Using a drop down list of categories with search.php
Hi David,
Love your product! It's been a joy to use.
I wanted to add a drop down list of categories as part of the main site search. The intention is a user enters a search term such as "beanie hats" and they want to search within the "Hats and Accessories" category.
I saw in the query string:
"search.php?q=category:Hats and Accessories&select=all"
So I can get it to return all items in a category but I was unsure of the query that would enable me to search within the category.
Many thanks,
George
Fantastic - one quick one - once the user has done a search, can you just show me the code to ensure the selected category is selected in the drop down still?
Thanks again!
Hi,
In html/searchform.php, in place of:
foreach($rows as $row)
{
print "<option value='".$row["category"]."'>".$row["category"]."</option>";
}...use:
foreach($rows as $row)
{
$selected = (($row["category"]==$_GET["category"])?"selected='selected'":"");
print "<option value='".$row["category"]."' ".$selected.">".$row["category"]."</option>";
}(i've added this into the code above)
Cheers,
David.
Hi David,
That's great - works well.
Just a heads up - I think you may have meant searchform.php not searchresults.php (just in case someone else wants to do the same).
Thanks!
George
Ooops yes - corrected above...!
Cheers,
David.
Hello David,i cant see that strings in the latest search.php script,so i don t know where i must to do the changes,can you help me please? Thank you.
Hi,
The above instructions refer to the distribution version of search.php in the latest release (11/09A). If that is the version you are running and you have made changes to your copy already the lines will have moved, so if you're not sure if you want to email me your copy I'll make the changes for you.
Otherwise, here are the same change to search.php described for the original version of Price Tapestry (retrospectively named as 01/06A).
Look for the following code on line 79:
$sql = "SELECT * , MIN( price ) AS minPrice, MAX( price ) AS maxPrice, COUNT( id ) AS numMerchants, MATCH name AGAINST ('".database_safe($parts[0])."') AS relevance FROM `".$config_databaseTablePrefix."products` WHERE MATCH name AGAINST ('".database_safe($parts[0])."') GROUP BY name";...and REPLACE with:
if ($_GET["category"])
{
$sql = "SELECT * , MIN( price ) AS minPrice, MAX( price ) AS maxPrice, COUNT( id ) AS numMerchants, MATCH name AGAINST ('".database_safe($parts[0])."') AS relevance FROM `".$config_databaseTablePrefix."products` WHERE MATCH name AGAINST ('".database_safe($parts[0])."') AND category='".database_safe($_GET["category"])."' GROUP BY name";
$sqlResultCount = "SELECT COUNT(DISTINCT(name)) as resultcount FROM `".$config_databaseTablePrefix."products` WHERE MATCH name AGAINST ('".database_safe($parts[0])."') AND category='".database_safe($_GET["category"])."'";
}
else
{
$sql = "SELECT * , MIN( price ) AS minPrice, MAX( price ) AS maxPrice, COUNT( id ) AS numMerchants, MATCH name AGAINST ('".database_safe($parts[0])."') AS relevance FROM `".$config_databaseTablePrefix."products` WHERE MATCH name AGAINST ('".database_safe($parts[0])."') GROUP BY name";
$sqlResultCount = "SELECT COUNT(DISTINCT(name)) as resultcount FROM `".$config_databaseTablePrefix."products` WHERE MATCH name AGAINST ('".database_safe($parts[0])."')";
}Look for the following code on line 96:
$sql = "SELECT * , MIN( price ) AS minPrice, MAX( price ) AS maxPrice, COUNT( id ) AS numMerchants FROM `".$config_databaseTablePrefix."products` WHERE ".$where." GROUP BY name";
$sqlResultCount = "SELECT COUNT(DISTINCT(name)) as resultcount FROM `".$config_databaseTablePrefix."products` WHERE ".$where;...and REPLACE with:
if ($_GET["category"])
{
$sql = "SELECT * , MIN( price ) AS minPrice, MAX( price ) AS maxPrice, COUNT( id ) AS numMerchants FROM `".$config_databaseTablePrefix."products` WHERE ".$where." AND category='".database_safe($_GET["category"])."' GROUP BY name";
$sqlResultCount = "SELECT COUNT(DISTINCT(name)) as resultcount FROM `".$config_databaseTablePrefix."products` WHERE ".$where." AND category='".database_safe($_GET["category"])."';
}
else
{
$sql = "SELECT * , MIN( price ) AS minPrice, MAX( price ) AS maxPrice, COUNT( id ) AS numMerchants FROM `".$config_databaseTablePrefix."products` WHERE ".$where." GROUP BY name";
$sqlResultCount = "SELECT COUNT(DISTINCT(name)) as resultcount FROM `".$config_databaseTablePrefix."products` WHERE ".$where;
}Look for the following code on line 130:
$sortHREF = $config_baseHREF."search.php?q=".urlencode($q)."&page=1&sort=";...and REPLACE with
if ($_GET["category"])
{
$sortHREF = $config_baseHREF."search.php?q=".urlencode($q)."&page=1&sort=";
}
else
{
$sortHREF = $config_baseHREF."search.php?q=".urlencode($q)."&category=".urlencode($_GET["category"])."&page=1&sort=";
}...and finally look for the following code on line 196:
if (isset($navigation)) require("html/navigation.php");...and REPLACE with:
if ($_GET["category"])
{
$sort .= "&category=".urlencode($_GET["category"]);
}
if (isset($navigation)) require("html/navigation.php");Cheers,
David.
