Taxonomy TreeMenu used by NiceMenus does not update/refresh to reflect underlying taxonomy changes

Ok this problem is officially driving me (even more) crazy, and preventing launch of my latest site.
It definitely is not due to NiceMenus, it is the underlying menu maintenance.

In the following example I added three keywords: drupal, content management system, and cms.

I then changed the parents of those terms (so they are under 'computing &it),
and gave some of them multiple parents, and made 'cms' a synonym of 'content management system'.
BTW these actions are not the cause, the update didn't happen even before that.
Clearing caches fails to make a difference, including view cache.

Please see the correct taxonomy picked up by Site Menu (attached image)
and compare with the not-updated menu structure from Taxonomy_TreeMenu.

From http://drupal.org/project/taxonomy_treemenu:

The MVC of Taxonomy Treemenu
Taxonomy Treemenu gathers it's basic information from the Taxonomy. The module hooks in, so unlike Drupal's main menu system, the information is often updated on the fly.

Minimal information is stored discretely. The bundles of Taxonomy information are inserted straight into the menu links table. The structures created there could be regarded as a derived secondary model from which the module works.

I now have at least 4 menus for the TreeMenu, as each time I do a sweep with TaxonomyManager
I have to create a new menu so Taxonomy_TreeMenu picks it up correctly. Now that is not MVC !

Strengths of the project
It just works. Without knowing a thing about menus or routing, without complex consideration, a user can create menus within minutes.

Yes, but what use is that if the updates fail (or achieving it is not well documented) ?

A comprehensive solution - menus in blocks, menus in pages,

No, pages fails when there are multiple parents per term.

For the main coder on this project, Taxonomy Treemenu is still regarded as proof-of-concept. Yet it has always worked. We hope as time goes on the module may start to work for wider audiences and in more generalised situations.

This wider audience needs multiple parents per term, and for synonyms to not trip it up, either.

And from http://drupal.org/project/taxonomy_treemenu:

Previous versions needed Taxonomy Router installed, as a dependancy.

V4.2 is self-sufficient, but will work, to limited extent, with the Views module, if you have it installed.

But it isn't. Please remove that from the page, it is misleading.

V4.2 BETA is an experimental release with some new but as yet unformed Views integration. The Views implementation is rudimentary, and contrary to earlier information, the module still needs Taxonomy Router.

Well then please remove the 'earlier information' to which this is contrary.

Sorry, the attachments:

Update: it is catching new taxonomy terms introduced by free tagging, however it is not catching re-parenting of terms (happens to be performed with Taxonomy Manager, mostly).

Bumping to remind how much I'm looking forward to testing and using a solution.

Ack, yes, I can hear the frustration. So I'll post here too.

Multiple hierarchies don't update automatically. They can be updated only with a manual menu-rebuild.

You are just right. What use is the sheer speed and user-orientated admin of taxonomy treemenu if for one group of users, those with multiple hierarchies, the menus do not automatically update?

So we could say, the module intends a comprehensive solution, but at present is not a solution fully working?

The free tagging bug was fixed quite recently.

The documentation is inconsistent. This is due to the release of a warning after issues were raised on the queue. I suppose it is a personal preference, but I would prefer the documentation to be there, and the warning, than no documentation at all? I find that if I can spot such inconsistencies in documentation, that alerts me to code issues - I don't know if that works for other people? The documentation will be tided up, but that will go along with a new release, which is very much needed, and not just on this issue either - the Views handling needs to be much extended, for example...

"This wider audience needs multiple parents per term, and for synonyms to not trip it up, either."
There you have summed up the basic problem with this module. Your precision in this statement ought to be quoted over the whole project. The fundamentals have been confirmed as something people would really like, but I just don't have the coding power to get there at any speed.

For what it is worth, at this point, your issue has already been addressed in code. But we need to get to a new release.

Rob

Hi Rob,

Thanks for your frank feedback. Well now I have a real puzzle. Do I look into hacking/helping with this one (I have lots of 'coding power', enough to tempt me to write a completely new module from scratch, which is usually faster for me long term), or do I hack/help with Taxonomy Tree ? Do I wait for either or both to handle terms with multiple parents ? And if so, how long should I wait ? And in the meantime can I live with and launch my site using only a Site Menu (which is good at what it does yet inadequate or better said inappropriate for my situation) ?

Anyway, that's now for me to ... stay frustrated about or solve myself it seems.

Hello Webel,

First, after the mess with the V4 releases, I promised to try to stay on the issue queue more. I'm failing to do that - sorry it's taken me so long to reply.

I've got an odd comment to make now, but here goes...

It is my experience that when I find a piece of software, i regard it as useful only if it works there and then. Developers always have a plan, so the code has a direction, one hidden to anyone looking at the software. As a user, I can never guarantee they are heading in the direction I would wish.

Also, I do not know if they are developing in the way I would wish. I once spent some time with a very nice program called 'n-track studio'. But the developer had a way of working which was to sketch out an area of functionality, then release. Inevitably, bugs would come in, and he'd be off doing something else. A problem I had which came on me for V4, and I very much regret the mess over that release.

The bone of it, personal reaction - I'd schedule yourself without relying on code which is only a promise.

Some notes:

There are a several nice site menu modules for Drupal. You sound like you need more, as you are working on a big site, so you'll have to look for efficiency, also...

Taxonomy Treemenu's current direction: deeply regretting the whole V4 mess, I started on a bugfix. Having spotted the multiple hierarchy problem (confirmed by yourself), I started on that. But this is turning into a general re-write of the whole module. I want the things that made version 1 and 2 so inspiring, and I want them back. Have a look at cvs and you'll see just how much is happening. This is bad news for you, as the last thing you want is this module to be starting over.

I'd love it if people would help, level my sporadic development, and tame/give scope to my user orientated direction. But I don't expect that of anyone.

If you are ever around, I'd appreciate testing on a large site. That will be months away, though.

I think most folks are hoping that the patches of functionality this module has shown, and the tragectory of the approach, will sometime gather themselves into the general functionality you picked up on as lacking.

Intruigingly, the long established Taxonomy Menu (a fully functioning module) is moving in the direction of this module. There are deep differences of implementation and maintainership which will probably prevent a merger, for now. But visitors to this issue should probably be aware of that fact.

Rob

@rob thanks rob, have read.

If you are ever around, I'd appreciate testing on a large site. That will be months away, though.

OK, I might be able to help with that, and by then my taxonomy should be very large.

Multiple parents is addressed in Version 5. Keeping this open, for now, until there are some more reports.

Yes, but closing now. If we need to reopen, we need to reopen in light of Version 5.

Automatically closed -- issue fixed for 2 weeks with no activity.

Thanks. I'll try V5 and report back under that.