Text filter on categories

-- HikaShop version -- : Business: 2.4.0
-- Joomla version -- : 3.2.3
-- PHP version -- : 5.3.3

Hello.
Is there any way to do a filter on categories with a text field ?.
Let me explain myself, I have a book store and I use categories to set the book Authors in order to prevent repeat authors names and because we need set filters by author. We have more than 200 diferent authors and nothing but Text type is valid for us due to number of categories we have.

All what we need is a filter that applies like category search at categories section in the backend. Is it posible?

Hello, I configure HikaShop Categories search plugin (category_search.jpg), but where can I Ifind Joomla search module in order to enable it?

I look for it at my Joomla Modules and Hikashop Modules but I can't find it.

Regards

Hello, Nicolas.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but your solution implies to use two independent searches one for products and one for categories (joomla search)?.

But what I need is a combined search (combined_search.jpg) in which a user can refine searches typing multiple search criteria.

I need to aply for authors a filter like:
select ... where category like '%...%' ...
instead of:
select ... where category = '...' ...
that it seems to use when you select a category in a drop down list.

Can I modify/generate some code to do this?

Regards

Thank you Jerome, I try to do a pluging based on your explanation in order to do this, because for my client, author searches are critical

Regards.

Hello Jerome.

When I tried to do a plugin based on your explanation I found several problems and I changed the approach to my problem.
Instead of doing a search plugin, I add a custom field to my product table in order to do a filter based in this custom field. Then, I developed a product plugin based on "onBeforeProductCreate" and "onBeforeProductUpdate" triggers, in wich I look for authors categories, and concatenate its "category_name" fields saving this value in my custom field as you can see in next code:

function onBeforeProductCreate($productData, $do){
		$autores='';
		$primero=true;
		foreach ($productData->categories as $categoria){
			$class = hikashop_get('class.category');
			$cate = $class->get((string) $categoria);
			if ($cate->category_parent_id == JText::_('CAT_AUTORES')){ 
				if ($primero){
					$autores=$autores.$cate->category_name;
					$primero=false;
				}else{
					$autores=$autores.'; '.$cate->category_name;
				}
			}
		}
		$productData->autores=$autores;
		
		return true;
	}

Ok, then, I saw your " Create you own mass action plugin " tutorial.

Can I program a mass action plugin to do this action with every product after import from a CSV file?.

If answer is wes, what functions may I program?
Note I want to do the actions I have described before, with all products (I think, I don't need filters)

In addition, looking for information, I see /plugins/hikashop/massaction_product/massaction_product.php file and inside this code I found "onBeforeProductCreate" and "onBeforeProductUpdate" functions.

Are these the functions wich I shoud override in my mass action plugin?

Thanks in advance.

Thanks Nicolas. I'll try it.

Regards

Hello, again. Yesterday I finished my first mass action plugin AND IT WORKS!!. For this reason I consider this thread closed

Thanks again.