• CW Multicategories

Installation & Guide

ComponentPluginJoomla 3Joomla 2.5Joomla 4Alpha

Install the component:

Download CW Multicategories and install - component.

And thats all. Just one click install and all is done.

Since version 3.7.4.1 - Install file contains following group of component + plugins:

  • CW Multicategories (component)
  • System - CW Multicats Plugin
  • System - MVC Override for CW Multicats
  • Content CW Multicats - Page Navigation
  • Ajax - CW Multicats
  • Quick Icon - CW Multicats Updates Notification

All is ONE-CLICK install and plugins will be installed and activated during compononent installation.

Configure component's settings

If you want to change settings in some way:

  • Default Category - Pre-defined default category when creating article
  • Use active category for article routing - If set yes, article links will be routed to current category - can be used for category blogs etc.
  • Fields - active update during category change - If set yes, category changes in articles form will result in dynamic update of form for updating Custom Fields immediately upon category change. If set NO, changes will apply only after saving the article.
  • Use Canonical URL - SEO feature - you can turn on/off Using canonical URLs - If enabled, article detail from the first selected category will be pointed as main content URL and details from other categories will be marked with canonical meta tag pointing on first category article detail link, preventing duplicite content for search engines.
  • HTML Tag - sets the HTML tag for the category title in Article's info-block
  • Category Separator - separator between categories in Article's info-block

Articles tab - settings for Multicategory Blog which is new custom Menu Item Type for displaying articles from more categories. 

  • Fit categories - All x Any - if articles has to belong to all or any of selected categories

Layout type removed since version 3.5.1.6

This gallery is done by CW Article Gallery plugin

Features:

  • Featured articles, Blog view, Article view - articles have all categories displayed, linking into the correct category view
  • Page navigation - in the article detail view routing correctly within the current category - even if article has multiple categories assigned
  • Administration - Articles list displaying all assigned categories

Support Activation settings

Since version 3.9.2.3 you can gain access to direct updates from Joomla updater.

You just need to go to Components - CW Multicats - Options and fill your License Key to your subscription under user account with valid subscription. You can find your License Key under menu My Subscriptions in user menu (right top corner on website).

For older versions is used following authorization process:

Go to Components - CW Multicats - Options and fill your Subscription ID and Login credentials to your user account with valid subscription. You can find your Subscription ID under menu My Subscriptions in user menu (right top corner on website).

Article Edit Form

there is a changed Category Field that will allow to select multiple categories. You can choose from two Layouts - Smart Chosen or Standard (removed since v3.5.1.6 - only Chosen layout stays)

#SMART Chosen Layout

Creating New Category right in the Category selectbox in article edit - Since version 3.6.0.3

smart selectbox which newly brings possibility to sort category order by drag and drop functionality(only in J3.x version of 3.4.6.14+)

This is how will look like Article Edit Form in Backend

You can use autocomplete search filter feature. You can also sort selected categories by Drag and Drop.

Multicategory is available also in Frontend Article Edit Form.

#Standard Layout - removed since version 3.5.1.6

Standard layout is the OLD layout created in first versions of CW Multicategories for Joomla 2.5. We recommend to use Chosen layout as it is usually without issues and much faster to work with in overall.

In article edit/create form view - you can see a button for category selection and list of selected categories in green bubbles.

You can also remove assigned categories by clicking on black/white cross icon.

Since v3.1.11 (2.6.10 for J2.5): Drag and drop sorting of categories

Select categories via button - Modal window

You can see modal window with list of categories with all the functionality like in Categories view - pagination and filtering. You can also see a list of selected categories (IDs and Titles)

To confirm selection - we click on Submit button - after that category list in edit form will get updated

Also available in Frontend

Multicategory Blog

Since version 3.4.6.11 !

NOTE: Not available under J4 currently

New menu item for CW Multicats component. Multicategory Blog - possibility to set up blog for displaying articles from multiple categories. Possible to set if article has to belong to all selected categories or at least any of them.

