The Category Events view displays one selected JEM category, its description and image, optional subcategory navigation and a filtered list of events assigned to that category.
Create this page: in the Joomla administrator, create or edit a menu item and select JEM → Category Events. A JEM category must then be selected in the menu options.
Category Events or Categories?
| View | Purpose | Use it when |
|---|
| Categories |
Displays a directory of several categories. |
Visitors should first choose a category from a category index. |
| Category Events |
Displays one selected category and its events. |
A specific category needs its own landing page or direct menu link. |
| Category Calendar |
Displays events from a selected category in a monthly calendar. |
The calendar date layout is more important than the category description and event table. |
Frontend Output
Depending on global JEM settings, menu options and permissions, the page can contain:
- Joomla page heading and the selected category title.
- Menu intro text.
- Category description processed by Joomla content plugins.
- Category image or the configured placeholder image.
- A hierarchical list of subcategories.
- An event table with search, ordering, month filtering and pagination.
- Print and archive actions.
- RSS and Atom feed links for the selected category.
- Event or venue creation actions when the current user has permission.
- Menu footer text.
Menu Options
| Option | Default | Effect |
|---|
Select a category
id |
Required |
Selects the category whose details and events are displayed. The menu item cannot work correctly without a valid category. |
Show empty subcategories
showemptychilds |
Yes |
Shows subcategory links even when the subcategory has no direct events. A branch can still be kept when a deeper descendant contains events. |
Include events from subcategories
includechildevents |
No |
Includes events assigned to descendant categories in the parent category's event table. When disabled, only events assigned directly to the selected category are listed. |
Show Introtext
showintrotext |
No |
Shows the menu-specific Introtext above the category content. |
Introtext
introtext |
Empty |
Editorial text displayed above the category description when enabled. |
Show footer text
showfootertext |
No |
Shows the menu-specific Footer Text below the event list and pagination. |
Footer Text
footertext |
Empty |
Editorial text displayed at the bottom of the page when enabled. |
Subcategories and Descendant Events
These settings are independent: showing a subcategory link does not automatically include that subcategory's events in the parent table. Likewise, including descendant events does not require empty subcategory links to be visible.
| Show empty subcategories | Include child events | Result |
|---|
| No |
No |
Shows only non-empty category branches; the event table contains direct events only. |
| Yes |
No |
Shows all accessible subcategory links, including empty ones; the event table still contains direct events only. |
| No |
Yes |
Hides empty branches but combines direct and descendant events in the parent event table. |
| Yes |
Yes |
Shows the complete accessible hierarchy and combines events from the selected category and all descendants. |
Counting events
When the category list shows an event count beside a subcategory, that number represents events assigned directly to that subcategory. It is not a recursive total of all descendant categories.
Hierarchy depth and description
Global category settings can additionally control whether subcategories are displayed, the maximum hierarchy depth, whether subcategory descriptions are shown and whether direct event counts appear. These inherited settings can change the navigation even though they are not fields in this menu item.
Event List Behaviour
The event table uses JEM's standard frontend event-list configuration. Depending on global column settings, visitors can search by title, venue, city, category or state/region. The category column is normally hidden on this page because the category context is already known.
- Normal mode lists currently published events using ascending date order by default.
- Archive mode lists archived events and reverses the default date order.
- Open-date events are allowed in the category result.
- Pagination uses the global JEM event-list limit unless the visitor selects another available limit.
- Only events whose publication, category, venue and access rules permit viewing are returned.
Category Content and Image
The category description comes from the selected category record and is processed through Joomla content plugins. This allows supported content-plugin syntax, but it also means a plugin can influence the final output.
The global JEM option for category images controls whether the category image is displayed in the overview panel. When image output is enabled but no category image is assigned, JEM can display its configured placeholder image.
Access and Permissions
- The visitor must belong to a Joomla view access level allowed by the selected category.
- A guest who opens a restricted category is redirected to the Joomla login page.
- An authenticated user without access receives a 403 permission error.
- Restricted child categories and their events are excluded from the hierarchy and event list.
- Add Event and Add Venue actions appear only when the current user has the corresponding JEM permission for the category context.
- Edit actions for individual events remain subject to event ownership and edit permissions.
Dates and Timezones
The category page does not select an event timezone. Each event is displayed using the date and time prepared from its own configured time reference. If an event uses Venue timezone, check the timezone stored in its assigned venue. Joomla publication windows remain separate from civil event dates and times.
Practical Configurations
Department landing page
- Select the department's parent category.
- Show empty subcategories: No
- Include child events: Yes
- Use the category description for department information.
Category directory branch
- Select a parent category.
- Show empty subcategories: Yes
- Include child events: No
- Visitors navigate into each child for its events.
Single flat category
- Select the required category.
- Include child events: No
- Use Introtext for page-specific instructions.
- Use Footer Text for contact or subscription information.
Restricted member programme
- Assign the category to a members-only access level.
- Apply compatible access levels to descendant categories.
- Test guest redirection and authenticated access.
- Confirm that RSS/Atom output does not expose restricted events.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|
| The page reports that the category was not found. |
Open the menu item and select a valid existing JEM category. |
| The category is visible but no events are listed. |
Check direct category assignments, Include child events, event dates, publication state and access levels. |
| Events from subcategories are missing. |
Enable Include events from subcategories. Showing subcategory links alone does not include their events. |
| An apparently empty subcategory is still shown. |
It may contain a non-empty descendant. JEM preserves that branch so visitors can reach deeper events. |
| The displayed subcategory count looks too small. |
The count represents direct events only, not a recursive descendant total. |
| The category image is missing. |
Check the global category-image option and the image assigned to the category. |
| A guest is redirected to login or a user receives 403. |
Review the category's Joomla access level and the user's authorised view levels. |
| An event has an unexpected local time. |
Review the event time reference and its venue/custom/Joomla timezone rather than the category settings. |
Before Publishing
- Select the correct category in the menu item.
- Test all four combinations of Show empty subcategories and Include child events that apply to the hierarchy.
- Check category title, description and image.
- Test direct and descendant events, including open-date and archived events.
- Check search, sorting, pagination, print and archive actions.
- Test the page as a guest and as users with different access levels.
- Check desktop and mobile layouts.
- Verify RSS and Atom feeds when they are exposed by the template.
Related Documentation
Development References
