By venkat-rk on

A few questions that I am posting here rather than as a category support request, for the benefit of other category.module users who may have similar doubts:

  1. I have some child containers under a container. I just realised that these should have been categories instead. Is there a simple way to convert these child containers into categories?
    (You can't tag a node with containers/child containers, only categories- by the way, this is a nice point to keep in mind when you are undecided whether to create something as a container or category. The question to ask is: do you want to tag a node with what you are creating? If yes, the answer is a category, if no, it can be a container. But, I digress)
  2. Do child containers inherit the node type settings of the parent container? If I select 'story', 'page' and 'event' as the node types in a parent container, do all the child containers automatically inherit and respect this selection or should I manually enable these node types in all the child containers? I realise that it is tremendously flexible to be able to define suspect it is the former, but I just want to be sure.
  3. Do I need to enable the 'container' and 'category' node types in the 'Container information' settings of each container?

Sorry if some of these doubts seem silly.

⋅ Categories: Drupal 4.7.x

Comments

wellsy’s picture

wellsy commented

taxonomy is sometimes very confusing but it becomes clearer with use....well I think I am clear about it now

category is another name for 'vocabulary'

child containers, containers are other words for 'term'

You must first make a vocabulary (obviously) then you can add 'terms' to that vocabulary. IE: children.

Terms can also have terms which are their children (you set this by editing the term)

I think it best if you have a look at the taxonomy setup on my orchid site and it all may become clearer.

http://www.orchidsonline.com.au/interactive/node/3097

Remember this is actually based on the true taxonomic classification of orchids into subfamilies, and then in tribes, subtribes, alliances and then genera. Familiarise yourself with these principles and drupal taxonomy makes more sense.

NOTE: I have only taken my taxonomy to the subtribe level.

So if you were to visit my admin/taxonomy (categories) you would find for the vocabulary Orchidaceae.

Orchidaceae personal blog entry, book page, forum topic, image, page, story edit vocabulary add term preview form
Orchidaceae (edit term)
-- Apostasioideae (edit term)
-- Cypripedioideae (edit term)
-- Epidendroideae (edit term)
---- Subfamily Higher EPIDENDROIDEAE (edit term)
---- ARETHUSEAE (edit term)
------ ARETHUSINAE (edit term)

Note the first term (child) is called Orchidaceae

Then there are child terms Apostasioideae, Cypripedioideae, Epidendroideae who contain no children.

Then the term Epidendroideae which contains some child terms (lots in fact-see the link I posted)

In answer to your questions.

1) is NO. You need to create the vocabularies first.

2) is definitely yes they inherit the settings for the vocabulary (see my listing for Orchidaceae above)
In my case it can be of content type personal blog entry, book page, forum topic, image, page, story.

3) This is the same question as 2) isn't it? Yes if it is. (If not please restate the question)

Hope that helps in some way.

wellsy

orchidsonline.com.au

venkat-rk’s picture

venkat-rk commented

Thanks! Really appreciate the effort you took for that reply. I wonder, though, if I should have been clearer that I am using the category module and not taxonomy!

So, my questions were actually:

1.) I created the vocabulary (container) first and then its child containers. I realised that I now need the child containers to be actually categories, not containers. So, is there a way to easily convert them (child containers) into categories?

2.) is fine for taxonomy module, but, in category module, you can enable content types independent of the parent container- that is, the child container can have content types different from its parent containers. I want to know whether if I do this (enable a diff content type for the child container), it means that the child container now has enabled content types of its parent container + its own.

3.) This isn't the same as qn.2. Unlike the taxonomy module where neither vocabularies nor its terms are drupal nodes, in the category module, both containers and categories are *also* drupal nodes. I wanted to know if it is necessary to enable these content types or whether they are enabled by default (even without checking them under 'Container information' settings) when I create a container or category.

wellsy’s picture

wellsy commented

I have had no experience with the category module.

Just read your re-phrased questions and then visited the website and a quick read (only once LOL) left me with the impression that it all sounds so complicated.

