Cat_menu: Hidden Containers and Breadcrumbs

One quick clarification. I meant that category_pathauto had been generally broken as a result of some patches, probably to fix cat_menu issues. I didn't specifically mean hidden containers. Sorry for the confusion. I have only had the breadcrumbs issues since applying your patches. Or so it appears:-)

I am going to test again with a old version of category.module to sort this out.

I think this patch http://drupal.org/node/65654 also will have influence on this problem.

Update:

I upgraded the catgory module to the latest version (v 1.100.2.20 2006/09/25 13:35:46 ) using Bdragon's tips on IRC. The problem of vanishing breadcrumbs persists.

In the attached screenshot, you can see the node and its alias having been created and the url shows the hierarchy quite nicely. But, the breadcrumb trail is missing. 'Projects' is a container and the stuff under it are categories.

How to reproduce:

1.) Enable pathauto and category pathauto modules. Placeholder settings are [categorypath] for containers and categories and [categorypathfirst] for node type (say, Story).
2.) Create a container under a hidden container or root.
3.) Enable the story node type.
4.) In cat_menu settings, enable 'menu items for container' and disable 'menu items for assigned nodes' and save the container
5.) Create several categories under the container.
6.) Create a story node, tagging it with one of the categories in this container
7.) The node and its pathalias are created, the url points correctlly to the cat hierarchy but the breadcrumb trail points just to home.

I initially had 'Projects', under a hidden container, so I moved it to being a child of <root> to eliminate that as the source of the problem. It didn't have any impact, however, on whether the breadcrumbs displayed or not.

Pathauto module used is also the latest (v 1.22.2.4 2006/09/15 00:11:26 )

Problem solved!

On a hunch, I decided to change the 'menu items for assigned nodes' setting from disabled to 'breadcrumbs only'. The breadcrumbs show fine now, at least for containers directly under <root>. Screenshot attached

But -and I don't know if this is a big but or if it matters- this behaviour is new.

Prior to the recent updates, it was only necessary to enable the menu item settings for assigned nodes if you were NOT using cat_pathauto, but still wanted breadcrumbs or the cat_menu tree to traverse the cat_hierarchy trail right upto the node level. If you were using cat_pathauto, you could simply turn this setting off (especially as there are issues people have reported for large sites where menu items for assigned nodes, though disabled, could potentially slow down the site) and still have the category module generate the breadcrumbs (along with the aliases) right upto the node level. I am not competent to debate this:-)

I am going to test this now by moving 'Projects' back to a hidden container.

Breadcrumbs display fine even after I moved the 'Projects' container from having root as parent to a hidden container as parent.

I also tested this with another hidden container that had just one category within it and nothing else. I changed the cat_menu settings of that hidden container and the breadcrumbs work in that scenario as well. Screenshot of this attached. 'News' is the only category of this hidden container.

Also works with this crazy method to give each container its own menu block outside of the admin navigation menu tree.

Sure, the category with which the post is tagged (orphanage, in this case) is not highlighted in the navigation, but I recall kiteatlas submitting an issue against the drupal menu system that suggested this was a menu module bug rather than a cat_menu bug.

To sum up:

Provided 'menu items for assigned nodes' is enabled to display breadcrumbs, the latest version of category module displays correct breadcrumbs right down to the node view level in the following situations:

1.) Container is under root, has several categories and a node is created and tagged with one of those categories
2.) Container with categories is under a hidden container and a node is created and tagged with a category
3.) A node is tagged with a category which is the only one in a hidden container.
4.) A node is tagged with one of several categories under a container which in turn is under a hidden container and is set up in the way shown in the multiple root menus tutorial referenced in a previous post to get its own menu block outside the admin navigation menu tree.

I would consider this issue closed except for the question about whether or not menu items for assigned nodes should be generated (but disabled). This seems to be a precondition for the new category module to generate and display breadcrumbs correctly, especially when using cat_pathauto, unlike previously.

Also, this is currently tested only with story node type, but I have no reason to think it won't work with other node types.

I just read this whilst in pursuit of another riddle and thought I'd wade-in with some feedback, just in case it helps (or further confuses ;)).

I have 'menu items within this container', just simply enabled.

I have 'menu items for assigned nodes', again, just simply enabled.

I have:

[Hidden container]
[Category]
[Sub-category]
[Node]

... I've been manually adding to each level of this tree and I've not noticed any discrepancy in the breadcrumb-trail.

However, the way in which I added to each level was not in the usual way because I was testing something out.

What I first had was essentially a flat category-structure:

[Hidden container]
[Category] [Category]

Then, I (later) slipped the second category beneath the first to create the hierarchy.

Now, I really don't know if that's material or not but I'm that desperate for straws to clutch that anything seems suspicious ATM :o

(I did notice a discrepancy with the breadcrumb trail last night but I don't want to pollute this thread with that because I can't remember what methodology I was using - I know it was a different one however).

changing the title and adding the specific component to tidy-up the queue a bit, since there are different ways to generate breadcrumbs togheter with Category (category.module and drupal only, category_menu.module, category_breadcrumb).

conclusions of similar issue at http://drupal.org/node/73830 (you can find screenshots there):

#17 submitted by Ramdak on July 26, 2006 - 16:45

Okay, I experimented further with the setup I described in #14 of this thread. It does seem that that hidden child containers mess up the breadcrumbs trail. Here is an example:

Container (menu items enabled; assigned nodes enabled *breadcrumbs*)
-Hidden child container-1 (menu items enabled; assigned nodes enabled *breadcrumbs*)
-News (child category of hidden child container)
-Hidden child container-2 (child container of 'news' category; menu settings as above)
-Alerts (category1)
-Announcements (category2)
-Condolences (category3)
When I create a story node and tag it with 'News' and 'Announcements, I expect the breadcrumb trail to be Home > Container Name > News > Announcements on the node page. Instead, it is Home > Container Name > News only.

Worse, when I click on 'Alerts' in the ToC generated by category_display, the expanded view of the container breaks and the breadcrumb trail breaks completely and is just Home: (screenshot attached)

Or, is this just wrong use of the hidden containers?

Here is the issue I am running into. I have three hidden containers: Section, Categoy and Subsection. The categories from Section are the distant parents for Category. The categories for Subcategory are the distan parents for Category. This gets active select working nicely and creates the hierarchy. I would like to make it possible for users to post to the categories in all of the containers. Under Category menu items I have Menu items for assigned nodes: set to Enabled (breadcrumbs only) for all containers.

The problem is that if something is posted to either Category or Subcategory, the breadcrumb path stops and Section and the menu item is created in the Section container. It seem that only one container can have menu items for assigned nodes enabled, otherwise the hierarchy in the menu and breadcrumbs is not properly generated. Is anyone else experiencing this or have a workaround?