates a dis-service in the long run.

[XxWickedxX]

Well essentially I bought the design work from TM not the osc script. I have contributed to the community here on occasion when I run across someones question that I know something about. I am not asking for this community to stand as a TM support forum but rather help someone who has helped others in the past and who has contributed where I can. As far as your advise to compare the index files I did grasp what you said but found it hard to get past the brick wall you put in front of that information. As well other than the core elements there are few similarities with the two. Thank you for your input.

[Kanie]

"And for those who do help with people who buy TM templates, know that you are doing osCommerce a dis-service and that you are doing those who buy TM templates a dis-service in the long run."

I'm doing osCommerce a disservice? The guy asked for a little help, which we both said we said we couldn't provide an exact answer for, but it took me all of 30 seconds to post the block of code that would point him in the right direction. If that's doing osCommerce a disservice then I guess most of my other posts have been too.

 

I don't see the need to blackball people who purchase templates because blackballing them won't make them stop. Once they have spent their money 99 times out of 100 they are going to find a way to use it, buggy or not. The least we can do is help those who can be helped. If you don't want to help then fine, you don't have to.

 

Let's be honest, if osCommerce was easy to use and template out of the box then people wouldn't have to purchase templates.

[burt]

Let's be honest, if osCommerce was easy to use and template out of the box then people wouldn't have to purchase templates.

 

But it is easy to template - if only people would go that one step further than they are comfortable with.

 

I'm doing osCommerce a disservice?

In the long-run, yes. You allow people who buy buggy code to get the answers to their questions without doing any work and without going back to the provider of the buggy code to complain about it. And when providers don't get complaints, they don't fix things now or in the future.

 

The least we can do is direct these people back to the template provider in order to get the help they need - and the help that they PAID for.

[Kanie]

"But it is easy to template - if only people would go that one step further than they are comfortable with."

But that's the point, they're not comfortable with it. If that is the mentality you feel every store owner should have then myself, and most probably yourself, would be out of an income.

 

The facts really are simple - I can't think of a major CMS where the script developers don't offer good quality, free templates to use with the script, but osCommerce doesn't. Sure there are some templates in the Contributions section, but most of them aren't very good and many don't provide screenshots on the information/download page. So for people who don't even know where to start and can't afford a developer to do it for them, these templates from Template Monster and such are their only option. Now, if Template Monster had a big disclaimer on their site saying, "These templates may look good, but they're based on an old code base that, if anything goes wrong with, we don't support", I'm sure they would think twice of making the purchase.

 

We both know full well that Template Monster won't provide any real help with any questions nor will they ever stop selling out-dated, buggy templates despite how many complaints we direct their way. So the buyers of whose templates who are now stuck with a buggy template have little option and most won't "chalk this one up to a lesson learned" because of their financial input.

 

If osCommerce was intuitive to use and template straight from the box with an abundance of easily accessible, high quality, free templates directly from their website then we wouldn't have half this problem.

[burt]

I can only agree with everything you just said!

 

You know that it will never happen - TM will go on selling awful coded templates full of bugs because people will keep buying them. When we help people fix the problems here, we perpetuate the problem that TM is causing. By sending more and more people back to TM, both TM and the buyer will (eventually, hopefully) realise that what they buy/sell is crap and take steps to fix it, or stop buying.

 

The more posts in this forum that say " TM is crap code, get support directly from the vendor", the more times people will search the forums/google, find these posts and maybe, just maybe, not purchase from TM.

 

What is really needed is for the people who are good with graphics and active in this forum to get together and set up a SUPPORTED osC Templates site, but that's a subject that cannot really be raised within this forum as it would be against the antiquated forum "rules".

[Kanie]

"The more posts in this forum that say " TM is crap code, get support directly from the vendor", the more times people will search the forums/google, find these posts and maybe, just maybe, not purchase from TM."

Agreed, but that's putting it in the hands of chance. What is needed is more 'official', but that's unlikely to happen.

 

"What is really needed is for the people who are good with graphics and active in this forum to get together and set up a SUPPORTED osC Templates site, but that's a subject that cannot really be raised within this forum as it would be against the antiquated forum "rules"."

Again, agreed. From what I can see the forum rules don't prevent discussing the possibility, just using the forum as a promotion tool.

[XxWickedxX]

As well I see all the points being made here even though its my thread and I was the one looking for a hand. I have resolved the issue I was having by doing a fresh download and install. As well I know about the buggy code sales. I bought about a year ago for MS2. It certainly had its perks and gave me a challenge. Also the next thing I face is trying to update an MS2 template to current versions so that it is PHP5 compatible in the future.. The latest template I bought and we are discussing here is the most recent version of OSC + plus what they threw in there. So far this time around has been better and If I recall they are putting some notation on older version templates and phasing them out.. I do believe they are slowly getting the message. I just needed a quick solution and building my own or facing the facts that Adam said when looking at Contrib Templates was just not an option for me. I am certainly on board with the reason you have burt and agree with it. But I am going to do what I can to help others template or no template when I know something about what is being asked.