In This Guide

· What are Categories?
· Creating Categories 
· Deleting Categories 

 

What are Categories?
Categories are a way of organizing the articles into groups and making your weblog easier to navigate. When posting or editing an article, you have the option of classifying it under one or more categories. Your readers can then choose to read all the articles in your weblog or only those posted under a specific category.

You would typically create categories for certain types of articles that you write often. For example, if I were to write a weblog and often talked about current affairs, food and drink and music, I might create three corresponding categories with those names: "Current Affairs", "Food and Drink" and "Music".

If I were then to write an article about a new restaurant that opened near my house or a particularly tasty cheese sandwich I ate, I would probably post it under my "Food and Drink" category. If I were writing a review of an album I bought or a concert I saw, I would probably post it under my "Music" category.

One way to think of categories is as folders into with you can file your articles:

articles_advanced_categories_whatare1  
 
Categories are more flexible than folders, however. Any article can be filed under more than one category. For example, if I were to write an article about a benefit concert for the local hospital, I might post it under both my "Current Affairs" and "Music" categories.

articles_advanced_categories_whatare2  

Categories can also be nested: that is, categories can contain other categories.

When you start with a new weblog, you have a single category: "Main Page", which is the main page of your weblog. This is the default category for any article. Any category you create is a subcategory of "Main Page" or one of its subcategories.

Nested categories are useful if your categories can be further divided into subcategories. For example, for my "Music" category, I might create subcategories for different musical genres: "Rock", "Jazz" and so on. If I wanted to go even further, I could create subcategories for "Rock": "Fifties Rock", "Punk", "Heavy Metal", "Alternative" and so on.

articles_advanced_categories_whatare3  

Categories also allow you to control access to your weblog. You can set up categories that can be read only those people who have permission to do so (they'll need to be logged in and on the list of people who have permission). These categories are called Restricted Categories.

articles_advanced_categories_whatare4  

Now that we'd had an overview of categories, let's look at how to create and delete them.



Creating Categories
Creating a category consists of the following steps:

1. Select a "parent" Category where the new Category will go. 

2. Click the "Add Category" link. 

3. Enter a name for the Category and select options. 

4. Click the "Save Changes" button. 


Select a "Parent" Category Where the New Category Will Go
The first step is to select a location for the new Category.

If you don't want to put your new Category under any existing ones, select Main Page, the Category into which all other Categories and Photo Albums go. You can do this by either selecting it in the Category Tree:

categories_categories_create_cattreemainmenu 

...or by selecting Main Page from the drop-down menu above the Category List:

categories_categories_create_catlistmainmenu 

If you want to put your new Category under an existing one, you can select it in the Category Tree:

categories_categories_create_cattreecheese 

...or by selecting it from the drop-down menu above the Category List:

categories_categories_create_catlistcheese 


Click the "Add Category" Link
Click the Add Category link (located in the Options menu, just above the Category Tree) to add a new Category under the currently selected one.

categories_categories_create_addcategorylink 

This will take you to the Add Category page.


Enter a name for the Category and select options
Here's the Add Category page, shown just after clicking the Add Category link while Main Page was the selected Category:

categories_categories_create_addcategorypagefull 

You need to provide some information about the Category you're going to create:

· Title 
This is the name of the category. It can contain letters, numbers, spaces and punctuation. 

· Inherit permissions from parent 
Check this checkbox if you want the new Category to have the same permissions as the Category that contains it. 

Permissions are covered in more detail in the Restricted Categories and Photo Albums section. 

· Restrict views 
Check this checkbox if you want the new Category to be a Restricted Category. 

A Restricted Category is one that cannot be read by anyone who hasn't been given permission to do so. They are covered in more detail in the Restricted Categories and Photo Albums section. 


Click the "Save Changes" Button
Once you've entered a name for the Category and selected your options, click the Save Changes button to create the Category.

The Category will be created and you will be taken to its Category Settings page, which will display a "Category created" message:

categories_categories_create_rantssettingspage 

You new Category is ready for use. Since you are in its Category Settings page, you can edit its settings immediately (see Category Settings for more details).



Deleting Categories
Deleting a Category consists of the following steps:

1. Select the Category you wish to delete. 

2. Go to the Category's "Category Settings" page. 

3. Make sure that the Category contains no subcategories or Photo Albums 

4. Click the "Delete" button  


Select the Category You Wish to Delete
You can do this by either selecting it in the Category Tree:

categories_categories_create_selectfoodanddrink1 

...or by selecting it from the drop-down menu above the Category List:

categories_categories_create_selectfooddrinkmenu 


Go to the Category's "Category Settings" Page
If you're not already on the Category's Category Settings page, go there by clicking on the Category Settings link in the Navigation Bar.


Make sure that the Category Contains No Subcategories or Photo Albums
Click the Delete button, located near the bottom of the page.

categories_categories_create_deletefoodanddrink1 

If the Category contains other Categories or Photo Albums, you will not be able to delete it until you delete those Categories and Photo Albums first; you will be shown this message:

categories_categories_create_cantdeletednestedmsgbox 

In our example, the Category we want to delete, "Food and Drink", contains a subcategory, "Cheese". In order to delete "Food and Drink", we must first delete "Cheese".

First, select "Cheese":

categories_categories_create_selectcheese 

Make sure that you're on the Category Settings page for "Cheese":

categories_categories_create_selectcategorysettings 


Click the "Delete" Button
Click the Delete button, located near the bottom of the page:

categories_categories_create_deletecheese 

You will be asked if you are sure that you want to delete the Category. Click OK if you are sure or Cancel to cancel the deletion.

categories_categories_create_aresuremsgbox 

If the Category contains any articles that are not also in any other Categories, a Please Confirm page will be displayed. It will say how many articles are in the Category you are about to delete and ask you if you want to proceed.

To proceed and delete the Category, click the Delete button.

categories_categories_create_confirmdeletecheese 

You will be taken to the Main Page's Category Settings page and shown a "Category removed" message:

categories_categories_create_categoryremoved 

The Category you deleted will no longer appear in the Category Tree.

categories_categories_create_selectfoodanddrink2 

Now that you have deleted its subcategory, you can now Delete "Food and Drink":

categories_categories_create_deletefooddrink