Wordpress and Php question: Categories into 5 columns?

[tonyparra]

Ok Ive been busing this snippet to make 3 columns:

<?php							
	$catArray = explode("</li>",wp_list_categories('title_li=&echo=0&depth=1'));
	$catCount = count($catArray) - 1;
	$catColumns = round($catCount / 3);
	$twoColumns = round($catColumns + $catColumns);
 
	for ($i=0;$i<$catCount;$i++) {
		if ($i<$catColumns){
			$catLeft = $catLeft.''.$catArray[$i].'</li>';
	         }
		elseif ($i<$twoColumns) {
			$catMiddle = $catMiddle.''.$catArray[$i].'</li>';
		} 
		elseif ($i>=$catColumns){
			$catRight = $catRight.''.$catArray[$i].'</li>';
		 }  
	};
?>
 
<ul class="left">
      <?php echo $catLeft; ?>
</ul>
<ul class="middle">
	<?php echo $catMiddle; ?>
</ul>
<ul class="right">
      <?php echo $catRight; ?>
</ul>

It works great however I keep screwing up in adding extra columns

<?php							
	$catArray = explode("</li>",wp_list_categories('title_li=&echo=0&depth=1'));
	$catCount = count($catArray) - 1;
	$catColumns = round($catCount / 5);
	$twoColumns = round($catColumns * 2);
 
	for ($i=0;$i<$catCount;$i++) {
		if ($i<$catColumns){
			$catLeft = $catLeft.''.$catArray[$i].'</li>';
	         }
		elseif ($i<$twoColumns) {
			$catMiddle = $catMiddle.''.$catArray[$i].'</li>';
		} 
		elseif ($i>=$catColumns){
			$catRight = $catRight.''.$catArray[$i].'</li>';
		 }  
                elseif ($i>=$catColumns){
			$catRight = $catRight2.''.$catArray[$i].'</li>';
		 }  
                elseif ($i>=$catColumns){
			$catRight = $catRight3.''.$catArray[$i].'</li>';
		 }  
	};
?>
 
<ul class="left">
      <?php echo $catLeft; ?>
</ul>
<ul class="middle">
	<?php echo $catMiddle; ?>
</ul>
<ul class="right">
      <?php echo $catRight; ?>
</ul>
<ul class="right">
      <?php echo $catRight2; ?>
</ul><ul class="right">
      <?php echo $catRight3; ?>
</ul>

I know that is fucked anybody know how to do this or expand on the 3 column code correctly?

[zerovic]

I've re-wrote the code for you, to make it work with 5 columns...

please note, if the total number is like 23, which can't be divided by 5, it will add more categories to the last column

	$catArray = explode("</li>",wp_list_categories('title_li=&echo=0&depth=1'));
	$catCount = count($catArray) - 1;
	$catColumns = round($catCount / 5);
	$catColumns_2 = $catColumns * 2;
	$catColumns_3 = $catColumns * 3;
	$catColumns_4 = $catColumns * 4;
	$catColumns_5 = $catColumns * 5;
	$i = 0;

	foreach($catArray as $categories) {
	if($i < $catColumns) {
	$first_column .= $categories . "</li>";
	$i++;
	} elseif($i < $catColumns_2) {
	$second_column .= $categories . "</li>";
	$i++;
	} elseif($i < $catColumns_3) {
	$third_column .= $categories . "</li>";
	$i++;
	} elseif($i < $catColumns_4) {
	$fourth_column .= $categories . "</li>";
	$i++;
	} else {
	$fifth_column .= $categories . "</li>";
	$i++;
	} }
 
?>


<ul class="first">
      <?php echo $first_column; ?>
</ul>
<ul class="second">
      <?php echo $second_column; ?>
</ul>
<ul class="third">
      <?php echo $third_column; ?>
</ul>
<ul class="fourth">
      <?php echo $fourth_column; ?>
</ul>
<ul class="fifth">
      <?php echo $fifth_column; ?>
</ul>

hope it's ok :P

[Brujah]

This should display your categories, in column lists of any specified amount. I've told it to display 3 columns at bottom. If you want it to also link to them, let me know.

function columnize_categories ( $columns = 5 ) {

	$wp_categories = get_categories( array( 'hide_empty' => 0 ) );

	$categories = array();

	$per = ceil( count( $wp_categories ) / $columns );

	$i = 0;

	while ( $cats = array_splice( $wp_categories, 0, $per ) )
	{
		$categories[$i++] = $cats;
	}

	$output = '';
	foreach ( $categories as $list ) 
	{

		$output .= '<ul>';

		foreach ( $list as $item )
		{
			$output .= sprintf( '<li>%s</li>', $item->name );
		}

		$output .= '</ul>';
	}

	return $output;
}

echo columnize_categories(3);

[fris]

i usally only needed to split into 2, curious why 5?

[tonyparra]

Originally Posted by fris

i usally only needed to split into 2, curious why 5?

For a site im doing i need the columns to be split into 5 to fit across the main content wrap area. If i make sense at all lol.