Creating a new Top Sub Section List Layout

[Mark Fresh]

Hi

I would like my online catalogue page (home page) to have it's own Top Sub Section List Layout but I can;t suss out how to do it.

When creating a new Section Link layout I go to the Catalog Details - Online Catalogue tab, Layout, Section, click on the drop down next to Section Link layout and at the bottom of the list is <new>, this will create an new Section Link layout, easy. This <new> option is not available on the Top Sub Section List Layout dropdown.

The test site can be seen here: http://www.dogstage.co.uk/acatalog/index1.html

When you go to a subsection e.g. http://www.dogstage.co.uk/acatalog/L...ear_Range.html that is correct, however that home page should have picture images on the listings but I can't get the home pge to use a different Top Sub Section List Layout.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Mark

[leehack]

If you create a new section link layout, that will only be available in the section link layout selector. If you are wanting to create a new sub section list layout, then you need to create your new layout in that group, you're in the wrong place. If it doesn't show in the list of choices, open up the selector, select the values tab and move it into the available choices.

[Mark Fresh]

Hi

In the "Section Link Layout" selector "Hompage List" is selected, however the Layout Code tab says Standard Sub Section List, it doesn't seem to offer a Homepage list to edit. Should there be a Homepage List in the Design Tree?

Also where is the values tab that you mention? The Top Sub Section List Layout selector only shows Use Parent (=Standard Sub Section List), No Layout, Standard Sub Section List and Standard Sub Section List with Dividers.

Thanks for your help

Mark

[leehack]

Perhaps it would be a better idea to tell us what you are trying to do, what you're explaining is making no sense to me i'm afraid. You can't create a new layout in one particular list and expect that to populate another random list. As already outlined you need to create a new layout in the list where you want to select it.

Section link layout and top sub section list layout are entirely different areas, both doing different things, there is no cross over.

[Mark Fresh]

OK, sorry for the confusion, I'll start again.

I want the main links on the home page (listed under the content tree as Online Catalogue) to have a different background images to the main links on the sub sections. I have a style in the style sheet that will do this so I need the styles links on the homepage layout to be different to the sub section layout. To do this I believe we have to create a new Section Link Layout for the home page. (I may have been mistaken thinking it was a new Top Sub Section List Layout that was needed)

I have attached a screen shot that shows the home page and that the section link layout is selected (ladieswear). The Section Link Layout selector shows Homepage list (highlighted) but the layout code tab underneath shows Subpage Layout (highlighted), but I would expect it to show Homepage list.

Thanks

Mark

[leehack]

Top level sections are sited at "sectionlevel1", there's a preset condition for this. So if you get clever with a blockif you have have the exact same layout and have the condition look to see if it is at level 1 and if so change the css class applied. All you need to do is then maintain 2 classes all via one layout.

Pseudo example:

class="getmeoutofhereBlockIfagain/Block"

then have classes:

.getmeoutofhere {blah blah}

and

.getmeoutofhereagain {blah blah}

And you will then have a dynamic layout auto adjusting to the level at which it is showing - da dah!

[Mark Fresh]

I see what you're saying but I really need to have a different code (as well as the css) on that home page, but for some reason we can't get the Homepage list layout code tab to appear at the bottom, it keeps showing the sub-page list code (as shown the attachement).

[leehack]

Create 2 different section link layouts, apply the one for the top level sections in site options and then manually apply the other layout to the sections below the top level sections then. I think you might be falling foul of the confusion when you select a section that you are seeing inside of that, not at it.

I must say though i'm either being a numpty or your explanations are still a little vague cos i'm still a bit confused. I know what would really confirm what you're on about and that's a picture of both so we can see the changes you are trying to achieve. Sorry, if i'm not helping too much but your explanation is very vague.

[Mark Fresh]

I appreciate this, I'm just finding the lingo confusing and confusing you whilst I'm at it.

Attached is a screen shot of (roughly)how the home page should look like. A subsection of that will look like http://www.dogstage.co.uk/acatalog/L...ear_Range.html

Currently the home page is using the same layout (to display the subsections) as the subsections page is (to display its subsections). I want the home page to to display images for the subsections, not just the brown box with text.

Hope that's better

[leehack]

Right, now I understand. The main problem now is that the best way for you to do this, may need you out of your actinic comfort zone, i'm not sure how much you know, but i'll let you know how i'd look to do it.

Firstly i favour one layout for all levels as much as possible, using actinic conditions, variables and blockifs, you can still get that one single layout to look very different, even though it is all from one layout.

So....I'd have one master layout that did both of what you need (for both levels), but i'd only get one or the other showing dependent on at which level i was. For instance, your image is at level 1, so i'd have a condition around that so that it showed if i was on level 1 in the site. I'd have a condition around the other part that showed if level was greater than 1. This way the layout reacts to the level then and you only have one overall layout.

To get the image showing on the "shop top", i'd either define a section image (done on the section itself) and use that within some css or you could set up a section level variable which held the background image to be used on each of the layouts and fill those out (client can then change them quite easily to).

That's just a couple of ideas, there's probably ten ways of doing this, the manual way would be to create the individual section link layouts required and then apply these manually to the sections themselves. You do not need to touch the sub section list layouts to do this, just the section link layouts are needed whichever method you choose. One assumes you already have 2 different layouts to be showing things differently anyway?

[Mark Fresh]

OK, thanks, we'll have a go today and over the weekend and see how we got on. Appreciate your help on this.

Mark

[Mark Fresh]

ok, my colleague sussed it... "We had the right idea what we were trying to do, we were just applying it to the wrong page, it pulls the “Section link layout” from the child.

So for the second level categories these are actually set as “Homepage list” and the third level “Subpage list”, we were setting the second level categories as “Subpage list”.

It's now working http://www.dogstage.co.uk/acatalog/index1.html

Thanks again for your help

[leehack]

That will be the 'falling foul' confusion i mentioned earlier, many get stuck on this, it does make sense though, just not logical to the brain. "looking inside" not "looking at" is the issue.