Automatic parent population with child nodes

Automatic parent population with child nodes: In other words, when you click "add child category" this function will retrieve the data from the parent category and auto populate it, streamlining the category posting process immensly.

I wasn't sure how to post this, but after mentioning it within 5 minutes I got a request for a post. So I'm going ahead and posting the code I used to do this feature. This is as far as I am concerned a hack, but it hasn't failed me yet. Programming this was more fun than a clown car on fire, I hope you enjoy it as much as me. :)

NOTE: I take no responsibility in what this code will do to you're version of drupal and the category module. Use it at your own risk. That being said please backup you're modules before applying code from strange people. Onto the code!

Category.inc
First a new function for the category.inc file. This function checks for parent's if the variable it retrieves is empty. The idea behind it? Basically if you have a parent variable, and it's full, why recheck?

/**
 * Retrieves the parent node from the address bar  - stopchick
 *
 * @param $parentCheck
 *   Variable used and examined to see if there are parent variables already.
 *
 * @return
 *   parent ID from the address bar if there arent parents
 */
function category_check_for_parents($parentCheck) {

	if(empty($parentCheck)){
		$queryThing = $_GET['q'];
		$qPieces = explode("/", $queryThing);
		$parents = array(array_pop($qPieces));
		return $parents;
	}

	return $parentCheck;
}

-------------------------------------------

Next were going to go to the "category_get_form" function, once there were gonna scroll wayyyy down to the area that looks like this:

  $blank = '<'. t('root') .'>';
  $hierarchy = 1;
  $parents = array();
  $exclude = array();
  $default_parent = 0;

  if ($node->nid || $node->cnid) {
    $parents = category_get_parents($node->nid);
    $hierarchy = $is_cat ? (isset($node->hierarchy) ? $node->hierarchy : 1) : variable_get('category_distant_containers', 1);

    // This makes the parent element have all possible options on submit,
    // to prevent validation errors with activeselect.
    if (!$activeselect && $is_cat) {
      $default_parent = $node->cnid;
    }

    if (empty($parents) && $node->cnid) {
      $parents[] = $node->cnid;
    }
  }

...and we want to add some code and make it look like this:

  $blank = '<'. t('root') .'>';  //qxz0001: populates parents in category outline adder//stopchick
  $hierarchy = 1;
  $parents = array();
  $exclude = array();
  $default_parent = 0;

  if ($node->nid || $node->cnid) {
    $parents = category_get_parents($node->nid);
	
	
//stopchick code below.  This snippet forces the parent of a new category to take the parent item in the address bar.

    for($i=0;$i<count($parents);$i++){
      $parents[$i] = $parents[$i]->cid;
    }

	if(!$parents){ 
		$parents = category_check_for_parents($parents); //Function that checks if there are parents in the URL and if not, sends back empty
	}

//end stopchick

    $hierarchy = $is_cat ? (isset($node->hierarchy) ? $node->hierarchy : 1) : variable_get('category_distant_containers', 1);

    // This makes the parent element have all possible options on submit,
    // to prevent validation errors with activeselect.
    if (!$activeselect && $is_cat) {
      $default_parent = $node->cnid;
    }

    if (empty($parents) && $node->cnid) {
      $parents[] = $node->cnid;
    }
  }

.o.o.O.o.o.
-------------------------------------------

category.module
Next it's time to edit the main module, no new functions in here, just a couple places to reference parents.
If you run a search you should find a bit of code that looks like this...

        else {
          $node_cats = array();
          foreach ($cats as $cat) {
            if ($cat->cnid == $container->cid) {
              $node_cats[] = $cat->cid;
            }
          }
          if (isset($default_cat)) {
            $node_cats[] = $default_cat;
          }
          if (empty($node_cats)) {
            $node_cats = NULL;
          }

          $form['category'][$container->cid] = category_form_node($container->cid, $node_cats, $container->help, 'category');  
          $form['category'][$container->cid]['#weight'] = $container->weight;
        }
      }

Were going to add one line in and make it look like this...

        else {
          $node_cats = array();
          foreach ($cats as $cat) {
            if ($cat->cnid == $container->cid) {
              $node_cats[] = $cat->cid;
            }
          }
          if (isset($default_cat)) {
            $node_cats[] = $default_cat;
          }
          if (empty($node_cats)) {
            $node_cats = NULL;
          }

          $form['category'][$container->cid] = category_form_node($container->cid, $node_cats, $container->help, 'category');
		  
	    $form['category'][$container->cid]['#default_value'] = category_check_for_parents($form['category'][$container->cid]['#default_value']); 
	    //Homebrew function by JonathanDStopchick
		  
          $form['category'][$container->cid]['#weight'] = $container->weight;
        }
      }

-------------------------------------------

In the function _category_category_select change it from...

  $options = _category_category_select_options($cnid, $multiple, $blank, $value, $exclude);

  return array(
    '#type' => 'select',
    '#title' => $title,
    '#default_value' => $value,
    '#options' => $options,
    '#description' => $description,
    '#multiple' => $multiple,
    '#size' => $multiple ? min(12, count($options)) : 0,
    '#required' => TRUE,
  );

...to the following

  $options = _category_category_select_options($cnid, $multiple, $blank, $value, $exclude);

    if(!$value){//stopchick - parents check
		$value = category_check_for_parents($value); //Function that checks if there are parents in the URL and if not, sends back empty
	}
	

  return array(
    '#type' => 'select',
    '#title' => $title,
    '#default_value' => $value,
    '#options' => $options,
    '#description' => $description,
    '#multiple' => $multiple,
    '#size' => $multiple ? min(12, count($options)) : 0,
    '#required' => TRUE,
  );

...and that's it, that bit of code should allow you have an automatic parent check. Plus the function can be useful for other purposes!!! :-P OO is fun!