Hi baituo01,

First of all a quick note: if you want to check if a number does NOT appear in a list, then you should do it this way:

if ( $content_genius->check("category_id = none of 65,66,67") ) return "118, 116, 125";

(if you use "not = any of" then that means "not = 65, or not = 66, or not = 67", so it will always return true. "none of" is better because it means "not = 65 AND not = 66 AND not = 67").

Anyway, in your case I think you're trying to say "I don't want anything on category pages 65, 66 or 67, and I want a single random item on any other page". Correct?

So I'd do it this way:

// return nothing (no module) for these categories:
if ( $content_genius->check("category_id = any of 65,66,67") ) return;
// so if we get to here, then we're obviously not in one
// of those categories, so return a random module:
$r = mt_rand(1,3); // get a random number: 1-3 inclusive
if ($r == 1) return 118;
if ($r == 2) return 116;
if ($r == 3) return 125;


Now, if you meant that you only want the random modules on those 3 pages, and nothing on any other pages, then you could do this:

// bypass any page that's not in cat 65, 66, 67:
if ( $content_genius->check("category_id = none of 65,66,67") ) return;
$r = mt_rand(1,3); // get a random number: 1-3 inclusive
if ($r == 1) return 118;
if ($r == 2) return 116;
if ($r == 3) return 125;


Did I get the right combination for you? I'm not 100% sure which version you intended, or maybe I didn't get it right at all... sorry.

Cheers,
Stephen

hi, stephen.

sorry to bother you with this again. i thought that last recipe would work in my situation but it doesn't seem to and i haven't been able to try until now.

basically what i want to do is pretty simple.

i have three advertisements. (module id: 125, 116, 118) i want to be able to display them randomly on selected pages (category id: 68, 51, 57). other modules appear on other pages, but i do not want these 3 advertisements to display on other pages.  the advertisements should only appear in the categories listed above.

what i currently have in metamod:

if ($content_genius->check("category_id = 68")) return "27, 93, 83, 116, 112";

if ($content_genius->check("category_id = 51")) return "27, 93, 83, 118, 112";

if ($content_genius->check("category_id = 57")) return "27, 93, 83, 125, 112";

(displays modules correctly on selected pages (namely 68,51,57))

// bypass any page that's not in cat 68, 51, 57:
if ( $content_genius->check("category_id = none of 68,51,57") ) return;
$r = mt_rand(1,3); // get a random number: 1-3 inclusive
if ($r == 1) return 118;
if ($r == 2) return 116;
if ($r == 3) return 125;

(does not work to display advertisements (118,116,125) on same pages (namely 68,51,57))

please advise.

thank you.