private function getCategory($id_category, $id_lang = false, $id_shop = false)
    {
        $id_lang = $id_lang ? (int)$id_lang : (int)Context::getContext()->language->id;
        $category = new Category((int)$id_category, (int)$id_lang);
        if ($category->level_depth > 1)
        $category_link = $category->getLink();
        else
            $category_link = $this->context->link->getPageLink('index');

        if (is_null($category->id))
            return;

        $children = Category::getChildren((int)$id_category, (int)$id_lang, true, (int)$id_shop);
        var_dump($children);
    
        $selected = ($this->page_name == 'category' && ((int)Tools::getValue('id_category') == $id_category)) ? ' class="sfHoverForce"' : '';

        $is_intersected = array_intersect($category->getGroups(), $this->user_groups);
    
        // filter the categories that the user is allowed to see and browse
        if (!empty($is_intersected))
        {
            $this->_menu .= '<li class="alt1"'.$selected.'>';
            $this->_menu .= '<a href="'.$category_link.'">'.$category->name.'</a>';
/*        if (count($children))*/
/*var_dump($children);*/
if (count($children))
            /*    if(count($children) & ($ddd=3))*/
            {
                $this->_menu .='<div class="st"></div><ul class="level2">';

                foreach ($children as $child)
                    $this->getCategory((int)$child['id_category'], (int)$id_lang, (int)$child['id_shop']);

                $this->_menu .='</ul>';
            }
            $this->_menu .= '</li>';
        }
        
    }

if (count($children))

if(count($children) & ($ddd=2))

if(count($children) & ($ddd=1))