4.3. Category
Categories are one way to organize the content items for the visitors who will use your public site. For example, one way to design a category structure is to include broad categories at the top of the structure, followed by narrower categories. Think carefully about your categories and be consistent. Typically, categories are managed by someone in an information architect role. Discussion on information architecture is beyond the scope of this guide.
The CMS lets you create Use Contexts for your categories. This lets you create several independent category hierarchies, which lets you provide an overall purpose for the category. When you add a Use Context, you create a new organizational category. Add subcategories to create the hierarchy within the Use Context. When you select a different use context, the tree under Categories displays the category hierarchy associated with that use context. You assign categories (if desired) when you create content items. Refer to Section 4.7 Creating a Content Item.
You can assign a content item to more than one category. For example, you might have a "Contact Us" content item that you want listed under the different categories. You would create the content item and then assign it to the individual categories so that users would always be able to see it. This also lets you take advantage of reusability, as edits made to the content item are reflected in all categories.
You can also link one category to another to create a relationship between categories in different parts of the tree. For example, suppose that two of the subcategories on your category tree are Literacy and Education. By linking the Literacy category to the Education category, users can search Education and get results from both categories. Literacy would be displayed as a child to both its own parent category and to Education.
Instead of using categories, you can use folders to organize information. While categories make it easier for users to find information on the website, folders make it easier for you to find content items within the CMS. For example, if there are several administrators who create content items, each of you might have a folder labeled with your name. The CMS is flexible enough for any organizational structure that you want to impose.
 | Note |
|---|---|
You do not have to use folders or categories to organize your information. |
To manage categories, use the Categories tab. The screen uses a split pane, with the category tree on the left and the category details on the right. Use the Category Details pane to:
See the current category information. In the category tree, the current category is displayed in black bold text.
Category information includes:
- Name
Type the name for the category. This name is displayed on the category tree and on the Authoring tab when assigning a category.
- Description
Type the category description. The description is displayed on the content item's Summary tab.
- Can you place objects in this category?
Select whether users can choose this category when organizing their content items. Otherwise, only subcategories can be added to the category.
You could also use this option to create a category for future use.
- Is enabled?
If a category is enabled, it is displayed on the category tree. Users can only add content items to the category if you enable the previous option. This lets you create a parent category for organizational purposes, because users can only add content items to subcategories.
- URL
The URL is automatically created when you type the name. The CMS converts any uppercase letters in the name to lowercase letters and replaces any spaces with hyphens as you type the name. Clear this field if categories are used for item URL resolution.
The Category Details screen also includes the category maintenance functionality. You can edit the category, change the index item, and delete the category. If you delete a parent category, all children are orphaned. You should delete all children first, then delete the parent category.
View and manage subcategories
Subcategories let you further subdivide a category for more organization. For example, you might have a parent category of Entertainment that includes subcategories for Music, Movies, and Television. If Entertainment is a child category of your root category, then Music is actually a grandchild of the root level and Entertainment is both a parent (of Music) and a child (of root).
For subcategories, view and manage linked categories.
By linking one subcategory to another, you create a relationship between categories in different parts of the category tree by assigning it a virtual parent. Your users can search the "true" parent or the virtual parent and find results within that subcategory, which is displayed in both places on the tree. Users will not realize that the categories are linked.
Note You cannot create linked categories for the root category or for Use Contexts.
Manage and assign category templates.
If you are using category-specific templates for content presentation, you can assign a different template for each category. When you re-categorize an item, it changes the template that is used to display it.
Note With out-of-the-box Content Management System, you can use category templates only when you are using categories for item URL resolution, instead of folders.
For subcategories, view and manage category permissions.
Select a subcategory to see the Permissions section, which always displays the parent category that provides the base permissions for the subcategory. You can set custom permissions to specific users, groups, or roles. Custom permissions are always displayed.
The possible default permissions for a category (other than the Root) are Edit, Categorize Items, Delete, and Admin, which are inherited from the parent category. The possible custom permissions for a category (other than the root) are Edit, Categorize Items, Delete, Admin, and Remove All custom permissions.
While there is no required order for initially entering information into the CMS, you must assign a category before you publish the content item if your website uses categorization. Otherwise, the content item is not organized in the public site and users have to know the direct URL to access it.