SFCC Development MCP Server

# SFRA Categories Model ## Overview The Categories model represents a hierarchical structure of categories for navigation menus and category displays in SFRA applications. It provides formatted category information with URLs, subcategories, and menu display logic. ## Constructor ```javascript function categories(items) ``` Creates a Categories model instance from a collection of top-level categories. ### Parameters - `items` (dw.util.ArrayList<dw.catalog.Category>) - Top level categories collection ## Properties ### categories **Type:** Array<Object> Array of formatted category objects that should be shown in menus. Each category contains: - `name` (string) - Category display name - `url` (string) - Category URL (custom alternative URL or search URL) - `id` (string) - Category ID - `subCategories` (Array<Object>) - Array of subcategory objects (if any) - `complexSubCategories` (boolean) - True if any subcategories have their own subcategories ## Helper Functions ### getCategoryUrl(category) Generates the appropriate URL for a category, preferring custom alternative URLs. **Parameters:** - `category` (dw.catalog.Category) - Category object **Returns:** string - Category URL (custom alternative URL or search URL) ### categoryToObject(category) Converts a catalog category to a plain object with menu-appropriate formatting. **Parameters:** - `category` (dw.catalog.Category) - Single category to convert **Returns:** Object | null - Formatted category object or null if not shown in menu ## Category Structure Each category object in the categories array contains: ### Basic Properties - **name** - Category display name for menu labels - **url** - Properly formatted URL for category navigation - **id** - Category identifier for tracking and CSS classes ### Hierarchical Properties - **subCategories** - Nested array of subcategory objects (same structure) - **complexSubCategories** - Boolean flag indicating multi-level nesting ## Menu Display Logic Categories are included in the menu only if: 1. Category has `custom.showInMenu` set to true 2. Category has online products OR online subcategories 3. Category meets the same criteria recursively for subcategories ## URL Handling The model provides flexible URL generation: - **Custom URLs**: Uses `category.custom.alternativeUrl` if available - **Standard URLs**: Falls back to Search-Show with category ID parameter - **URL Cleaning**: Removes HTML entities (&amp; becomes &) ## Usage Example ```javascript var CategoriesModel = require('*/cartridge/models/categories'); var CatalogMgr = require('dw/catalog/CatalogMgr'); // Get site catalog and root categories var siteCatalog = CatalogMgr.getSiteCatalog(); var topLevelCategories = siteCatalog.getRoot().getOnlineSubCategories(); var categoriesModel = new CategoriesModel(topLevelCategories); // Access menu categories categoriesModel.categories.forEach(function(category) { console.log(category.name + ' -> ' + category.url); if (category.subCategories) { category.subCategories.forEach(function(subcat) { console.log(' ' + subcat.name + ' -> ' + subcat.url); }); } if (category.complexSubCategories) { console.log('Category has multi-level navigation'); } }); ``` ## Recursive Structure The model handles deep category hierarchies: - Subcategories are processed recursively with the same logic - Each level maintains the same object structure - The `complexSubCategories` flag helps with menu rendering decisions ## Notes - Only processes categories marked for menu display (`showInMenu`) - Filters out empty categories with no products or subcategories - Maintains hierarchical relationships for multi-level navigation - Provides clean URLs with proper entity handling - Supports both custom and standard URL patterns - Optimized for navigation menu rendering ## Related Models - **Search Models** - Categories link to search results - **Product Models** - Categories contain products - **Content Models** - May reference category information