Function info to a template?

[WarriorDL]

I probably have this written incorrectly, but... how do I get this info, namely the $category name at the end, to be accessible via a template variable?

Like how $forumbits is pulled from a function into the forum templates.

PHP Code:

function get_categories($cat_id = 0) 
{
    global $vbulletin, $stylevar, $vbphrase, $show, $atlas_config, $site_template;
    global $cat_cache, $cat_parent_cache, $new_image_cache, $subcat_ids;

    $cattable_width = ceil((intval($atlas_config['cat_table_width'])) / $atlas_config['cat_cells']);
    if ((substr($atlas_config['cat_table_width'],-1)) == "%") 
    {
        $cattable_width .= "%";
    }

    if (!isset($cat_parent_cache[$cat_id])) 
    {
        return "";
    }

    $visible_cat_cache = array();
    if (empty($visible_cat_cache)) 
    {
        return "";
    }

    $total = sizeof($visible_cat_cache);
    $table_columns = (intval($atlas_config['cat_cells'])) ? intval($atlas_config['cat_cells']) : 2;
    if ($total <= $table_columns) 
    {
        $table_rows = 1;
    }
    else 
    {
        $table_rows = $total / $table_columns;
        if ($total >= $table_columns AND !is_integer($table_rows)) 
        {
            $table_rows = intval($table_rows) + 1;
        }
    }

    $categories = '<table width="'.$atlas_config['cat_table_width'].'" border='0' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0'><br /><tr><br /><td valign='top' width="'.$cattable_width.'" class='catbgcolor'><br />';
    $categories .= '<table border='0' cellpadding="'.$atlas_config['cat_table_cellpadding'].'" cellspacing="'.$atlas_config['cat_table_cellspacing'].'"><br />';
    $count = 0;
    $count2 = 0;
    foreach ($visible_cat_cache AS $key => $category_id) 
    {
        $categories .= '<tr><br /><td valign='top'><br />';

        $is_new = (isset($new_image_cache[$category_id]) AND $new_image_cache[$category_id] > 0) ? 1 : 0;
        $num_images = (isset($cat_cache[$category_id]['num_images'])) ? $cat_cache[$category_id]['num_images'] : 0;

        $subcat_ids = array();
        get_subcat_ids($category_id, $category_id, $cat_parent_cache);

        if (isset($subcat_ids[$category_id])) 
        {
            foreach ($subcat_ids[$category_id] AS $val) 
            {
                if (isset($new_image_cache[$val]) AND $new_image_cache[$val] > 0) 
                {
                    $is_new = 1;
                }
                if (isset($cat_cache[$val]['num_images'])) 
                {
                    $num_images += $cat_cache[$val]['num_images'];
                }
            }
        }

        if (defined("SHOW_RANDOM_IMAGE") AND SHOW_RANDOM_IMAGE == 0 OR defined("SHOW_RANDOM_CAT_IMAGE") AND SHOW_RANDOM_CAT_IMAGE == 0) 
        {
            $random_cat_image_file = "";
        }
        else 
        {
            $random_cat_image_file = get_random_image($category_id, 0, 1);
        }
        
        $this->registry = array (
        'cat_id' => $category_id,
        'cat_name' => format_text($cat_cache[$category_id]['cat_name'], 2),
        'cat_description' => format_text($cat_cache[$category_id]['cat_description'], 1),
        'cat_hits' => $cat_cache[$category_id]['cat_hits'],
        'cat_is_new' => $is_new,
        'lang_new' => $vbphrase['new'],
        'sub_cats' => get_subcategories($category_id),
        'cat_url' => $vbulletin->session->url(ATLAS_ROOT_PATH."categories.php?".URL_CAT_ID."=".$category_id),
        'random_cat_image_file' => $random_cat_image_file,
        'num_images' => $num_images);
        eval('$categories .= "' . fetch_template('atlas_category_bits') . '";');
        $count++;
        $count2++;
        $categories .= '</td><br /></tr><br />';

        if ($count == $table_rows AND $count2 < sizeof($visible_cat_cache)) 
        {
            $categories .= '</table><br /></td><br />';
            $categories .= '<td valign='top' width="'.$cattable_width.'" class='catbgcolor'><br />';
            $categories .= '<table border='0' cellpadding="'.$atlas_config['cat_table_cellpadding'].'" cellspacing="'.$atlas_config['cat_table_cellspacing'].'"><br />';

            $total = $total - $count2;
            $table_columns = $table_columns - 1;
                /*if ($total <= $table_columns AND $table_columns > 1) 
                {
                    $table_rows = 1;
                }
                else 
                {
                    $table_rows = $total / $table_columns;
                if ($total >= $table_columns AND !is_integer($table_rows)) {
                  $table_rows = intval($table_rows) + 1;
                    }
                }*/
            $count = 0;
        }
    }

    $categories .= '</table><br /></td><br /></tr><br /></table><br />';
    return $categories;
}