feat: auto-category menu module for knowledge base sections #184

New Issue

2026-06-06T11:28:25Z

jmiller commented

2026-06-06 11:28:25 +00:00

Summary

Create a new admin module (mod_mokowaas_categories) that automatically renders article categories as a hierarchical menu -- no manual menu item mapping required. Ideal for help sections and knowledge bases where categories change frequently.

Problem

Currently, displaying article categories in the admin sidebar or frontend requires creating individual Joomla menu items for each category. This is tedious for knowledge base / help sections where categories are added, renamed, or reorganised often.

Proposed Solution

A Joomla module that:

Auto-discovers categories from a configurable root category (e.g. Help or Knowledge Base)
Configurable depth -- how many levels deep to render (1 = top-level only, 2 = with subcategories, etc.)
Renders as a collapsible tree in the admin sidebar, matching the existing MokoWaaS menu styling
Links each category to its Joomla category blog/list view
Shows article counts (optional) per category
Respects ACL -- only shows categories the current user can access
Caches the tree to avoid DB queries on every page load

Module Parameters

root_category: Category picker, default 0 (all) -- Root category to start from
max_depth: Integer, default 3 -- How many levels deep to render
show_article_count: Yes/No, default Yes -- Show number of articles per category
show_empty: Yes/No, default No -- Show categories with zero articles
menu_item_id: Menu item picker -- Target menu item for category links
ordering: List (title/lft/created), default title -- Sort order
cache_time: Integer, default 60 -- Cache lifetime in minutes

Technical Notes

Uses #__categories table with extension = com_content
Query filters by published = 1 and respects access levels
Nested set tree traversal via lft/rgt columns from the root category
Template should use ul nesting with CSS classes matching mod_mokowaas_menu for consistent sidebar styling
Module position: mokowaas-sidebar (admin) or any frontend position

Files

src/packages/mod_mokowaas_categories/mod_mokowaas_categories.xml (manifest)
src/packages/mod_mokowaas_categories/tmpl/default.php (template)
src/packages/mod_mokowaas_categories/src/Dispatcher/Dispatcher.php (data logic)
src/packages/mod_mokowaas_categories/services/provider.php (DI registration)
src/packages/mod_mokowaas_categories/language/en-GB/mod_mokowaas_categories.ini

## Summary Create a new admin module (mod_mokowaas_categories) that automatically renders article categories as a hierarchical menu -- no manual menu item mapping required. Ideal for help sections and knowledge bases where categories change frequently. ## Problem Currently, displaying article categories in the admin sidebar or frontend requires creating individual Joomla menu items for each category. This is tedious for knowledge base / help sections where categories are added, renamed, or reorganised often. ## Proposed Solution A Joomla module that: 1. **Auto-discovers categories** from a configurable root category (e.g. Help or Knowledge Base) 2. **Configurable depth** -- how many levels deep to render (1 = top-level only, 2 = with subcategories, etc.) 3. **Renders as a collapsible tree** in the admin sidebar, matching the existing MokoWaaS menu styling 4. **Links each category** to its Joomla category blog/list view 5. **Shows article counts** (optional) per category 6. **Respects ACL** -- only shows categories the current user can access 7. **Caches the tree** to avoid DB queries on every page load ## Module Parameters - root_category: Category picker, default 0 (all) -- Root category to start from - max_depth: Integer, default 3 -- How many levels deep to render - show_article_count: Yes/No, default Yes -- Show number of articles per category - show_empty: Yes/No, default No -- Show categories with zero articles - menu_item_id: Menu item picker -- Target menu item for category links - ordering: List (title/lft/created), default title -- Sort order - cache_time: Integer, default 60 -- Cache lifetime in minutes ## Technical Notes - Uses #__categories table with extension = com_content - Query filters by published = 1 and respects access levels - Nested set tree traversal via lft/rgt columns from the root category - Template should use ul nesting with CSS classes matching mod_mokowaas_menu for consistent sidebar styling - Module position: mokowaas-sidebar (admin) or any frontend position ## Files - src/packages/mod_mokowaas_categories/mod_mokowaas_categories.xml (manifest) - src/packages/mod_mokowaas_categories/tmpl/default.php (template) - src/packages/mod_mokowaas_categories/src/Dispatcher/Dispatcher.php (data logic) - src/packages/mod_mokowaas_categories/services/provider.php (DI registration) - src/packages/mod_mokowaas_categories/language/en-GB/mod_mokowaas_categories.ini

jmiller commented

2026-06-06 11:28:26 +00:00

Branch created: feature/184-feat-auto-category-menu-module-for-knowl

git fetch origin
git checkout feature/184-feat-auto-category-menu-module-for-knowl

Branch created: [`feature/184-feat-auto-category-menu-module-for-knowl`](https://git.mokoconsulting.tech/MokoConsulting/MokoWaaS/src/branch/feature/184-feat-auto-category-menu-module-for-knowl) ```bash git fetch origin git checkout feature/184-feat-auto-category-menu-module-for-knowl ```

jmiller referenced this issue from a commit

2026-06-06 11:34:19 +00:00

feat: add auto-category menu module for knowledge base sections (#184)

jmiller closed this issue

2026-06-06 16:17:52 +00:00

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Priority Medium

Type Feature

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Reference: MokoConsulting/MokoWaaS#184