Administration - configuration

In Components - CW MCats - go to Options, where you can enable/disable creating canonical urls. It solves the problem with considering multiple URLs for one article as duplicite content by Google robots while indexing. If you want on purpose to have indexed all urls for such article in all categories, set this parameter as disabled.

ACL

Using native Joomla ACL offers setting access permissions to different usergroups and access levels, so you can hide the component from the Components menu in administration (doesnt have effect on functionality - which still remains active).

Multi-language

CW Multicategories offers using language files.

Article modules compatibility

Best way to keep compatiblity of using CW Multicategories with Article module for displaying Articles is to use CW News Module offering plenty of amazing settings and layouts. Joomla Native modules are fully compatible.

Administration - List of Articles

Now let's see how will look like articles list in administration.

Now we can see in column Categories in list of articles view all categories in which is our article published and we have filtered "Animals" category - marked with red color

Try filter another category

Our article is now published also in "Nature". So lets try filter view for this category.

And we can see that our article is now visible also in this category

Sort the list in backend by ordering

you should follow the guide from screenshot - by 3 steps you will set correct filters to get sorted list of articles. Why you need to select a category? Because Articles can belong to more categories and each category has own articles ordering then. In one category can be article as first and in other assigned category can be set as 5th.

Ordering with multicategorized articles

  • if you set for frontend menu type Category Blog - then dont forget that there is settings for 
    Category Order(primary) - this must be set to NO ORDER
    Articles Order(secondary) - this you can set to desired collumn (date, ID, ordering, ...) 

    ..and why primary order to "no order"? Because articles can have more categories and therefore it will sort articles by their category and then by articles ordering.

 

Bonus - Preview Button

Article Preview button functionality added to Toolbar!

Available after saving article

You can use button to click for opening modal popup window view preview of how article looks on site or you can use right click and open in new window for full view.

Templates - using custom template

If you are using custom Joomla template on your site and you dont see all assigned categories in your blog or article detail page - it is probably because your template has override files for com_content native template files.

In that case you will find them in /templates/{yourtemplatename}/html/com_content/

Check the folders and you will find custom files like:

  • /templates/{yourtemplatename}/html/com_content/archive/default_items.php
  • /templates/{yourtemplatename}/html/com_content/article/default.php
  • /templates/{yourtemplatename}/html/com_content/category/blog_item.php
  • /templates/{yourtemplatename}/html/com_content/featured/default_item.php

In these files should be a place in code, where is mentioned a category title link. Usually like:

<dd class="category-name">
...something here...
</dd>

replace it by:

<dd class="category-name">
<?php
//multicats
require_once JPATH_SITE . '/components/com_multicats/helpers/content.php';
echo MulticatsContentHelper::getCategoryNames($this->item->id,$params->get('link_category'));
?>
</div>

Remember to check the code if there is mentioned $this->item->id or $item->id and use the correct variable definition.

This will show all assigned categories to the article.

Since version 3.5.1.6:

1) Please check folder /administrator/components/com_multicats/copy/templates/protostar/html/
2) Then check your template folder /templates/{yourtemplatefolder}/html/
3) Copy folder from 1) into 2) ...if there are already such files, backup them first! If needed more assistance, open support ticket.

ISSUES Since new version 3.5.1.6?

Question#1 - Other 3rd party plugins making TABs in article edit form are not loaded

ANSWER:
Content - CW Multicats plugin is re-loading the article form, it is NEEDED to pay attention on CONTENT plugins order. Place this plugin above other 3rd party content plugins - so they will load AFTER CW Multicats are initialized.

Supported extensions

You may find downloads to some of supported extensions here (not all that are solved under ticket support system are added there though)

SUPPORTED EXTENSIONS

Compatibility

  • Supported compatibility for Joomla 3.x
  • Compatiblity for Joomla 2.5 - development stopped with version J2.5.28

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