Categories

Categories form the tree that organises your catalog. A product or a component belongs to at most one category, and the same tree is used for both.

Where to find it: Catalog → Categories

When you'll use it

• You set up the catalog, before you add or import products.
• You add a branch for a new product range.
• You move a category under a different parent.
• You hide a category you have stopped using, or delete one.
• You prepare categories that an attribute should be limited to.

Key concepts

• One tree for products and components. The screen is titled Product categories, but the tree is shared by products and components. There is no separate list of component categories.
• Four levels at most. A top-level category, and up to three levels of subcategories beneath it.
• One category per product. The category shows on the product list, on the product card and in filters.
• A category does not add fields by itself. Creating a category adds an entry to the tree. It creates no attributes and changes no products. To show a field only on some products, limit the attribute to categories on the Attributes screen. See Categories and attributes.
• Active / inactive. An inactive category disappears from the lists you choose a category from. Products and components already in it keep it.
• No categories are provided. A new workspace starts with an empty tree.

The screen

The screen has two parts.

The tree, on the left. It has:

• a Search categories… box;
• an Expand all / Collapse all button;
• the tree itself. Each row shows the category's icon and name. An inactive category has an inactive tag. Click a row to open the category on the right;
• at the end of the tree, a dashed New category button marked Top-level category;
• inside the category you have open, a button to add a subcategory to it.

On an empty tree, the left part says there are no categories yet and offers New category.

The editor, on the right. Until you choose a category, it says Select a category from the tree. For an open category it shows three sections:

Section	Fields
Basic information	Active (existing categories only), Name (required), Description
Hierarchy	Parent category, and a sentence saying where the category is: at the top level, or under which categories
Appearance	Icon and Color: how the category looks in the tree

The button at the bottom is Create category for a new category and Save changes for an existing one. While you have unsaved changes, an Unsaved tag is shown and the page header offers Discard. The header also has Delete.

📷 Screenshot to add: the Categories screen with a three-level tree on the left and a subcategory open in the editor.

Common tasks

Create a category

1. Go to Catalog → Categories.
2. Click the button for the kind of category you want:
   • for a top-level category, click New category at the end of the tree;
   • for a subcategory, click the parent in the tree, then the button to add a subcategory inside it.
3. Type the Name. Optionally add a Description, an Icon and a Color.
4. Click Create category.

The new category is placed at the end of its level.

Rename or edit a category

1. Click the category in the tree.
2. Change the fields.
3. Click Save changes.

Move a category

1. Click the category in the tree.
2. Under Hierarchy, choose a different Parent category, or clear the field to make it a top-level category.
3. Click Save changes.

Its subcategories move with it. The list of parents leaves out the category itself, its own subcategories, and any parent that would make the branch deeper than four levels.

Hide a category without deleting it

1. Click the category in the tree.
2. Under Basic information, turn Active off.
3. Click Save changes.

The category is no longer offered when you choose a category on a product or component. Products and components already in it keep it.

Delete a category

1. Click the category in the tree.
2. Click Delete in the page header.
3. Confirm Delete category?

What deleting does

• A category with subcategories cannot be deleted. The Delete button is unavailable and the editor explains why. Move or delete the subcategories first.
• A category that an attribute is limited to cannot be deleted either.
• Deleting a category does not delete its products. They are left without a category.

Categories and attributes

By default an attribute appears on every product. You can make a field appear only on some products, for example a "Capacity" field on mugs but not on monitors. To do this, limit the attribute to one or more categories on the Attributes screen.

The limit covers the chosen categories and everything beneath them, so a subcategory you add later is included automatically.

When it doesn't work

What you see	Why	What to do
Give the category a name.	The Name is empty.	Type a name.
A note that this is the end of the tree and you cannot add subcategories	The category is on the fourth level.	Add the new category higher up.
The parent you want is not in the Parent category list.	It is the category itself or one of its subcategories, or moving there would make the tree deeper than four levels.	Choose a parent higher in the tree.
Delete is greyed out.	The category has subcategories.	Move or delete them first.
The category has subcategories. Move or delete them first.	Someone added a subcategory while you had the category open.	Reload, then move or delete the subcategories.
The category is the scope of some attributes. Change their scope in the attributes module first.	An attribute is limited to this category.	On Catalog → Attributes, open the attribute and change Product categories.
You have unsaved changes in the category. Discard them?	You clicked another category before saving.	Choose Go back and save, or Discard.
The category is not offered when you choose a category on a product.	It is inactive.	Turn Active back on.

Permissions

To do this	You need
See the Categories screen	Categories: View
Create a category	Categories: Create
Edit, move or deactivate a category	Categories: Edit
Delete a category	Categories: Delete

Related

• Attributes — fields that can be limited to categories
• Products · Components — what categories organise
• Importing products — creating categories from a file
• Catalog overview
• Glossary — category