The core taxonomy module is already complicated but to me in combination with the book module it seems to work extremely well....for me anyway.

My only (small) gripe with the book module is that when you have books with up around 3000+ pages it is a painstaking job to set the outline of a new piece of content.

Anyway sorry to waste your time!

wellsy

orchidsonline.com.au

venkat-rk’s picture

venkat-rk commented

My only (small) gripe with the book module is that when you have books with up around 3000+ pages it is a painstaking job to set the outline of a new piece of content.

Here is how category module can help you, if you ever decide to switch;-)

venkat-rk’s picture

venkat-rk commented

Does the category module automatically create menu blocks based on the containers/categories set up? It appears not, but I had assumed it does and cheerfully misled someone to this effect a few days ago in the forums.

I suppose one can still rearrange create a menu block by manually creating a menu at admin>>menu and rearranging the menu items.

tyswan’s picture

tyswan commented

I think so.

If I add a container, I can automatically nominate for it to appear in the main navigation block, or elsewhere in the menusystem (under another menu item, for example). Any child category or container I add beneath that also appears.

If they're not appearing, perhaps you need to put something in the body - I find that many of the settings arne't enabled unless there's a body.

If you've misled someone, then I'm propogating your misinformation.

Cheers
Tys.

venkat-rk’s picture

venkat-rk commented

Thanks, Tys.

Jaza clarified that category does *not* automatically create menu blocks. However, if you enable the menu settings in category menu, the links to containers/categories do appear on the main navigation or elsewhere, as you rightly noted.

Jaza’s picture

Jaza commented

To answer your questions, Ramdak:

1. I have some child containers under a container. I just realised that these should have been categories instead. Is there a simple way to convert these child containers into categories?

No - but I am planning to develop a simple module for exactly this purpose (i.e. to turn a category into a container, and vice versa).

2. Do child containers inherit the node type settings of the parent container? If I select 'story', 'page' and 'event' as the node types in a parent container, do all the child containers automatically inherit and respect this selection or should I manually enable these node types in all the child containers? I realise that it is tremendously flexible to be able to define suspect it is the former, but I just want to be sure.

No, they do not inherit settings.

3. Do I need to enable the 'container' and 'category' node types in the 'Container information' settings of each container?

No. If you enable these node types, then you will be able to tag your categories with other categories, or tag your containers with categories. The category module allows you to do this (i.e. to 'categorise your categories'), but it is not advisable, and I haven't heard of anyone who's actually found a practical reason for doing it.

Does the category module automatically create menu blocks based on the containers/categories set up? It appears not, but I had assumed it does and cheerfully misled someone to this effect a few days ago in the forums.

Yes - if you enable category_menu, and configure your containers properly. Category_menu simply creates menu items in your database. It is not responsible for actually generating a navigation block from these menus - that is left to the core menu module. To view the menu items that get generated by category_menu, go to 'administer -> menus' on your site. To enable a menu block, go to 'administer -> blocks'.

Hope all that helps.

Jeremy Epstein - GreenAsh

Jeremy Epstein - GreenAsh

venkat-rk’s picture

venkat-rk commented

Thanks a ton for the answers, Jaza. I am sure they will also help others with similar doubts.

gogogo’s picture

gogogo commented

HI
You probably know it already, but if you dont, I found this site http://category.greenash.net.au/ extrememly helpful when installing category.

My question relates to whether it's currently possible to use a module that limits who can post to, or edit, category content. I have cac_lite, which only seems to help me with access. If anyone could help me, that would be wonderful!
Cheers

venkat-rk’s picture

venkat-rk commented

Thanks. Yes, I am aware of the site too.

I haven't yet tried any access control module, so I am not really sure which module can help you. May be taxonomy_access, but Jaza lists it as only partially working with category module.

gogogo’s picture

gogogo commented

Great! Yes, that site was a lifesaver while I was installing.
I tried taxonomy access, but it only works with the old categories and not the categories made under the category module. If there's a module underway that will allow edit/delete restrictions based on the new category module (or if there's one that I just not seeing), that would be great!