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Category rules

A category rule gives the products of one Phoca Cart category a layout of their own.

Which layout a product uses

For each product page, the first of these that applies wins:

OrderWhatSet where
1The layout a menu item chosethe menu item (Layouts)
2The rule of the product's categoryCategory rules on the layouts list
3The default layoutDefault layout on the layouts list
4Phoca's own pagenothing applies

The product's category is the one the page shows it in. A product in several categories uses the category the visitor came through, or else the first category Phoca Cart gives it (the one its breadcrumbs show).

Add or change a rule

  1. Under Category rules, go to Add or change a rule.
  2. In Category, choose the category. Sub-categories show with their path, for example "Toys / Outdoor".
  3. In Layout, choose a layout, or Phoca's own page.
  4. In Applies to, choose This category and its sub-categories or This category only.
  5. Press Save the rule. A message says the rule is saved, and the rule shows in the list above the form.

To remove a rule, press its remove button in the list. Its products then follow the next rule, or the default layout.

Watch it: give a category its own layout

A video of about 22 seconds, with no sound (MP4; also as WebM). Its steps:

  1. On the layouts list, go to Category rules.
  2. Under Add or change a rule, choose the Category.
  3. In Layout, choose a layout: here Story page.
  4. In Applies to, keep This category and its sub-categories, or choose This category only.
  5. Press Save the rule.
  6. A message says the rule is saved.
  7. The rule shows in the list above the form.

The Category rules section at 1400 pixels wide, light colours, with one rule in its list and the form below it

Sub-categories

With This category and its sub-categories, every category under it uses the same layout, unless one of them has a rule of its own: the nearest rule always wins. The list shows Sub-categories too for such a rule.

A rule of Phoca's own page stops there: those products show Phoca's own page, even when there is a default layout.

Example

Your toy shop has a category "Toys" with a sub-category "Outdoor".

  • A rule gives "Toys" the layout "Story page", for this category and its sub-categories.
  • A rule gives "Outdoor" the layout "Gallery wide", for this category only.

A product in "Outdoor" uses "Gallery wide". A product in "Toys", or in any other sub-category of "Toys", uses "Story page". Every other product uses the default layout.

The checks of the rules

Checks of the category rules on the layouts list warn about:

  • a rule for a category that is no longer in the shop;
  • a rule naming a layout that is gone or has a problem (those products then use the default layout);
  • a rule for a category that is not published;
  • rules saved while Use on this template is not in place (no product page uses them yet).

The Category rules section in dark colours

Joomla's cache

Saving or removing a rule clears Phoca Cart's cached product pages for you. If Joomla's caching is on and you move a product to another category in Phoca Cart, clear the cache in "System, Clear Cache" so its page picks up the new rule.

Next: Module positions.