get_categories hierarchy not working

  • I want a multi-dimensional array of my categories.

    function get_category_array()
{
	$args = array(
		'type'                     => 'post',
		'child_of'                 => 0,
		'hide_empty'               => false,
		'hierarchical'             => true,
		'exclude'                  => '1'
	);

	return get_categories($args);
}

    The above function is returning a “flat” list of all of the categories like this (instead of a parent->child->grandchild->etc.. array)

    Array
(
    [0] => stdClass Object
        (
            [term_id] => 210
            [name] => Cat 1 Name
            [slug] => cat-1-name
            [term_group] => 0
            [term_taxonomy_id] => 211
            [taxonomy] => category
            [description] =>
            [parent] => 208
            [count] => 0
            [cat_ID] => 210
            [category_count] => 0
            [category_description] =>
            [cat_name] => Cat 1 Name
            [category_nicename] => cat-1-name
            [category_parent] => 208
        )

    [1] => stdClass Object
        (
            [term_id] => 234
            [name] => Cat 2 Name
            [slug] => cat-2-name
            [term_group] => 0
            [term_taxonomy_id] => 237
            [taxonomy] => category
            [description] =>
            [parent] => 167
            [count] => 0
            [cat_ID] => 234
            [category_count] => 0
            [category_description] =>
            [cat_name] => Cat 2 Name
            [category_nicename] => cat-2-name
            [category_parent] => 167
        )
)

    Anybody know why this isn’t working?

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

  • I think get_categories is working correctly. It just didn’t return the data in the way that you expected. The hierarchical parameter, as far as I can tell, determines whether the function should return data for empty categories. It doesn’t return the data in a multi-dimensional (hierarchical) array. And, yes, I think the parameter name is mis-leading too.

    I suspect you’ll need to build your array manually – using get_category_parents and/or cat_is_ancestor_of. Unless, of course, someone else comes along and posts a simple solution comprising half a dozen beautiful lines. ??

    here you go ??

    function get_cat_hierchy($parent,$args){

	$cats = get_categories($args);
	$ret = new stdClass;

	foreach($cats as $cat){
		if($cat->parent==$parent){
			$id = $cat->cat_ID;
			$ret->$id = $cat;
			$ret->$id->children = get_cat_hierchy($id,$args);
		}
	}

	return $ret;
}

    … for those non coders call the function like this

    $args = array(
		'type'                     => 'post',
		'child_of'                 => 0,
		'hide_empty'               => false,
		'hierarchical'             => true,
		'exclude'                  => '1'
	);

    or whatever args you need as per get_categories func

    and pass those and the id of the root category you want, and viola.

    eg.
    print_r(get_cat_hierchy(0,$args))
    will print out all cats

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
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