How to pull {category_url_title} from related content

Question

Wondering how I can pull {category_url_title} back from a Matrix field {recipes-related} that uses PLAYA related entries for {left} and {right}. I have this but doesn't pull the Category URL Title back so that I can build up the url.

{exp:channel:entries channel="{recipes_channel}" category_group="1" url_title="{last_segment}" dynamic="no" limit="1"}
    {recipes-related}
        {left}
            <a href="{path="{channel_url}/{categories}{category_url_title}{/categories}/{url_title}"}">
        {/left}
        {right}
            <a href="{path="{channel_url}/{categories}{category_url_title}{/categories}/{url_title}"}">
        {/right}
    {/recipes-related}
{/exp:channel:entries}

Answer 1

{category_url_title} is only defined within the {categories}{/categories} tag pair variable (or within an {exp:channel:categories} tag pair).

In your left / right sample code you don't open the {categories} tag pair before trying to retrieve the {category_url_title}, and so it fails.

In your second bit of code you explicitly open a {categories} tag pair, which explains why you get the {category_url_title} returned.

Perhaps something like this is what you need:

{left}
    <a href="{path="{channel_url}/{categories}{category_url_title}{/categories}/{url_title}"}">
{/left}

HTH