Trick to make com_taxonomy use content blog templates

README.md

Force com_taxonomy to use content category blog templates.

This method uses a hidden menu item to customize the com_taxonomy tag results.

Demo

You can see it in action in:

http://digitaldisseny.com/en/component/taxonomy/prestashop

How to use it

First of all you have to create a menu item of type "Category Blog". You will use this item to set the params for the com_taxonomy tag view as number of leading items, intro items, show page title, show category title, etc.

After that you have to replace:

$menuitemid = 115;

with the id of the menu item that you have created.

You have to save this file as:

templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE_NAME/html/com_taxonomy/tag/default.php

Extra customization

You can use any desired layout just replacing:

$this->_layout = 'blog';

with other view name like:

$this->_layout = 'default'

default.php

<?php
/**
 * Customized tag/default.php file to use blog view for tag listings
 */
defined('_JEXEC') or die('Restricted access');

JLoader::import('joomla.application.component.model');

// INSERT HERE THE MENU USED TO LOAD VIEW PARAMS
$menuitemid = 115;

// Get com_content params
$contentParams = JComponentHelper::getParams( 'com_content' );
$appParams     = JFactory::getApplication()->getParams();
$appParams->merge( $contentParams);

JHtml::addIncludePath(JPATH_SITE . '/components/com_content/helpers');

JLoader::import( 'articles', JPATH_SITE . '/components/com_content/models' );

// Load content language
$lang = JFactory::getLanguage();
$lang->load('com_content', JPATH_SITE, null, true);

// Initialize item type arrays
$this->lead_items  = array();
$this->intro_items = array();
$this->link_items  = array();

if (count($this->results) > 0) 
{
	$ids = array();
	foreach ($this->results as $item) 
	{
		$ids[] = reset(explode(':', $item->slug));
	}

	// Get full items from articles model
	$model = JModelLegacy::getInstance('Articles', 'ContentModel', array('ignore_request' => true));

	  if ($menuitemid)
	  {
	    $menu = JSite::getMenu();
	    $menuparams = $menu->getParams( $menuitemid );
	    $appParams->merge( $menuparams );
	  }

	$model->setState('params', $appParams);
	$model->setState('filter.article_id', $ids);

	$items = $model->getItems();

	// Params to generate article arrays
	$numLeading       = $appParams->get('num_leading_articles', 1);
	$numIntro         = $appParams->get('num_intro_articles', 1);
	$numLinks         = $appParams->get('num_links', 1);

	// Params for view
	$this->columns    = $appParams->get('num_columns', 1);
	$this->pagination = $model->getPagination();

	foreach ($items as $pos => $item)
	{
		// Generate slug
		$item->slug = $item->alias ? ($item->id . ':' . $item->alias) : $item->id;

		// Create empty events properties
		$item->event = new stdClass;
		$item->event->afterDisplayTitle    = null;
		$item->event->beforeDisplayContent = null;
		$item->event->afterDisplayContent  = null;
		$item->event->beforeDisplayContent = null;

		if ($numLeading) 
		{
			$this->lead_items[] = $item;
			$numLeading--;
		} 
		elseif ($numIntro) 
		{
			$this->intro_items[] = $item;
			$numIntro--;
		}
		elseif ($numLinks) 
		{
			$this->link_items[] = $item;
			$numLinks--;
		}
	}
}

// Create required category properties
$this->category->id = null;
$this->category->title = $this->searchword;
$this->category->description = '';

// Use generated params
$this->params = $appParams;

// Force content category blog view
$tplOverride = JPATH_SITE . '/templates/'. JFactory::getApplication()->getTemplate() . '/html/com_content/category/';
$tplDefault  = JPATH_SITE . '/components/com_content/views/category/tmpl/';

$this->_layout = 'blog';
$this->_path['template'] = array($tplOverride, $tplDefault);

$tplFile     = file_exists($tplOverride . $this->_layout . '.php') ? $tplOverride . $this->_layout . '.php' : $tplDefault . $this->_layout . '.php';
require_once $tplFile;