Here is the basic problem I am having: If I visit the site from say "http://localhost/#/categories" and then click on a category it does not display the badges for that category. However if I go to the category directly, "http://localhost/#/categories/2/", then it loads all of the badges just fine. I know that this would be easier in a jsbin bu…

app.js

App = Ember.Application.create(
  	{LOG_TRANSITIONS: true}
		);
App.Store = DS.Store.extend({
	adapter: 'DS.RESTAdapter',

});

DS.RESTAdapter.configure("plurals", {
  badge: "badges",
  category: "categories"
});
DS.RESTAdapter.reopen({
  url: 'http://localhost:8000'
});
App.Category = DS.Model.extend({
	'label': DS.attr('string'),
	'ord': DS.attr('string'),
	'parent': DS.attr('number'),
	'access_role': DS.attr('string'),
	'created_at': DS.attr('string'),
	'updated_at': DS.attr('string'),
	'children': DS.hasMany('App.Category', {inverse: 'parent'}),
	'badges': DS.hasMany('App.Badge')
});
App.Badge = DS.Model.extend({
	'category': DS.belongsTo('App.Category'),
	'title': DS.attr('string'),
	'type': DS.attr('string'),
	'ord': DS.attr('number'),
	'shortDescription': DS.attr('string'),
	'fullDescription': DS.attr('string'),
	'icon': DS.attr('string'),
	'required': DS.attr('boolean'),
	'signoff_role': DS.attr('string'),
	'created_at': DS.attr('string'),
	'updated_at': DS.attr('string')


});
App.Router.map(function() {
  this.route("index", { path: "/" })
  this.resource("categories",{path:'categories'} , function(){
    this.resource("category",{path:':category_id'},function(){
	    this.resource('badge', {path: ':badge_id'},function(){
	        this.route('basic', {path: 'basic'}),
	        this.route('resources', {path: 'resources'}),
	        this.route('verification', {path: 'verification'}),
	        this.route('permissions', {path: 'permissions'})
		    this.resource('edit', {path: 'edit'}, function() {
	        	this.route('basic', {path: 'basic'}),
	        	this.route('publish', {path: 'publish'}),
	        	this.route('resources', {path: 'resources'})
	        	this.resource('verification', {path: 'verification'}, function() {
	          		this.route('create'),
	          		this.route('upload'),
	          		this.route('signoff'),
	          		this.route('info'),
	          		this.resource('quiz', {path: 'quiz'},function() {
	            		this.route('question', {path: ':question_id'})
	          		})
	        	})

	      })
	    })
    })
  });
});

App.ApplicationRoute = Ember.Route.extend({
  redirect: function() {
    this.transitionTo('categories');
  }
});
App.IndexRoute = Ember.Route.extend({
  redirect: function() {
    this.transitionTo('categories');
  }
});
App.ApplicationView = Ember.View.extend({
	templateName: 'application',
	classNames: ['row','full']
})

App.CategoriesRoute = Ember.Route.extend({
  model: function() {
    return App.Category.find();
  }
});
App.CategoryRoute = Ember.Route.extend({
  model: function(params) {
    var category = App.Category.find(params.category_id);
    console.log(category)
    return category;
  }
});


App.BadgeRoute = Ember.Route.extend({
	redirect: function() {
    	this.transitionTo('badge.basic');
  	}
})
App.BadgeIndexRoute = Ember.Route.extend({
	redirect: function() {
    	this.transitionTo('badge.basic');
  	}
})
App.BadgeBasicRoute = Ember.Route.extend({
	model: function(params) {
    	return this.modelFor('badge');
  	}
})

categories.json

{
  "categories":
    [
      {"id":1,"label":"CWS 101","ord":1,"parent":null,"access_role":null,"created_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","updated_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","children":[2,3,4],"badges":[]},
      {"id":2,"label":"HR","ord":2,"parent":1,"access_role":null,"created_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","updated_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","children":[],"badges":[1,2]},
      {"id":3,"label":"CZ & Tools","ord":3,"parent":1,"access_role":null,"created_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","updated_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","children":[],"badges":[]},
      {"id":4,"label":"Travel","ord":4,"parent":1,"access_role":null,"created_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","updated_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","children":[],"badges":[]}
    ],
  "badges":
    [
      {"id":1,"title":"Welcome To Connectivity","short_description":null,"full_description":null,"icon":null,"category_id":2,"mentor_id":null,"type":null,"required":0,"ord":null,"signoff_role":null,"created_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","updated_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05"},
      {"id":2,"title":"Know Your Benefits","short_description":null,"full_description":null,"icon":null,"category_id":2,"mentor_id":null,"type":null,"required":0,"ord":null,"signoff_role":null,"created_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","updated_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05"}
    ]
}

category.json

{
  "category": {"id":2,"label":"HR","ord":2,"parent":1,"access_role":null,"created_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","updated_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","children":[],"badge_ids":[1,2]},