I emailed you...can t find that changes.. Thank you.
Hi,
I will look out for your email, but nothing received at this time...
Cheers,
David.
Got it - thanks!
I will follow up to your email.
Cheers,
David.
I've put this mod in with my site running version 11/09 and it works a treat, but if you don't enter anything in the search box but you do select a category, no results appear.
Is there a way that you can show 'all results' for the category, if no search term has been entered but a category has been selected?
Hello bat,
Sure - in your search.php, look for the following code near the top, after the filters have all been processed to create the $priceWhere variable:
if ($q)...and REPLACE that with:
if ($categoryFilter && !$q)
{
$q = "bw:";
}
if ($q)The bw: operator is "begins with", so bw: will return all products; and in this case of course filtered by categoryFilter...
Hope this helps!
Cheers,
David.
--
PriceTapestry.com
Hi David
I've replaced the code but it doesn't seem to have done anything.
The website it is on is: {link saved}
Hi bat,
Could you email me your search.php and I'll check it out for you..
Cheers,
David.
--
PriceTapestry.com
Hi David,
Is there a way to embed this in an external search? Reason is that I'm trying to make a search option on my homepage - in a Wordpress widget (inclusing php as text).
What I would like to do is let the visitor select a category from an option list and the select the (available, so updated) brands. After that the search button can be pressed for all the searchresults.
So after selecting a category the brandslist will be activated and will show all the available brands in the chosen category... This leaves me with a problem.. The search must be done in the "background".
I've made a mock-up of this feature {link saved}, using the externalfilters you once got me... (mock-up including some Ajax waiting icon, that's a nice to have..)
Can you please help me with this?
Thanks!
Koen
Hi George,
Thank you for your comments. Try the following as a complete replacement for html/searchform.php
<div class='searchform'><form name='search' action='<?php print $config_baseHREF ?>search.php'>
<input type='text' name='q' id='q' size='35' value='<?php print (isset($q)?$q:""); ?>' />
<?php
$sql = "SELECT DISTINCT(category) as category FROM `".$config_databaseTablePrefix."products` ORDER BY category";
if (database_querySelect($sql,$rows))
{
print "<select name='category'>";
print "<option value=''>All categories</option>";
foreach($rows as $row)
{
$selected = (($row["category"]==$_GET["category"])?"selected='selected'":"");
print "<option value='".$row["category"]."' ".$selected.">".$row["category"]."</option>";
}
print "</select> ";
}
?>
<input type='submit' value='<?php print translate("Search"); ?>' />
</form>
</div>
...and then make the following changes to search.php (latest version)
Look for the following code on line 155:
$where = "MATCH ".$matchFields." AGAINST ('".database_safe($parts[0])."')";...and REPLACE with:
$where = "MATCH ".$matchFields." AGAINST ('".database_safe($parts[0])."')";if ($_GET["category"])
{
$where .= " AND category='".database_safe($_GET["category"])."'";
}
Look for the following code on line 193:
$where = implode(" AND ",$wheres);...and REPLACE with:
$where = implode(" AND ",$wheres);if ($_GET["category"])
{
$where .= " AND category='".database_safe($_GET["category"])."'";
}
Look for the following code on line 236:
$sortHREF .= "sort=";...and REPLACE with
if ($_GET["category"]){
$sortHREF .= "&category=".urlencode($_GET["category"])."&";
}
$sortHREF .= "sort=";
...and finally look for the following code on line 306:
require("html/navigation.php");...and REPLACE with:
if ($_GET["category"]){
$sort .= "&category=".urlencode($_GET["category"]);
}
require("html/navigation.php");
Cheers,
David.