Is there any way to get Menu driven URLs?
By Sean Carney on Wednesday, 26 July 2017
Posted in Technical Issues
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I have tried quite a few options in the SEO setup for EasyBlog but have not been able to find a way to generate URLs based on the full menu or full categories path. Is there a way to do this. For an example I have a 'recipes' section I am working on right now. It is located at https://www.drcarney.com/recipes

When you go to that page there are two posts so far. But, if I click on one of those posts the string "/recipes" does not appear in the url. Here is a url that displays: https://www.drcarney.com/blog/entry/happy-vegan-couple-banana-oat-pancakes-cooking-video

Unfortunately ALL my blogs follow this url pattern: https://www.drcarney.com/blog/entry/*

What I would like is for all the recipes to include the Menu Item URL followed by the EasyBlog Categories.

So, something more like: https://www.drcarney.com/recipes/breakfast/happy-vegan-couple-banana-oat-pancakes-cooking-video

etc...

I wish I could do that with my Articles section and my Data section and my Gems Section, etc...
which have the following URLs until you click on and item at which point the urls completely change back to all use /blogs/entry/ instead of the menu paths.

https://www.drcarney.com/articles

https://www.drcarney.com/data/disease-conditions

https://www.drcarney.com/gems/diabetes-success

etc...

I know I could solve this by creating a menu item for each blog but that is not a good idea. But, I am wondering if there is something else built into EasyBlog that I am missing?

Thanks, Sean
Hello Sean,

Nope, I am actually not asking you to abandon EasyBlog

I am asking you to create your menu structure in Joomla which links to the Single Category layout of EasyBlog. Map out the structure similarly like your categories

Assuming that your category hierarchy is this:

Category A
| _ _ Category B
| |_ _ Category C
| _ _ Category X
|
Category Y
| _ _ Category M


Your menu structure should be like this,

Menu A (Single category layout for category A)
| _ _ Menu B (Single category layout for category B)
| | _ _ Menu C (Single category layout for category C)
| _ _ Menu X (Single category layout for category X)
|
Menu Y (Single category layout for category Y)
| _ _ Menu M (Single category layout for category M)
Mark
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Thursday, 27 July 2017 00:11
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Hello Sean,

Your best method is to configure the SEO options to use the "Simple Category" method, http://take.ms/pQ2T6 . However, do take note that changing this would affect all your existing entry urls (which will also affect your Facebook likes counter too)
Mark
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Wednesday, 26 July 2017 01:08
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Yes, the changes to the urls would be huge. I won't do that unless I can get what I want. But, I tried the simple url and it displayed the child category in the url but NOT the parent categories. So, anything I put in a child of Recipes will display the child category name and not Recipes. So, not quite what I am hoping for. I wish I could have a section where /recipe's/ is in every url and another where /data/ is. And, then those categories children would also show up when appropriate.

Sean
Sean Carney
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Wednesday, 26 July 2017 10:08
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Hi Sean,

As you choose the 'simple category' the url will refer to the 'primary' category that you've set. For example: https://www.screencast.com/t/5Rl6dU5YaiP . Perhaps, you can set the parent category to be your primary category when you create the blog post?
Muhammad Fadhli
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Wednesday, 26 July 2017 15:21
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Unfortunately that would negate the whole purpose of having the sub categories. I used to have this site in Joomla and then put it into K2 and finally moved it to EasyBlog. EasyBlog is the best. Except that both Joomla and K2 supported the complete urls.

Also, the urls categories would also display data instead of returning 404 errors.

For example:
https://www.drcarney.com/recipes/breakfast/happy-vegan-couple-banana-oat-pancakes-cooking-video
https://www.drcarney.com/recipes/breakfast
https://www.drcarney.com/recipesI

Were all URLs with actual content.

I wonder if another option you might consider is a full categories view that shows the categories and their subcategories in the URLs? And, think about a way for all the urls down the path to display content. If that were the case I would certainly go about changing my urls even while knowing that it would break much of what I have done in the past.
Sean Carney
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Wednesday, 26 July 2017 21:26
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Hello Sean,

If your goal is to maintain the hierarchy of the category, I think you could play around with this using the menu architecture in Joomla and not really rely on EasyBlog.

Menu: http://take.ms/6N60a
URL Output: http://take.ms/7GlE9
Mark
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Wednesday, 26 July 2017 23:38
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Mark,

What you are describing is exactly what I was hoping to see. Since I am using EasyBlog instead I had hoped to base the menus on the EasyBlog categories. Now I believe that what you showed me is that works fine if the menu items are built on EasyBlog categories. I believe now that the problem I have is because I build my menu items on EasyBlog FrontPage displays. Apparently the category links won't work then. And, it probably makes sense. I did this because I liked the layouts of the FrontPage.
I may have to see if I can make the Category layouts look as good. Although, this still won't get me 100% to what I was dreaming about which would be to include the category and subcategory as you have demonstrated which have had menu items created for them. But, I was also hoping that it would be possible to include additional subcategories in the url that did not have menu items created. Perhaps this is just a pipe dream. :-)
Thanks, Sean
Sean Carney
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Thursday, 27 July 2017 00:06
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Mark,

Thanks. I realized after I took a better look at your picture what you were suggesting. I will play with this. It makes sense. It means I have to create menus in order to get the string into the URL but that is Joomla's way. :-)

It also means I have to change my menu items from using FrontPage layouts to using Categories layouts.

The one question I have to settle is whether your single category views will also display the child categories.

Anyhow, you have given me the directions I need.

Thanks, Sean

PS. Sorry I edited my last reply to you AFTER submitting it. But, I was too late. You were already writing me a reply. :-)
Sean Carney
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Thursday, 27 July 2017 01:36
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No problem Sean
Mark
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Thursday, 27 July 2017 01:39
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I consider this issue resolved because Mark has directed me to the correct solution which is to create menus using the EasyBlog Categories layout. If I use any other of the great layouts from EasyBlog like the new Grid Layouts or the FrotnPage layouts then I can't have the menu driven URLs. So, it is a bit of a give and take.

For my recipes section I will now be able to have /recipes/ in the url of every recipe but it does mean that I have to build an extensive menu structure for it with a menu item for any Primary Category. If there is no Menu item to the Primary Category they the urls will revert to the EasyBlog generated URLs. Anyhow, if anybody else has this question now you will know the answer. :-)
Sean Carney
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Thursday, 27 July 2017 04:12
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Thanks Sean for your heads up and clarification
Muhammad Fadhli
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Thursday, 27 July 2017 10:19
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