[ic] Answers Wanted: 2-level categorization: Best strategy?

[Doug Alcorn]

Steve Freitas <sflist@ihonk.com> writes:

> The Construct demo uses, as the manual states, single-level 
> categorization for its items. I would like to change it to support 
> two-level categorization. To provide a practical usage example, here are 
> two categories and subcategories of parts I would like to list:
> 
> Mustang parts
>      Suspension
>      Interior
>      Drivetrain
> 
> Camaro parts
>      Suspension
>      Interior
>      Drivetrain
> 
> ...etc.
> 

I have just finished a catalog that is just like this (but with
cellular telephone accessories).  It was a little tricky, but I
finally got it.

Basically, I used another field in the products table for the
Mustang/Camaro stuff (addl_category in my case).  I then added a form
to one of the template areas that will allow the customer to easily
change from Mustang to Camaro.  This form's submit action is a dummy,
middle page.  The purpose of the middle page is to extract the value
selected and enter it into a scratch variable.  The middle page then
bounces to some predermined page.  Finally, in the code for the left
hand side I had to modify the bar_link subroutine to generate a
coordinated search of the scratch variable and the primary category.

I'm working on getting a site up that will allow you to download all
the little tricks and hacks for IC I've written.  Once I get that done
I will have the code for doing this up.  It may be another week or two
before I'm done.
-- 
 (__) Doug Alcorn (mailto:doug@lathi.net http://www.lathi.net)
 oo / PGP 02B3 1E26 BCF2 9AAF 93F1  61D7 450C B264 3E63 D543
 |_/  If you're a capitalist and you have the best goods and they're
      free, you don't have to proselytize, you just have to wait.