Magento – Add block to category page

blockscategoryce-1.7.0.2layout

I want to add a custom block to the category pages and not care if the the category is anchor or not or if it has children or not.
I want to add that block at the bottom of the page after the product list or static block.
So I added this in the layout file

<catalog_category_view>
    <reference name="content">
        <block type="some/block" tempalate="some/template.phtml" after="-" /><!-- notice the "after" attribute -->
     </reference>
</catalog_category_view>

the block appears in every category page but at the top of the page.
If I change the layout handle to catalog_category_default or catalog_category_layered everything works OK and I see my block at the bottom of the page.
Any idea why "after" is ignored for catalog_category_view handle?
Note: Using the default magento theme

Best Answer

I think I've isolated the problem.
The catalog_category_view layout handle is loaded before the _layered or _default handle and the block are generated in the order they are found. So my custom block is generated and inserted into the content before the category/view block found in the _layered handle.
So the 'after' attribute is taken into consideration and my block is added last at that point.
But then comes the _layered layout handle and because the category/view block does not have a before or after specified it is inserted like this:

$parentBlock->append($block, $alias);

That is the same thing as

$this->insert($block, '', true, $alias);

The same code is executed when after="-" is specified. So it's like category/view has after="-" specified.
This does not occur when the blocks are in the same layout handle, because usually the custom module layout handle is loaded after the one from catalog.xml.

Related Solutions

Magento – Can’t Add Child Block to product_list

The issue here is the order in which the blocks are specified in the layout XML.

catalog_category_view is technically the right handle, BUT in that handle the product_list block doesn't exist (yet!).

The product_list block only gets created in the catalog_category_default and catalog_category_layered handles. (And those handles are specified later in the XML than catalog_category_view.)

In short, when all the layout XML gets merged, your reference to product_list won't get executed, because it doesn't exist yet at that point.

The solution is to add your block in both catalog_category_default and catalog_category_layered, OR, create your own custom handle, add your block in that handle, and use the <update> directive to include your handle in catalog_category_default and catalog_category_layered.

Hope that worked for you.

Magento – How to use the category page layout update to insert a cms block in the category.products block

just call this block at catalog/category/view.phtml between

<?php if($_description=$this->getCurrentCategory()->getDescription()): ?>
    <div class="category-description std">
        <?php echo $_helper->categoryAttribute($_category, $_description, 'description') ?>
    </div>
    <?php endif; ?>

and

<?php if($this->isContentMode()): ?>

using the code

<?php echo $this->getChildHtml('cutlery_page_addition');?>

But magento is provide add an cms static block from admin at Category.Just select any category..... Design Setting>Display Mode> select Static block and products

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Magento – Can’t Add Child Block to product_list

Magento – How to use the category page layout update to insert a cms block in the category.products block

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