Creating a category via component postflight

gistfile1.aw

// Get the database object
$db = JFactory::getDbo();

// JTableCategory is autoloaded in J! 3.0, so...
if (version_compare(JVERSION, '3.0', 'lt'))
{
	JTable::addIncludePath(JPATH_PLATFORM . 'joomla/database/table');
}

// Initialize a new category
$category = JTable::getInstance('Category');
$category->extension = 'com_myextension';
$category->title = 'My Category';
$category->description = 'A category for my extension';
$category->published = 1;
$category->access = 1;
$category->params = '{"target":"","image":""}';
$category->metadata = '{"page_title":"","author":"","robots":""}';
$category->language = '*';

// Set the location in the tree
$category->setLocation(1, 'last-child');

// Check to make sure our data is valid
if (!$category->check())
{
	JError::raiseNotice(500, $category->getError());
	return false;
}

// Now store the category
if (!$category->store(true))
{
	JError::raiseNotice(500, $category->getError());
	return false;
}

// Build the path for our category
$category->rebuildPath($category->id);

To load the category I needed to add the following code:

JTable::addIncludePath(JPATH_LIBRARIES.DS.'joomla'.DS.'database'.DS.'table');
$category = JTable::getInstance('Category');

We're discouraging use of DS so use slashes instead.

Updated to add the include path for pre-3.0 (it'll autoload in 3.0).

I need also to add $category->alias= 'my-alias';

You can use it if you want to specify the alias, otherwise $category->check() will automatically generate the alias.

Exactly how does the tree placement work? Will $category->setLocation(1, 'last-child'); just add it as the last child of the root category?

Correct. For a new component, this should be the default action. I have some other code saved that will set the location as the last child of another category, but you have to do some other lookups to get the ID for that category.

I see. Is '1' always the root category? it occurs to me that JTableNested has a method called getRootId for a reason.

1 should always be the ID of the root category, at least in the CMS. You have to know the ID of the parent item you want to be a child of, so I can hard code it to 1 for CMS instances and be OK. Using getRootId should work also if you need it to.

Is this ok for joomla2.5? Because i copy it and It din't create any new category

Just wondering why you have $db = JFactory::getDbo(); in this?

https://joomla.stackexchange.com/questions/5359/create-categories-subcategories-and-articles-using-php

this solution works better for latest joomla