API call or JS function to get a list of categories and URL's

[phenomlab]

Is there a way to programmatically get a list of categories and their URL's ?

Thanks

[baris]

In the browser $.get('/api/categories').then(d => console.log(d.categories));

[phenomlab]

@baris Thanks

[phenomlab]

Odd...

How come this works

$.get('/api/categories').then(d => console.log(d.categories));
{state: ƒ, always: ƒ, catch: ƒ, pipe: ƒ, then: ƒ, …}
VM406:1 (7) [{…}, {…}, {…}, {…}, {…}, {…}, {…}]0: {cid: 2, name: 'General Discussion', description: 'A place to talk about whatever you want', icon: 'fa-comment', slug: '2/general-discussion', …}1: {link: '', class: 'col-lg-4 col-md-6 col-xs-12', icon: 'fa-github', description: 'Stay tuned here to hear more about new releases and features of NodeBB!', order: 3, …}2: {cid: 7, name: 'NodeBB Plugins', description: 'Discussion regarding NodeBB Plugin development.', icon: 'fa-wrench', slug: '7/nodebb-plugins', …}3: {link: '', class: 'col-lg-4 col-md-6 col-xs-12', icon: 'fa-paint-brush', description: 'A public listing of community themes created by the NodeBB community.', order: 5, …}4: {cid: 16, name: 'Technical Support', description: 'Need help with installing or configuring NodeBB? Look here.', icon: 'fa-exclamation-triangle', bgColor: '#A1B56C', …}5: {link: '', class: 'col-lg-4 col-md-6 col-xs-12', icon: 'fa-fire', disabled: 0, description: 'Test NodeBB here! Topics and posts will be cleared on a regular basis.', …}6: {cid: 14, name: 'Area51', description: 'Development category', icon: 'fa-bomb', bgColor: '#fff176', …}length: 7[[Prototype]]: Array(0)
$.get('/api/categories').then(d => console.log(d.categories[5].name));
{state: ƒ, always: ƒ, catch: ƒ, pipe: ƒ, then: ƒ, …}
VM482:1 Testing Ground

But this fails

$(document).ready(function(){
    $.getJSON("api/categories", function(result){
      $.each(result, function(i, field){
        console.log(field[i].name);
      });
    });
});

Uncaught TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'name')
    at String.<anonymous> ((index):4337:30)
    at Function.each (nodebb.min.js?v=ot2kkbojvoo:64:2883)
    at Object.success ((index):4336:9)
    at I (nodebb.min.js?v=ot2kkbojvoo:64:29412)
    at Object.fireWith [as resolveWith] (nodebb.min.js?v=ot2kkbojvoo:64:30189)
    at Re (nodebb.min.js?v=ot2kkbojvoo:67:5953)
    at XMLHttpRequest.<anonymous> (nodebb.min.js?v=ot2kkbojvoo:67:8430)
(

Even with field.name instead, I get undefined in the console..

[phenomlab]

Ok, needed to get my head around the structure of the JSON array. This works fine

$(document).ready(function(){
    $.getJSON( '/api/categories', function(data, status) {
$.each(data.categories, function (key, value) {
        console.log("Category name =  " + this.name);
        console.log("Category slug =  " + this.slug);
      });
    });
});

(index):4337 Category name =  Announcements
(index):4338 Category slug =  1/announcements
(index):4337 Category name =  Blog
(index):4338 Category slug =  3/blog
(index):4337 Category name =  Bugs
(index):4338 Category slug =  20/bugs
(index):4337 Category name =  Chitchat
(index):4338 Category slug =  19/chitchat
(index):4337 Category name =  Configure
(index):4338 Category slug =  5/configure
(index):4337 Category name =  Debate
(index):4338 Category slug =  28/debate
(index):4337 Category name =  General
(index):4338 Category slug =  2/general
(index):4337 Category name =  Hosting
(index):4338 Category slug =  18/hosting
(index):4337 Category name =  Mentoring
(index):4338 Category slug =  8/mentoring
(index):4337 Category name =  Operating Systems
(index):4338 Category slug =  16/operating-systems
(index):4337 Category name =  Resources
(index):4338 Category slug =  25/resources
(index):4337 Category name =  Security
(index):4338 Category slug =  11/security
(index):4337 Category name =  Test
(index):4338 Category slug =  23/test
(index):4337 Category name =  Tips
(index):4338 Category slug =  27/tips
(index):4337 Category name =  WordPress
(index):4338 Category slug =  17/wordpress

[phenomlab]

@baris coming back here with a question - the above code I provided works fine, but of course, this doesn't fetch children. I see them listed in the JSON array returned, but is there a more efficient way of obtaining these without having to query each category being returned in the loop I have ?

