ul Problems in PHP

[siouxfan45]

This is the code I am using to display a list of child categories of the parent category while a user is on a child category or single post. Of course, this is in WordPress.

Since I have styled my tags, the styling around this list is displaying even when a list isn’t being generated. For example, [take a look here](http://themeforward.com/demo2/ “”) where you’ll see an empty black box. I’ve colored it black simply to make it stick out. Not sure if this is relevant, but this code is impacted by [another code in my functions.php](http://snippi.com/s/ibw6kgf “”).

I’d simply like a solution to correctly setup the < u l > (sorry for the spaces, had to for display purposes) tag so that it doesn’t display if no list is being generated.

$categories = get_the_category();
echo ‘

‘;
foreach($categories as $category){
$parent = $category->parent;
if($category->parent == 0){
}
else{
wp_list_categories(“child_of=$parent&title_li”);

}
echo ‘

‘;
}
?>

[__]

don’t use `echo`: instead, generate the list first.

foreach( $cetegories as $category ){
// add each list item to an array
$li[] = ‘

[__]

…and I don’t use WP : )

what does the function `wp_list_categories` do? Can you show an example of what it outputs?

*****
Basically, my point is that, when you use `echo`, you’ve committed yourself to making a list (because you’ve already started to *output* a list), so it’s impossible to abort if you discover there is nothing to put in the list.

The solution, therefore, is to 1) make your list, 2) check if it is empty, and *then* 3) decide if you’re going to `echo` it.

[will_wallace85]

Unless I’m mistaken, just change this:

$li[] = '
create your list item here
';

to

$li[] = wp_list_categories("child_of=$parent&title_li");

Not super familiar with list categories, and it probably just spits out a string so you could drop the [] from after the $li, but I think that'll do it.

[__]

[found it](http://codex.wordpress.org/Template_Tags/wp_list_categories).

IIUC, with the args you’re using, a category with no items will output an empty string. Is this correct?

If so, you can do:

$categories = get_the_category();
foreach($categories as $category){
$parent = $category->parent;
if($category->parent != 0){
$list[] = wp_list_categories( “child_of=$parent&title_li” );
}
}
// this removes empty items in $list
$list = array_filter( $list );
// check if filtered list has any contents
if( ! empty( $list ) ){
print ‘

‘.implode( “n”,$list ).’

‘;
}

*****
*<rant> This is one of the reasons I don’t like WP. It has all kinds of built-in functions deliberately designed to spew half-baked output everywhere… </rant>*

[CrocoDillon]

@siouxfan45, what is the use of this line? `$parent = $category->parent;`, you don’t seem to be using that variable.

@traq, you still left that first echo there :P

[__]

> @traq, you still left that first echo there :P

lol, cr*p, fixed it. thanks

(Of course, this is all still assuming that, if `wp_list_categories` doesn’t *find* anything, it doesn’t *return* anything [printable] either. I don’t know that for sure.)

> what is the use of this line? $parent = $category->parent;, you don’t seem to be using that variable.

he’s using it in the arg he’s passing:

`wp_list_categories( “`**`child_of=$parent`**`&title_li” )`

it limits the subset the categories returned.

[CrocoDillon]

Ah, I missed that!

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