  "badges":
    [
      {"id":1,"title":"Welcome To Connectivity","short_description":null,"full_description":null,"icon":null,"category_id":2,"mentor_id":null,"type":null,"required":0,"ord":null,"signoff_role":null,"created_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","updated_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05"},
      {"id":2,"title":"Know Your Benefits","short_description":null,"full_description":null,"icon":null,"category_id":2,"mentor_id":null,"type":null,"required":0,"ord":null,"signoff_role":null,"created_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","updated_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05"}
    ] 
}

Index.html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
    <head>
        <title></title>
        <link rel="stylesheet" href="<?php echo Request::root() ?>css/normalize.css">
        <link rel="stylesheet" href="<?php echo Request::root() ?>css/style.css">
        <link rel="stylesheet" href="<?php echo Request::root() ?>/css/bootstrap.css" type="text/css">
        <link rel="stylesheet" href="<?php echo Request::root() ?>/css/style.css" type="text/css">
        <style type="text/css">

        </style>
    </head>

    <body style="height:100%">
    <script type="text/x-handlebars" data-template-name="application">
        {{outlet}}
    </script>
    <script type="text/x-handlebars" data-template-name="categories">
        <div class="col col-lg-2 menu1">
            <ul>
                {{#each category in model}}
                    {{#linkTo category category tagName="li"}}
                        {{category.label}}
                    {{/linkTo}}
                {{/each}}
            </ul>
        </div>
        {{outlet}}
    </script>
        <script type="text/x-handlebars" data-template-name="categories/index">
        <div class="container">
            <div class="row">
                <div class="col col-lg-8">
                <p class="lead text-muted" style="margin-top:2em;"><span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-left"></span> Choose a Category</p>
                </div>
            </div>
        </div>
    </script>
    <script type="text/x-handlebars" data-template-name="category">
            <div class="col col-lg-3 menu2">
                <ul style="">
                    <li class="menu2-header" style="">
                        <button class="btn btn-small btn-default">New</button>
                    </li>
                    {{#each badge in badges}}
                        {{#linkTo badge badge tagName="li"}}
                            <h6 style="">
                                {{badge.type}}
                            </h6>
                            <h4 style="">
                                <strong>{{badge.title}}</strong>
                            </h4>
                            <p>
                                {{badge.shortDescription}}
                            </p>
                    {{/linkTo}}
                    {{else}}

                            <p class="lead text-center" style="margin-top:2em">
                                No Badges in {{label}}
                            </p>

                    {{/each}}
                </ul>
            </div>
            <div class="col col-lg-7">
                {{outlet}}
            </div>
    </script>
    <script type="text/x-handlebars" data-template-name="category/index">
        <p class="lead text-muted" style="margin-top:5em;"><span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-left"></span> Choose a Badge</p>
    </script>
    <script type="text/x-handlebars" data-template-name="badge">
                <div class="row">
                    <ul class="list-inline badge-menu">
                        {{#linkTo badge.basic tagName="li"}}Basic Info{{/linkTo}}
                        {{#linkTo badge.resources tagName="li"}}Resources{{/linkTo}}
                        {{#linkTo badge.verification tagName="li"}}Verification{{/linkTo}}
                        {{#linkTo badge.permissions tagName="li"}}Permissions{{/linkTo}}

                    </ul>
                </div>
                <div class="row">
                    <div class="col col-lg-12" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #eee;">
                        <h2 style="margin-bottom:1.25em;margin-top:1em">
                            {{title}} <small>{{shortDescription}}</small>
                        </h2>
                    </div>
                </div>
                {{outlet}}
    </script>
    <script type="text/x-handlebars" data-template-name="badge/basic">

                <div class="row">
                    <div class="col col-lg-11">
                        <h4>
                            Description
                        </h4>
                        <p>
                        {{fullDescription}}
                        </p>
                    </div>
                </div>
                <div class="row">
                    <div class="col col-lg-12">
                        <h4>
                            Mentor
                        </h4>
                        <address>
                            <strong>David Hartin</strong><br>

                            <abbr title="Phone">P:</abbr> (123) 456-7890
                        </address>

                    </div>
                </div>
    </script>
          <script src="<?php echo Request::root() ?>/js/libs/jquery-1.9.1.js"></script>
          <script src="<?php echo Request::root() ?>/js/libs/handlebars-1.0.0-rc.4.js"></script>
          <script src="<?php echo Request::root() ?>/js/libs/ember-1.0.0-rc.4.js"></script>
          <script src="<?php echo Request::root() ?>/js/libs/ember-data.js"></script>
          <script src="<?php echo Request::root() ?>/js/app.js"></script>
    </body>
</html>

Solved

the JSON was throwing it off. in categories it was expecting badge_ids and I was giving it badges in file https://gist.github.com/cullymason/5681735#file-categories-json

This

{"id":1,"label":"CWS 101","ord":1,"parent":null,"access_role":null,"created_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","updated_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","children":[2,3,4], "badges" :[]},

Should be

{"id":1,"label":"CWS 101","ord":1,"parent":null,"access_role":null,"created_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","updated_at":"2013-05-30 20:03:05","children":[2,3,4], "badge_ids" :[]},