[baris]

You will have to get the children from the children property of each category returned.
$.get('/api/categories').then(d => console.log(d.categories.map(c => c.children)));

[phenomlab]

@baris Yes, I'm doing that, but this is the result

Category name =  Announcements | URL = 1/announcements | Children = 
(index):4346 Category name =  Blog | URL = 3/blog | Children = 
(index):4346 Category name =  Bugs | URL = 20/bugs | Children = 
(index):4346 Category name =  Chitchat | URL = 19/chitchat | Children = 
(index):4346 Category name =  Configure | URL = 5/configure | Children = [object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
(index):4346 Category name =  Debate | URL = 28/debate | Children = 
(index):4346 Category name =  General | URL = 2/general | Children = 
(index):4346 Category name =  Hosting | URL = 18/hosting | Children = 
(index):4346 Category name =  Mentoring | URL = 8/mentoring | Children = [object Object],[object Object]
(index):4346 Category name =  Operating Systems | URL = 16/operating-systems | Children = [object Object],[object Object]
(index):4346 Category name =  Resources | URL = 25/resources | Children = [object Object]
(index):4346 Category name =  Security | URL = 11/security | Children = [object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
(index):4346 Category name =  Test | URL = 23/test | Children = 
(index):4346 Category name =  Tips | URL = 27/tips | Children = 
(index):4346 Category name =  WordPress | URL = 17/wordpress | Children = 

[object Object] is clearly an array, but I can't find any decent way of walking it

$(document).ready(function() {
    //var categorylist = "";
    $.getJSON('/api/categories', function(data, status) {
        $.each(data.categories, function(key, value) {
            console.log("Category name =  " + this.name + " | URL = " + this.slug + " | Children = " + this.children);
            var categorylist = $(" \
            <li><a class='dropdown-item rounded-1' href='/category/" + this.slug + "'>" + this.name + "</a></li> \
        ");
            $("#thecategories").append(categorylist);
        });
    });
});

[phenomlab]

If the data is an associative array, I'd expect to be able to do something like this.children.name or this.children[key] etc...

[baris]

It is an array so you should be able to do this.children.forEach(child => console.log(child));

[phenomlab]

Thanks. I'll need to find a way of getting this referenced as an object so I can call it.

[phenomlab]

@baris said in API call or JS function to get a list of categories and URL's:

this.children.forEach(child => console.log(child))

This is odd..

$(document).ready(function() {
    //var categorylist = "";
    $.getJSON('/api/categories', function(data, status) {
        $.each(data.categories, function(key, value) {
            //console.log("Category name =  " + this.name + " | URL = " + this.slug + " | Children = " + this.children.forEach(child => child));
            var categorylist = $(" \
            <li><a class='dropdown-item rounded-1' href='/category/" + this.slug + "'>" + this.name + "</a></li> \
                <ul> \
      <li><a class='dropdown-item rounded-1' href='/category/" + this.children.forEach(child => (child.slug)) + "'>" + this.children.forEach(child => (child.name)) + "</a></li> \
    </ul> \
        ");
            $("#thecategories").append(categorylist);
        });
    });
});

If I use console.log then console.log(child.slug)) works, but the value isn't being collected to build the li items

Console Log

6/customisation
24/guides
9/networks
10/performance
22/labs
21/learning
7/linux
15/windows
26/development
12/malware
3/privacy
14/vulnerability

[baris]

You want to output one li item for each child so you need to move the loop outside. Something like this

var categorylist = $(" \
	<li><a class='dropdown-item rounded-1' href='/category/" + this.slug + "'>" + this.name + "</a></li> \
		<ul>" + 
		this.children.map(c => `<li><a class='dropdown-item rounded-1' href='/category/" + ${c.slug} + "'>" + ${c.name}) + "</a></li>`) +
		"</ul>"
	);

So for each child category in the children array it will create a li element

[phenomlab]

@baris Of course! Yes - thanks for this. Will change as required.

[phenomlab]

@baris sorted - thanks

$(document).ready(function() {
    //var categorylist = "";
    $.getJSON('/api/categories', function(data, status) {
        $.each(data.categories, function(key, value) {
            //console.log("Category name =  " + this.name + " | URL = " + this.slug + " | Children = " + this.children.forEach(child => child));
var categorylist = $(" \
	<li><a class='dropdown-item rounded-1' href='/category/" + this.slug + "'>" + this.name + "</a></li> \
		<ul>" + 
		this.children.map(c => `<li><a class='dropdown-item rounded-1' href='/category/${c.slug}'>${c.name}</a></li>`).join(" ") +
		"</ul>" 
	);
            $("#thecategories").append(categorylist);
        });
    });
});

Added join(" "); to strip the commas from the array

[phenomlab]

More complete code, prettified...

$(document).ready(function() {
    //var categorylist = "";
    $.getJSON('/api/categories', function(data, status) {
        $.each(data.categories, function(key, value) {
            var categorylist = $(" \
	<li><span class='category-menu'><i class='fal " + this.icon + "'></i><a style='display: inherit;' class='dropdown-item rounded-1' href='/category/" + this.slug + "'>" + this.name + "</a></span></li> \
		<ul style='list-style: none;'>" +
                this.children.map(c => `<li><span class='category-menu'><i class='fal ${c.icon}'></i><a class='dropdown-item rounded-1' style='display: inherit;' href='/category/${c.slug}'>${c.name}</a></span></li>`).join(" ") +
                "</ul><li class='dropdown-divider'></li>"
            );
            $("#thecategories").append(categorylist);
        });
    });
});

Looks like this

[phenomlab]

@baris one thing that puzzles me is that whilst the newly created menu is dynamically built, and displays fine on desktop, it doesn't show on mobile - apart from the one li I added in the navigation pane, which I am using with an id to bind the dynamically built lines.

Any thoughts ?

Thanks

[baris]

Since you are using an id it's only selecting one of the elements. Try a more specific selector like:

$(".sidebar-left #thecategories").append(categorylist);
$(".bottombar #thecategories").append(categorylist);

[phenomlab]

@baris good idea. Thanks. I'll try that.

[PitaJ]

Generally having more than one element with the same id is not advisable and you should use a class instead.