X-Cart forums

[MOTWadmins]

Please, I need to know how to have unique static pages for the first page of each category - almost like a "home page" to introduce each category. This unique static page must be of the "embeded" type, since I do require the main left column with mini cart etc to still be displayed on the left.

i know how to create an embedded page but dont know how to link it to each category menu item.

Our store navigation path is as follows:
enter site onto html page (index.html), that displays a graphical representation of catergories (icons) --> user clicks an icon to enter a category (bypassing the default welcome page) --> user enters our unique home page for this category with sub categories listed in left column.

Any suggestions? I cant find anything like this on the forums...

Thanks
Bart

[balinor]

Hi Bart, I really don't recommend that, as you want your customers to see product as soon as possible. Why not use the Category description area to write the intro? Then if the customer wants to just buy product and not be bothered to have to read something, they don't have to.

[MOTWadmins]

Hi balinor,

You are right about that. What i have though is that when a customer enters a category our client wants to present a page out of their print catalogue on this page together with a short video embedded showing producs for that category. So even though this page will be html it will still have links to real products within the cart.

Is there an easy way to replace the categories first page with a custom htm page embedded? In the left column i will still have the subcategories shown and cart total etc.

I hope this added info helps.

Thanks,
Bart

[balinor]

Not really an easy way, no, as the left menu is automatically linked to the category page. If you wanted to set up static pages for each category, you would need to hard-code the left hand menu to point to the static page first, and then have the link to the real category page in the static page. Again, not recommended, as someone who wants to buy doesn't want to have to sit through a video and view a print catalog page first, but the client is always right, right?

[MOTWadmins]

Is not as bad as it sounds.

Once the site is in production it will be very impressive so remind me so i can post the url.

After pouring for hours in the forums, im wondering if its possible to do it this way:

first the site structure: top has head.tpl
then left side has customer categories, auth, cart, help etc.
then the body has the follwoing:

location.tpl
dialog_message.tpl
customer/home_main.tpl
customer/main/subcategories.tpl
dialog.tpl
customer/main/navigation.tpl

Would it be possible to use some smarty code inserted into one of the above tpls that does the following:

if url is home.php?cat=1 (thats my first caregory i want htm stuff in)
then begin html stuff
html stuff goes here
else just show usual stuff
end if

similarly some code that will be able to show htm stuff in each category page.

Any hope of this? Im not good at writing code but im pretty sure i can adapt if i have something pasted to start with.

[luxor]

You're on the right path as far as relying on the smarty templates.

You can create you're own tpl's with the static page info / code , and then include the tpl file inside category page based on condition of the currently loaded category which I belive should be accessible, and then include the tpls of the product listing, under this etc.

I am not sure if the category is available as a variable you can run a condition on.

If you can, then you can even create your own language variables to be used inside the tpl file you create, and then you would be able to control the content on the 'static section' from web master mode and admin section.

[MOTWadmins]

Hi luxor,

i will try a few things when time permits... also i want to play with the otpion to: Parse Smarty tags in the content of embedded static pages: set to yes.

thanks for your suggestion, it sounds logical so i will go through it.

Regards,
Bart

[MOTWadmins]

OK i gave up, with not enough time and too much effort required i decided that its time to call in the heavies... we ordered custom development from the team to do some work for us an they will have finished the whole job before i can do the single html page i requested...!

Ill share the URL once were done!

Kind regards,
Bart