Linking to a Category.

[SaltedWeb]

I was trying to find where I can link directly to the category. Tried coping the link but didn't work.
Anyone know how to link to a category itself . Not the forum but the category.

Thanks

[Colin]

Hi Diamondcomputer,

Here is how it works. You append the category ID to yourforumurl.com/index.php#c[catidhere]


http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php#c18

[SaltedWeb]

Hmmm my forum test  for c1 went to the portal page.
In fact each mod I try takes me there.

[Colin]

May I have a link to your forum?

[SaltedWeb]

http://www.unitedstatesfirearms.com

The forum access is http://unitedstatesfirearms.com/index.php?action=forum
as the forum button is removed for now.

Thank you

[SaltedWeb]

No luck >?

[Arantor]

Well, then it's just http://unitedstatesfirearms.com/index.php?action=forum#c1

[SaltedWeb]

Hi,

I am looking for the link to the/A  category, the link you provided goes to the forum.

I want to link as an example just to General , not all topics. I guess SMF does not allow linking to the category just child's and the forum kinda weird.

There has to be a work around but not sure yet thanks.

[Arantor]

There is no facility in SMF to link to and display just a single category. There was a mod but I don't know how well it would work with any of the portals or even if works at all these days.

[SaltedWeb]

Do you remember what it was called ?? or kinda named I'll search it.
In XF you can link to them so my assumption was it was possible in SMF .

Thank You

[Arantor]

You say XF does it?

Really?

I just went to XenForo.com, looked at the board index, first category is Official Forums. And the URL... http://xenforo.com/community/#official-forums.1

Same overall style as SMF does. Funny that.

[SaltedWeb]

Yep,
I have a menu mod on my XF that links to to the category no problems.
The menu is actually pretty cool and easy kinda like the
6 Custom buttons / tabs with Sub Menus (4) SMF has and was why I figure there had to be a
way around it. I prefer SMF, if I had it to do over I never would have paid for the XF. 
XF is nice, but the support there and the software is not my cup of tea.

I saw the one mod here at http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=486
Didn't work fails all over lol.

[Arantor]

Considering that XF does the same thing I already outlined - that you link to action=forum and use #c to indicate the category number...

I got that FROM your forum. If you go into a board such as http://unitedstatesfirearms.com/index.php?board=1.0 you see the link tree:

USFA » General Category » General Discussion

I got that link from General Category.

Most of the reason it doesn't really work is because you only have two categories and SMF won't move it far enough down the page.

Compare to http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php#c3 which does.

[SaltedWeb]

I appreciate the help on this, I was thinking it would do something different.
Only show the one category, instead of all of them.

Hmmmm racking my brain a bit.  Seems that expired Mod did show just one Category.
Wish it had worked.

See I am putting header menu to go to specific Categories sio it would give the impression of several forums.
Say one menu went to hunting and Fishing, one to Survival Category's etc. But didn't show the others.

[Kindred]

like this:

http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=486

[SaltedWeb]

Thank you.
Yes,
I tried late last night but gave all fails at install.

[kat]

http://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/Mod_and_Theme_Install_problems#Some_Install_Tests_Failed_or_the_mod_doesn.27t_seem_to_be_all_there

[Arantor]

Or as an alternative thought, http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=3720

[SaltedWeb]

Thanks guys, appreciate it, these mods do not quite nail it thank you for looking .
Parsing on some of these will mean allot of edits. So will have to decide if modifying them is the best choice.

Wish it was easier to just link to the category, I have the menus working all they need to do is point at the category.
Ugggg!

[Kindred]

well, it was never what SMF was designed to do...
Not saying it's right or wrong... just how it is, currently.

as for the errors, IMO, this is a better description of what to do.
http://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/Error_in_mod_installation


Regarding the mod that I linked to...   not sure why it would give a whole bunch of errors, since it was last made for 2.0.2 (unless it uses the preg_replace?)

the tabbed categories works really nicely. I have a version of that one installed on one of my sites.

[Arantor]

I already told you how to link to the category! But it only works if you have more boards, just like it does on this site.

