Query based on current issue – how to?

Do you want to set up a new query that fetches posts that are assigned one of the child categories you’ve already pulled with get_categories()?

$categories = get_categories( 'child_of=33&number=1&order=desc' );
foreach ($categories as $category) {
    $child_category_ids[] = $category->cat_ID;
}

$args = array(
    'category__in' => $child_category_ids;
);

$my_query = WP_Query( $args );

Edit: Actually looking at your get_categories() arguments, do you mean to limit the number of returned categories to one? Makes the subsequent foreach loop a bit redundant…

Thanks for your response.

I have an “issues” category that is managed, so that all its subcategories for a particular issue are published on the same date. For example: Volume 4, Issue 1 is a subcategory of issues (and ALL posts for that issue are contained in subcats of it).

So what I want to do is pull the most recently published issue, and then be able to loop through all of the subcategories for that particular issue.

I want to use this to pull up queries for:

1. All posts in each subcat (by subcat) at once (for a table of contents)
2. All posts in a single subcat (for single category sections)
3. All posts and subcategories with posts in a single subcat (for example – there are numerous poetry sections combined under a “poems” category.

My logic is that if I can get the category ID for the most recently published issue – I can use that for my queries.

Ideally, I’d like to have a variable for the current issue’s cat_ID (like $current_issue_ID)that I can write into query_posts, like this:

<?php query_posts(‘orderby=name&order=asc&cat=.'<?php echo $current_issue_ID’.’); ?>

or

<?php wp_list_categories(‘title_li=&orderby=name&order=asc&child_of=.'<?php echo $current_issue_ID’.’); ?>

Anyone? I’m sure I just need to use implode to cast the variable to a string so I can use it in the query loops, but arrays really confuse me, as does syntax.

Thanks!

So your category hierarchy is: Issues -> Volume # Issue # -> Subcategory? Are the parent categories also assigned to each post, or are only the sub-subcategories assigned?

Is the goal to create three custom queries? One that pulls all posts, one that pulls all posts in a single sub-subcategory, and one that pulls all posts that are…well…I’m not sure.

Anyway, to grab an array of categories assigned to the last published post, something like this would do:

$latest_post = current( get_posts( array( 'numberposts' => 1 ) ) );

$categories = get_the_category( $latest_post->ID );

An example of using the returned categories (assuming only one category assigned to each post):

$latest_post = current( get_posts( array( 'numberposts' => 1 ) ) );
$category = current( get_the_category( $latest_post->ID ) );

$args = array(
    'orderby' => 'name',
    'order' => 'ASC',
    'category__in' => array( $category->cat_ID )
);

query_posts( $args );

Edit: In response to the comment left on my site…

The examples I’ve given should be working examples assuming I haven’t made any mistakes; I used an array of arguments instead of a query string. Specifically, category__in is a parameter you can use with any custom queries and doesn’t need to be replaced with anything. I did leave off the code to create a loop with your custom query though.

https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Class_Reference/WP_Query#Parameters

You can keep posting here instead of going to my site. Sometimes I’m slow to post, but I do get all your follow-up posts here by email. ??

(Volume # Issue #) is assigned to each post, and there are general subcategories – for example the subcategory Poems has 7 subcategories.

So for any particular issue:
Volume # Issue #
>Poems
>>Poem type 1
>>poem type 2
>Fiction
>>Short Fiction
>>Long Fiction

etc.

I need to specify the latest post within the issues category. If I could cast the current issue ID into a variable, I could use it in the loops that I know how to use. You know, the ones where you can specify cat_id.

I need to pull all subcategories & posts from the current issue to build a table of contents.

I need to be able to pull a particular subcategory & posts from the current issue.

I need to be able to pull a particular subcategory and its subcategories and posts from the current issue.

Is that clear? I need wordpress to determine the current issue, and then I need to be able to query based on the current issue.

The code I originally posted gives me the current issue. the problem is that I can’t substitute it into syntax that i understand.

for example, this works:

$categories = get_categories('child_of=33&number=1&order=desc');
foreach ($categories as $category) {
$currentissue1 = $category->cat_ID;
$currentissue2 = $category->cat_name;
}

When I enter this:

<?php echo $currentissue1; ?>


It displays the current cat_ID. But it doesn’t work if I do this:

<?php wp_list_categories('orderby=name&show_count=0&use_desc_for_title=0&child_of='.$currentissue1;.'');


Substituting a variable into a query structure i understand would be infinitely more accessible for me than trying to learn new PHP syntax, though I’m willing to try. I attempted the code samples posted, but to no avail. I just get PHP errors.

Mokies. Since it’s set-up the way you want and everything is working, the only problems seem to be with your argument string in wp_list_categories(). Try this instead:

wp_list_categories( 'orderby=name&show_count=0&use_desc_for_title=0&child_of=' . $currentissue1 );

Awesome!

Once again I’m rendered powerless by a single semicolon.

Really appreciate your help. Thank you!

OK! That worked like a charm – NOW I definitely need help with looping through all the categories and posts to create a Table of contents of the posts.

The thing is – All the posts for a current issue belong to a particular cat_ID AND another category.

So what I need is a loop that grabs all the posts in a particular category, and then lists all the posts under their other respective categories.

So, let’s say I have a post in a category named Issue 7 AND also Editor’s Notes, and two posts in Issue 7 AND Short Stories.

I need to show something like this in the TOC:

Issue 7
>Editor’s Notes
>>Title of and link to post

>Short Stories
>>Title and link to Short Story 1
>>Title and link to Short Story 2

Any help for this?

Thanks!