Tricky site setup – possible with WP?

Just set up a test installation of WP and play around. This would work fine with WP.

You’ll use categories. An “Italy” category, a “Toscana” category, a “Siena” category. Categories can have parents, so you would define Italy as Toscana’s parent, and Toscana as Siena’s parent.

Then, when you write a post, just assign it to the appropriate categories.

Everything you describe is possible with WP, though you would need to spend some time customizing your theme.

Thanks a lot, Adam
We’re getting closer to something here.
But – two qestions:

• Does “customizing your theme” include rewriting or modifying php?
  (I don’t know too much about php, but inserting some code snippets should be possible.)
• How do I make just posts assigned to the Toscana category appear automatically and just in the Toscana page?
  I know you can click category links to open a category’s posts, but here Toscana has to appear as a normal link in a normal/main menu – like it is under Italia at Dolcevita.no.

Maybe I’ve just missed something here, even if I’ve used WP for about a year.

Thanks again
Kjetil

Maybe the question is as simple as this:
How can I make posts in one certain category (like Toscana) appear in a page on their own – a page that is accessible directly in the main menu?
(I’m setting up a site with a dropdown main menu. Toscana will be among the links “falling down” when clicking Italia – as it is on Dolcevita today -> “Italia rundt”)
Anyone knows?

Does “customizing your theme” include rewriting or modifying php?

Unless you find a theme you like in the themes directory, you would need to create your own–but you can get by knowing only HTML; PHP knowledge is minimal. Check the “docs” link (above) for tips about theme development.

How can I make posts in one certain category (like Toscana) appear in a page on their own

This is a built-in feature of wordpress. If you click on “blog” at the top of this screen, you will go here:

https://www.ads-software.com/development/

One of that blog’s categories is “releases.” You can see all posts filed under releases here:

https://www.ads-software.com/development/category/releases/

That’s built in.

a page that is accessible directly in the main menu?

Just put a link to the category in your main menu.

kjetilgf

I am looking into the same issue right now… Here is what I think is getting lost Adam,

in my header there is this code: <?php wp_list_pages (‘title_li=’)?> I have the freedom with css to make this appear pretty much in any way. So I have chosen to present my nav bar with drop-down menu items.

As suggested by Adam, I can add a couple lines above or below the list_pages call, like this :
<li class=”cat_item cat-item-4″>Toscana
This allows me to put a link directly to that category in my main menu.

The issue is that the category link can’t go before or after the list_pages call it has to go smack dab in the midddle, in fact the category link has a parent item and has to appear as a drop down item in the main menu amongst pages.

How can this be achieved?

…some ideas I have been playing with are creating a template for an actual page that calls only specific category posts. This way the Toscana page will be managed as a page and will call only posts from the toscana category. I am ok at writing/lifting php, but can’t quite solve this one. Also when you get into heavier layers of main, sub, and sub sub items it begins to really be a pain in the ass sifting through a million pages – categorys are just managed better and offer more unique function to unique categories.

The simplest solution would be one where the category has the same ‘page parent’ drop down list that appears on the ‘write/manage pages’ page, this way the cat can be slotted in anywhere we see fit.

Any help would be appreciated.

If I solve the template solution I will let you know.

Also check out the hot property module in Joomla, I just built a complex site that is very similar to the one your describing. Unfortunately for most of what your describing I think you are destined to having to get your hands dirty with a little PHP.

1 solution found.

You can create a template page, apply it to a page called ‘toscana’ and in the template query a specific category before the loop.

for example –

duplicate page.php, or archive.php, or category.php found in your theme and rename it toscana.php

add the following line at the top of the page: <?php
/*
Template Name: toscana
*/
?>

(this ensures that the page is reckognised as a template in your backend)

next you need to add the query above the loop. The code looks something like this

<?php get_header(); ?>

<?php get_sidebar(); ?>

<div id=”content” class=”container”>

<?php query_posts(‘cat=3’); ?>

<?php if (have_posts()) : ?>

… and then the code continues on below. You have to insert the line <?php query_posts(‘cat=3’); ?>
This will call category 3 – change the # based on whatever # the category you want to display is.

This query ensures that when the database is queried you will only get results from category 3 – queries can also be achieved with titles, ect… more info on queries

Lastly – in the back end of wordpress you need to create a page for toscana, and apply the template toscana – this way you can use your page parent and choose where ever you want this menu item to go.

This solution is all I have at the moment, and works for me because I only need to apply it to one page. Because you are going to have multiple pages with very specific needs I suggest you look up writing a conditional statement in one template for the query. This way your don’t have to write a template for every page.

any other solutions are welcome… thanks