What you want is to display a single category, something SMF always has avoided due to duplicate content penalties.

[SaltedWeb]

I liked the tab idea, my plan was to put the menu on the front page I have and link it to the category's.
The tab would be in the forum not on the front page where I have a portal.
It would give the illusion this was a different forum if I could isolate the categories visually.

I agree I am trying to make SMF do something not intended.  But I was curious if it could be done.
After all we weren't made to go to the moon and manged to get there  hehe

PS the other issue why I can do the modifications I cant find the single category in action, Would hate to spend the afternoon modding to find its not what I need.

[SaltedWeb]

Maybe there is a sub-/child board addition adding to a tree or something. I'll keep poking around.

Thank you for the help. Learned allot about how these Cats work.

[jonesH]

I dare suggest a rather different approach, which might turn out to be cumbersome, if it works at all, but here it goes anyway. The OP is using SP already, so it's possible to create pages that include blocks and have the menus point at the pages. The blocks could maybe be configured to show one Cat per. Makes any sense? I wonder if the SP folks could help out with that.


Edit: additionally, manipulating membergroups and permissions makes it possible to "hide" stuff from certain members and reveal them to others. Again, I feel this is cumbersome and it is perhaps stretching the reasons why certain tools are available in the first place.

[SaltedWeb]

Thanks John,

Appreciate it.  SP, seems to have been asked about a category block, and was an idea I looked at.
No one there has found the code block that apparently at one time existed.

[SaltedWeb]

I already told you how to link to the category! But it only works if you have more boards, just like it does on this site.

What you want is to display a single category, something SMF always has avoided due to duplicate content penalties.

I understood your answer, but it still would show the alternate boards with it. I would like them to not appear at all.
I am trying subforums to see if I can figure that one out so far its being slightly illusive as well.

[Kindred]

the sumforums mod would seem to be complete overkill... it's about setting up boards on different subdomains, not just displaying a single category.

[SaltedWeb]

the sumforums mod would seem to be complete overkill... it's about setting up boards on different subdomains, not just displaying a single category.

Yep and its proving to be a pain in my backside.  If only Categories had a static url LOL.
Oddly today I thought Id copy paste the urls in my menu and be long on my way to setting them up.
I am trying to do something pretty simple but is not appearing that way.

[Arantor]

They do have a static URL...

[SaltedWeb]

 
I do not find a place to copy that to without opening the forum ( showing all categories) though as we discussed earlier.  Your earlier solution is what is needed but just viewing the one category and not seeing the others. It may end up being my only alternative, but was hoping for a cleaner look as the plan will have allot of boards. ( 40 or so )There was a mod that made the child a link and that may work making the boards appear smaller and then use your idea. Its not perfect but may work unless I want to do allot of editing.

[Arantor]

If copy/pasting a link is too much effort, any other solution is even more so. Best of luck to you.

[SaltedWeb]

If copy/pasting a link is too much effort, any other solution is even more so. Best of luck to you.

LOL thats not what I said, I was going ti use the Mod child link you made.
But it had errors too. I used the emulators on it. And it corrupted the default theme.

I'll close this thread as there is no real solution and the mod that used to do this is long dead.

[Kindred]

ummm....     the display single category works just fine... it just needd 3 tweaks to work properly with 2.0.8
I made the tweaks myself... and was going to post them in the support thread, but then noticed that dougiefresh alreayd did the changes AND created a ne package that will install correctly on 2.0.8

http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=118299.msg3718780#msg3718780

works just fine...
http://test.turtleshellprod.com/index.php?c=2
http://test.turtleshellprod.com/index.php?c=3

[jonesH]

Beautiful, indeed!...

[Steve]

Hmm ... I come up with an error ...

Posting in mod thread ...

[SaltedWeb]

I ended up using the mod Tabbed Categories.
It allows one category or as many as you create. I was then able to set my button menus to link
on the tabs for the Tabbed Categories. It created them upon mod install very cool.
This allows it to appear I have several forums operating under one website,, by using the button menu
a member clicks the menu and goes to the category which is clean and looks like different forums and does not look like anything like it did prior so is a win win.