Expressive: Multi-Level Sidebar Tags

[murklinstest]

For wistfuljane!

Adapted from my earlier versions for Flexible Squares (s2flexisquares tutorial) and Component (component_help tutorial).

This is code to display your tags in a sidebar box. By naming your tags using a delimiter, for example animals:cats:tabbies or animals:cats:siamese, where the colon is the delimiter, you can display a heirarchical list of tags.

Instructions

1. Create a theme layer. See Section 3: Creating A Custom Theme and Section 5: Using Your Custom Theme or Layer.

2. Make sure you've included your colour theme in this new layer, as directed in the previous step's linked post. For example:

set base_theme = "urban-green";
Note that anytime you want to change the base colour scheme, you'll have to edit this line in your theme layer to make the change.

3. Add the following code to your layer:

function print_module_tags(string title) {

##### Config #####

# Specify your delimiter. One char only -- extra chars get truncated.
var string delimiter = ":";

# Do you want to show the tag use counts?
var bool show_count = true;

# Specify the text to show just before the use count, if any
var string pre_count = "[";

# Specify the text to show just after the use count, if any
var string post_count = "]";

##### End Config #####

var Page p = get_page();
var string list = "";

if (size $p->visible_tag_list() > 0) {
if ($delimiter->length() > 1) {
$delimiter = $delimiter->substr(0, 1);
}

var string[] closing_html;
var string[] prev_tags;
var int tag_list_pos = 0;
var string tier_code = "";
$closing_html[0] = "";
$prev_tags[0] = "";
foreach var TagDetail t ($p->visible_tag_list()) {
var string[] tags;

if ($t.name) {
# mt:20050623
# Split tags into array on delimiter. Oh god, my kingdom
# for a function. Stolen shamelessly from lj-user rane500.
var int array_counter = 0;
var string buffer = "";
foreach var string char ($t.name) {
if($char == $delimiter) {
$tags[$array_counter] = $buffer;
$array_counter = $array_counter + 1;
$buffer = "";
}
else {
$buffer = $buffer + $char;
}
}
$tags[$array_counter] = $buffer;

var int pos = 0;
foreach var string tier($tags) {
if (size $closing_html <= $pos) {
# mt:20050623
# $closing_html keeps track of html that is used to close off open
# lists. Its length must be kept >= to that of the current tag.
$closing_html[$pos] = "";
}

if (size $prev_tags <= $pos) {
# mt:20050625
# The current tag has more tiers than the previous tag. To avoid array
# ref errors when comparing the current tier to the previous one (which
# is non-existent, of course) add empty string to $prev_tags.
$prev_tags[$pos] = "";
}

# mt:20050623
# If we're on a tag's last tier, we need to return a link to the tag,
# otherwise plain text is returned.
if (size $tags == ($pos + 1)) {
$tier_code = """ $tier""";
if ($show_count) {
$tier_code = $tier_code + """ ${pre_count}${t.use_count}${post_count}""";
}
}
else {
$tier_code = """$tier""";
}

# mt:20050625
# $prev_tags stuffed with dummy empty string when it has fewer tiers than
# current tag.
if ($prev_tags[$pos] == "") {
# mt:20050623
# The current tag has more tiers than the previous tag, so a new
# list must be opened.
$list = $list + """

• $tier_code""";
  $closing_html[$pos] = "

";
}
elseif ($tags[$pos] != $prev_tags[$pos]) {
# mt:20050623
# The current tag's tier is not the same as the previous tag's tier of
# the same level. This means we may need to close some lists.
var int i = 0;
foreach var string html ($closing_html) {
if ($i > $pos) {
$list = $list + $closing_html[$i];
# mt:20050623: As we append the closing code, pop it off the array.
$closing_html[$i] = "";
}
$i++;
}

if ($closing_html[$pos] == "") {
# mt:20050623
# This is the first tier at this level, so open list.
$list = $list + """

• $tier_code""";
  $closing_html[$pos] = "

";
}
else {
# mt:20050623
# There have already been tiers added at this level, so just close the previous
# list item before adding the new tier.
$list = $list + """

$tier_code""";
}
}
else {
# mt:20050623
# The current tag's tier is exactly the same as the previous tag's tier at
# this same level. It has already been included in the list, so do nothing.
}
# mt:20050623: Moving on to next tier in this tag!
$pos++;
}
$prev_tags = $tags;
}
# mt:20050623: Next tag in the list!
$tag_list_pos++;
}

# mt:20050623
# All the tags have been added so close all outstanding lists.
var int i = 0;
var string remaining_html = "";
foreach var string html ($closing_html) {
if ($html != "") {
$remaining_html = $html + $remaining_html;
$closing_html[$i] = "";
}
$i++;
}
$list = $list + $remaining_html;
}

open_module("categories", $title, "");
"""$list""";
var string tags_url = $p.journal->base_url() + "/tag/"; # TODO: Need Page.view_url{"tags"} which doesn't exist yet.
print """
$*text_sidebar_tags\n""";
close_module();
}
4. In the code you just added, look in the Config section and make any changes necessary.

5. Click Save & Compile and check your journal to see that your tags are displayed in your sidebar as a multi-level list.