[#48729] - [6.2] Fix category metadata (robots, metadesc) being ignored in CategoryView (#48710)
- Ready to Commit
- Medium
- Build: 6.2-dev
- Easy Test
- # 48729
- Diff
- Devansh-dvd:fix-48710-contact-category-robots-metadata
User tests: Successful: Unsuccessful:
Pull Request resolves #48710 .
- I read the Generative AI policy and my contribution is either not created with the help of AI or is compatible with the policy and GNU/GPL 2 or later.
Summary of Changes
Fixes #48710
CategoryView::prepareDocument() in libraries/src/MVC/View/CategoryView.php was only reading metadata from the active menu item params ($this->params), completely ignoring $this->category->metadesc and $this->category->metadata.
As a result, for components relying on CategoryView (such as com_contact and com_newsfeeds), setting Robots or Meta Description on a category had zero effect on the frontend category view.
While com_content previously solved this in its own component-specific HtmlView, the shared base class CategoryView was never updated. This fix brings that capability centrally into CategoryView so all extending components benefit without duplicated logic.
Changes Made
- Meta Description Priority: Category
metadescnow takes precedence over menu item meta description, falling back to the menu item if empty. - Category Metadata Loop: Iterates
$this->category->metadata(e.g.robots,author,rights) and applies it after the menu item check, allowing category-level directives to override menu item defaults.
Testing Instructions
- In Joomla backend, navigate to Components → Contacts → Categories.
- Edit or create a category (e.g., "Support Team").
- Under the Publishing tab → Metadata, set Robots to
noindex, follow. Save. - Create a menu item of type Contacts → List Contacts in a Category pointing to this category. Leave its Robots set to
Use Global. - Visit the category listing on the frontend and view page source (
Ctrl + U).
Actual Result (Before Fix)
No <meta name="robots"> tag appears in the <head> (or global default is rendered). The category's noindex, follow directive is completely ignored.
Expected Result (After Fix)
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, follow"> is correctly output in the <head>.
Documentation Changes Required
None.
| Status | New | ⇒ | Pending |
joomla-cms-bot
- | Category | ⇒ | Libraries |
Hey @Devansh-dvd, just a heads-up: #48728 was opened earlier for the same issue (#48710) and already has a test. Yours fixes it in the shared
CategoryView, which also covers newsfeeds, so maybe the maintainers can pick whichever they prefer. Happy to adjust mine either way!
@Devansh-dvd In addition, please mind that 5.4 has reached end of bugfix support and entered security only support, which lasts one more year. That means PRs for bugfixes should be made for the 6.2-dev branch, not for the 5.4-dev branch.
Finally note that we will not accept PRs where the confirmation of the AI policy has been removed.
| Labels |
Added:
PR-5.4-dev
|
||
| Category | Libraries | ⇒ | Repository Administration com_admin SQL |
![avatar github-actions[bot]](/images/avatars/github-actions[bot].png)
This pull request has conflicts, please resolve those before we can evaluate the pull request.
| Title |
|
||||||
| Category | Repository Administration com_admin SQL | ⇒ | Libraries |
hi @richard67
Thank you for clarifying! I have rebased the branch onto 6.2-dev, updated the target branch and title to 6.2, and added the Generative AI policy confirmation checkbox to the PR description.
I have tested this item ✅ successfully on 5bc4417
Verdict: works as intended. One behaviour change in com_content worth stating in the description (below).
Verification
6.2-dev + PR (DDEV, PHP 8.3, MariaDB 11.8). One category per component, each with a category menu item. Values set on the category and/or the menu item, then the <head> of the category page read as a guest. Before = same instance with CategoryView.php from 6.2-dev.
| Category / menu item | contact before → after | newsfeeds before → after | content before → after |
|---|---|---|---|
category Robots noindex, follow, menu "Use Global" |
– → noindex, follow |
– → noindex, follow |
noindex, follow (unchanged) |
| category Meta Description | – → category | – → category | category (unchanged) |
| category Author | – → Cat Author |
– → Cat Author |
Cat Author (unchanged) |
category Robots noindex, follow + menu Robots index, nofollow |
menu → category | menu → category | menu → category |
| category + menu Meta Description | menu → category | menu → category | menu → category |
| only menu Robots / Description | menu (unchanged) | menu (unchanged) | menu (unchanged) |
Subcategory reached through the parent's menu item uses its own Robots; without own values it keeps the menu's. The testing instructions done through the category form (Publishing tab) work: <meta name="robots" content="noindex, follow"> and the description are in the head. Existing system tests site/com_content/Category, Categories, site/com_contact/Category, Categories pass, as does the new test from #48728 (applies the robots metadata of the category to the category page). php-cs-fixer and phpstan clean.
