Product in unpublished category shows under brands

-- url of the page with the problem -- : local
-- HikaShop version -- : 2.3.4
-- Joomla version -- : 3.3.6
-- PHP version -- : 5.4.19
-- Browser(s) name and version -- : any
-- Error-message(debug-mod must be tuned on) -- : none

Hi again,

I have an unpublished product category to hide certain products from showing in frontend listing menus and modules. After solving some mystery months ago here it works fine, indeed: products in this category do not show in typical listings.

Except, I just noticed that they still do show in brand listings. I have a brand listing where, if you click on the brand name/image, the products of the respective brands show. Unfortunately also those which are in the unpublished category are listed, though.

I've even moved the unpublished category under "Root" (so it's not under "Product category" anymore), but it doesn't help.

My brand listing settings and associated module here attached. I hope I didn't overlook anything in the configuration, but since the content in the unpublished category doesn't show up elsewhere, I'm positive that all is cool at my end. And then I hope we agree that brand listings shouldn't pull from unpublished categories, either...

Please help...

P.S.: Yes, the products in the unpublished category are only in this one category, not in any other one.

Hi Nicolas,

Hmm, that's not the response I expected. I'm somehow trying to understand your statement, but it doesn't want to sink in. Why, in a branded world, is the brand less important than other product details (description, price, images, etc)? Why then offering the brand/manufacturer 'layer' and not make it a custom field? Why does selecting a brand (of all product details) cause the product to display, even though a 'higher priority' condition should result in it not showing? Why different rules for brand listings than for (other) product listings (after all, under brands it is also a product listing module showing what should typically be hidden)?

See, it's not about using unpublished categories "for a product that you never want to be listed on a products listing", as you're assuming. If I wanted to do this, the product would never get entered in the first place, or remain itself unpublished. (Oh well, following your argument, even an unpublished product should probably be listed under its brand, if it has one selected... )

Instead, let's look at this from a practical angle, please, instead of philosophies and assumptions: Unpublished categories are required and indispensably necessary for temporary storage of products.

Proof? Here you go, and please correct me if I'm wrong:

In HikaMarket (HM), I let vendors add products, but want to approve them before they are getting published. Because, for obvious reasons, I need to allow a vendor unpublishing a product (but not publishing it), but the ACL in HM allows only both unpublishing and publishing, I already need a workaround for product categories, can not make the regular tree of published categories accessible for vendors, but have to 'route' them to a special unpublished category when they add a product - the unpublished category I call 'stand-by' for this reason. Thankfully, this can be configured easily in HM's backend. Still, 'approval' means moving the new product to the final, published category and making sure the product itself is published, too.

Approval is not a single click only (blame Jerome? ), now I also have to make up a workaround for brands?! I.e. use a custom field only for vendor frontend and admin backend, where vendor enters the brand, then I have to assign the 'real' brand again when approving = moving/publishing? Because HikaShop claims brand listings make only sense if all products are displayed, category unpublished or not

While the workaround via custom field is possible (and presently the only way out), of course, it causes an extra step in the process, promptly requires an extra paragraph in the client's manual (unnecessarily), obviously bears risks for errors/oversights (if nothing else, potentially leading to products not showing up in brand listings even if published), plus I can think of many more throats that your argument won't go down easily, if at all.

So... sorry, but not happy. Long story short, if my lines didn't convince you to come up with something benefitting the masses, what code do I change/amend/delete to hide products with brand not only in regular listings but also in brand listings under the condition that the product category is unpublished?

Again, both sorry and thanks...

@Nicolas:

With Jerome on the case and HM possibly not causing dependency on hidden categories much longer, there's one argument remaining - IMHO a big one:

In the convention of Joomla and all extensions I can think of, "publish/unpublish" is unmistakeably defined.

So, no matter what the reason or intention for unpublishing a category or whatever, if I say "unpublish", then that must rule and be true. Whatever is unpublished must not appear anywhere. It must be highest priority condition in the system, and I must be able to 100% rely on it without needing to fear that something unpublished is still showing up in some area of the website.
No other condition, such as the presence of a brand name, must be able to overrule unpublishing. If that were the case (as is now), how could I trust the system? If I must fear that unpublished content does get published somewhere still, things become unreliable and, worst case, useless.

If you see reason for a (lower priority) conditions to override unpublishing, then there must be at least a big warning that can't be overlooked ("Selecting a brand name will display the product in brand listings, no matter the publishing state of its category!") right there along with both the publishing switch and the lower priority condition.
Since that's not a very practical solution, better do not use the terms "published/unpublished" for what is indeed a different function.

However, best stick with the convention: Something being not published results in exactly that. All the time. Everywhere.

Thank you!

@Jerome:

Thanks for jumping in!

I don't think you'd want to take this any further here in the HikaShop forum, so if you don't mind, I'll make it a thread in the HikaMarket section. See you over there!

Jerome wrote: The simple fact that a product is multiple category make that the "publish/unpublish" state is read from the product, not from the category.

Dear Jerome,

I really appreciate you trying here, but in my initial post here I also said

I've even moved the unpublished category under "Root" (so it's not under "Product category" anymore), but it doesn't help.