Assigning Alternate Navigation Set to Prods/Categories using Alternate Display Pages

[lesliekirk]

I need to use an alternate navigation set for a number of categories and products. I was thinking it would just be easier to create two Alternate Pages, one for the categories and one for the products, then assign it as needed. With layouts of old, I would have been able to just change the navbar token in the Alternate Page. With Iron & Wool ReadyTheme (and with the others) the <mvt:item name="navbar" /> token is in the Global Header. I think I just need to get my conditionals right and it might work. I don't link using <mvt:if expr="l.settings:page:code NE 'alternate_page_code"> will work, so how do I go about getting it to recognize the Alternate Display Page assigned at the category or product level?

[Matt Zimmermann]

The Navigation Bar item calls in a ReadyTheme Navigation Set. You should be able to put your conditionals in the Navigation Bar to call different ReadyTheme Navigation Sets.

[lesliekirk]

The Navigation Bar item calls in a ReadyTheme Navigation Set. You should be able to put your conditionals in the Navigation Bar to call different ReadyTheme Navigation Sets.

That's where I did put <mvt:if expr="l.settings:page:code NE 'alternate_page_code"> but when I went to the category that had the Alternate Dispaly Page assigned, it didn't work.

[Matt Zimmermann]

Usually that conditional would work. You might try having the conditional be by the category or product code. Assuming you are using navigation sets within the conditional, do you have ReadyThemes assigned to the new pages?

[lesliekirk]

Usually that conditional would work. You might try having the conditional be by the category or product code. Assuming you are using navigation sets within the conditional, do you have ReadyThemes assigned to the new pages?

Yes, the ReadyTheme item is assigned to the new pages. Doing it by the product code will become quite cumbersome as there are at least 1000 products that need to use this Navigation Set.

[Bruce - PhosphorMedia]

I don't see where are getting l.settings:page:code to match. Using token viewer or inspector, I only see the page code reference as the Screen="" variable in the l.settings:urls array. But, heck, I just spent only 10 minutes looking so there's that.

[lesliekirk]

I don't see where are getting l.settings:page:code to match. Using token viewer or inspector, I only see the page code reference as the Screen="" variable in the l.settings:urls array. But, heck, I just spent only 10 minutes looking so there's that.

Thanks Bruce - much appreciated. So I still need to find a way to be able to dynamically use an alternate nav bar. I guess I could hard code the Global Header into the Alternate Page...but that would really suck...

[Matt Zimmermann]

I have run through some tests and been able to make it work. The important part is that the conditional is case-sensitive.
With an alternate page code of CTGY_PARTS, this works:

<mvt:if expr="l.settings:page:code NE 'CTGY_PARTS'">
this is not a parts page
<mvt:elseif expr="l.settings:page:code EQ 'CTGY_PARTS'">
this is a parts page!!!!
</mvt:if>

Whereas this will fail:

<mvt:if expr="l.settings:page:code NE 'CTGY_parts'">
this is not a parts page
<mvt:elseif expr="l.settings:page:code EQ 'CTGY_parts'">
this is a parts page!!!!
</mvt:if>

[lesliekirk]

Thanks Matt, I've got it working. Now I have to figure out what site I tried adding this code to. Every trace of the work I did, is not in the site that I was pretty darn sure I was working in...

[Bruce - PhosphorMedia]

Which reminds me. I'd love the ability to "protect" a template. Mostly to ensure that complex functionality doesn't get un-intentionally changed as has happened in the past. I have started using a separate page template to place these complex features (sort of like a "function repository" which is also great cause I can just load that template onto a new site and have all my little custom widgets available).

[lesliekirk]

Which reminds me. I'd love the ability to "protect" a template. Mostly to ensure that complex functionality doesn't get un-intentionally changed as has happened in the past. I have started using a separate page template to place these complex features (sort of like a "function repository" which is also great cause I can just load that template onto a new site and have all my little custom widgets available).

Putting custom stuff off on it's own is a really good idea. I get a little twitchy when I have to work around customized work that relates to a third party module.