Notes
- com_content changes too. Its
HtmlView::display()already applied the category values, but thenparent::display()→CategoryView::prepareDocument()set the menu Robots/Description again, so the menu item won when both were set. Now the category wins there as well. That matches the article, contact and newsfeed item views (item metadata over menu), but it changes the output of existing sites with both set, so please mention it in the description. - The metadesc/robots/metadata block in
components/com_content/src/View/Category/HtmlView.php::display()is now done twice and could be removed. - A system test would help. The one from #48728 passes here unchanged; one for newsfeeds or the description would cover the rest.
This comment was created with the J!Tracker Application at issues.joomla.org/tracker/joomla-cms/48729.
I have tested this item ✅ successfully on 5bc4417
Verdict: works as intended. One behaviour change in com_content worth stating in the description (below).
Verification
6.2-dev + PR (DDEV, PHP 8.3, MariaDB 11.8). One category per component, each with a category menu item. Values set on the category and/or the menu item, then the <head> of the category page read as a guest. Before = same instance with CategoryView.php from 6.2-dev.
| Category / menu item | contact before → after | newsfeeds before → after | content before → after |
|---|---|---|---|
category Robots noindex, follow, menu "Use Global" |
– → noindex, follow |
– → noindex, follow |
noindex, follow (unchanged) |
| category Meta Description | – → category | – → category | category (unchanged) |
| category Author | – → Cat Author |
– → Cat Author |
Cat Author (unchanged) |
category Robots noindex, follow + menu Robots index, nofollow |
menu → category | menu → category | menu → category |
| category + menu Meta Description | menu → category | menu → category | menu → category |
| only menu Robots / Description | menu (unchanged) | menu (unchanged) | menu (unchanged) |
Subcategory reached through the parent's menu item uses its own Robots; without own values it keeps the menu's. The testing instructions done through the category form (Publishing tab) work: <meta name="robots" content="noindex, follow"> and the description are in the head. Existing system tests site/com_content/Category, Categories, site/com_contact/Category, Categories pass, as does the new test from #48728 (applies the robots metadata of the category to the category page). php-cs-fixer and phpstan clean.
Notes
- com_content changes too. Its
HtmlView::display()already applied the category values, but thenparent::display()→CategoryView::prepareDocument()set the menu Robots/Description again, so the menu item won when both were set. Now the category wins there as well. That matches the article, contact and newsfeed item views (item metadata over menu), but it changes the output of existing sites with both set, so please mention it in the description. - The metadesc/robots/metadata block in
components/com_content/src/View/Category/HtmlView.php::display()is now done twice and could be removed. - A system test would help. The one from #48728 passes here unchanged; one for newsfeeds or the description would cover the rest.
This comment was created with the J!Tracker Application at issues.joomla.org/tracker/joomla-cms/48729.
I have tested this item ✅ successfully on 5bc4417
This comment was created with the J!Tracker Application at issues.joomla.org/tracker/joomla-cms/48729.
I have tested this item ✅ successfully on 5bc4417
This comment was created with the J!Tracker Application at issues.joomla.org/tracker/joomla-cms/48729.
| Status | Pending | ⇒ | Ready to Commit |
| Build | 5.4-dev | ⇒ | 6.2-dev |
RTC
This comment was created with the J!Tracker Application at issues.joomla.org/tracker/joomla-cms/48729.
RTC
This comment was created with the J!Tracker Application at issues.joomla.org/tracker/joomla-cms/48729.
| Easy | No | ⇒ | Yes |
RTC
This comment was created with the J!Tracker Application at issues.joomla.org/tracker/joomla-cms/48729.
RTC
This comment was created with the J!Tracker Application at issues.joomla.org/tracker/joomla-cms/48729.
| Labels |
Added:
RTC
PR-6.2-dev
Removed: PR-5.4-dev |
||
Hey @Devansh-dvd, just a heads-up: #48728 was opened earlier for the same issue (#48710) and already has a test. Yours fixes it in the shared
CategoryView, which also covers newsfeeds, so maybe the maintainers can pick whichever they prefer. Happy to adjust mine either way!