Categories & Sub Categories

Categories & Sub Categories Overview

Categories and Sub Categories are the second and third levels of your product structure. Categories are a required level while Sub Categories are optional. The product structure hierarchy is:

Category Type > Category > Sub Category > Product

As far as Control Panel settings go, the only difference between a Category and Sub Category is that Sub Categories are assigned a parent Category. Categories and Sub Categories can be created and modified via Import or by using the Categories and Sub Categories Screen.

A list of Categories appears on your Category Type pages. The default format is a one-column list of Category Links, Images, and Descriptions. Create a custom display of your Categories using the Category Template. If a Category has Sub Categories, then the Category Page will show a list of Categories. The default format is a one column list of Sub Category Links, Images and Descriptions.

You may also create a custom display of your Sub Categories using the Category Template.

If a Category has no Sub Categories, then the Category Page will display the Category AUTO_GENERATED_CONTENT at the top of the page and a list of products beneath.

Categories & Sub Categories Instructions

  1. What Is a Category Template? FAQ
  2. How to Create a Category Template FAQ
  3. How to Assign Templates FAQ
  4. SearchFit Quick Start Guide
  5. Getting Started with Templates Guide
  6. How to Create a Category or Subcategory FAQ
  7. How to Change the Number of Products Shown Per Page FAQ
  8. How to Specify the Number of Products Per Row on a Page That Displays Products FAQ
  9. How to Change the Number of Subcategory Links Shown on Category Pages FAQ
  10. How to Add/Remove the Breadcrumbs (Categorytype > Category > Subcategory) FAQ
  11. How to Show/Hide the Category Descriptions at the Top & Bottom of Category Pages FAQ
  12. How to Remove the Number of Items Per Category Shown on the Auto Generated Category Type Menu FAQ
  13. How Can I Create a Search Form That Searches by Category Types and Categories? FAQ
  14. How Can I Create a Search Form That Searches by Category Types, Categories, and Subcategories? FAQ
  15. How Can I Automatically Add a List of Links to My Category Pages That Automatically Lists All Categories from the same Category Type? FAQ
  16. How Can I Create a Link to Show All Products for a Category? FAQ

Categories & Sub Categories Functions

  1. New Category: Click the New Category link to open the Category form. Before clicking the New Category link, use the Category Type select box to choose the desired parent Category Type for the new Category. The new Category will not be created until you click the Save button.
  2. New CategoryLink: Click the New CategoryLink link to open the New CategoryLink form. A CategoryLink is a live-updated copy of another Category or Sub Category. CategoryLinks allow you to have the same Category or Sub Category in more than one Category Type or Category.
    1. To use the New CategoryLink form, use the available select boxes to select the desired location of the CategoryLink. The select boxes include Source Category Type, Source Category, and Sub Category of.
    2. Enter an alpha numeric value into the Sort # field. The sort number determines the order the CategoryLink will appear in lists of Categories or Sub Categories as they appear on Category Type or Category pages.

Categories & Sub Categories Group Functions

  1. Update Foreign IDs for X Active Categories: Use this function to assign the value of the Category's Internal Id as the Foreign ID. The intended use for this function is to quickly assign Foreign ID's to Categories and Sub Categories that do not have one. The benefit is that you will be able to import and export your data properly once your Categories have a foreign id. Settings Include:
    1. Make [select box]: Depending upon the setting you choose from the Make select box, you may update All Empty Category Foreign IDs or All Category Foreign ID's.
    2. Apply to all Categories in the store [checkbox]: If this checkbox is unchecked, then the function will only affect the Categories currently listed in the Categories Table. If this checkbox is checked, then the function will apply to all Categories in the store.

Categories & Sub Categories Fields

  1. AUTO_GENERATED_HEADER: The content of this field will replace the AUTO_GENERATED_HEADER keyword used in the main template. The purpose of this field is to add content within the HTML head tags. The content usually consists of an HTML title and meta tags.

  2. AUTO_GENERATED_CONTENT: The text in this field will be used to replace AUTO_GENERATED_CONTENT keyword in the main template with a Category display.

  3. AUTO_GENERATED_IMAGE [file upload]: Use this field to upload a Category image. The Category Image is used in the Category Display. The position of the Category image can be adjusted in 2 ways:
    1. The keyword AUTO_GENERATED_IMAGE can be used in AUTO_GENERATED_CONTENT. It will be replaced with the Category image during generation.
    2. Use a Category template to control the position of the Category image per Category as shown in Category displays.

  5. Custom SEO Field 1, ...2, ...3: The content of these three fields can later be used in your SEO naming rules. The SEO naming rules screen is located within the SEO tab | SEO Naming Rules screen. The benefit of these fields the increased flexibility with SEO Naming Rules.

Tip: About the Category Display

  1. If the page is a Category Type, the default Category Display will be a one column layout listing the AUTO_GENERATED_CONTENT, AUTO_GENERATED_IMAGE and a text link to the Category.
  2. If the page is a Category Type and a custom Category Template is assigned, then the AUTO_GENERATED_CONTENT will be used in the Category Display according to the Category template. The Category Template makes it possible to use custom graphics and multi-column layouts to display your lists of Categories and Sub Categories.
  3. If the Page is a Sub Category or a Category with no Sub Categories, then the Category Display will appear at the top of the page and a list of products will appear beneath. The Category display will consist of the AUTO_GENERATED_CONTENT only.

Categories & Sub Categories Properties

  1. ID: The internal database id of the Category or Sub Category (cannot be changed). This is not the same as the Foreign ID.
  2. Active [checkbox]: Deactivate a Category by unchecking the corresponding Active checkbox. If a Category is inactive, then the Category, Child Sub Categories and Products will be removed from the AUTO_GENERATED_MENU, will not be orderable and will not be generated. If the Configuration Per User setting for Delete old files on the LOCAL server is set to YES, then the inactive Category, Child Sub Categories and Products will be deleted the next time the site is generated (only).
  3. Template & CSS Assignment Icons CSS Assignment Web Page Template Assignment (brief products) Web Page Template Assignment (detail products) Product Template Assignment Related Product Template Assignment: Shows whether CSS CSS Assignment, Web Page Template (brief products) Web Page Template Assignment (brief products), Web Page Template (detail products) Web Page Template Assignment (detail products), Product Template Product Template Assignment, or Related Product Template Related Product Template Assignment has been assigned to the Category.
    1. If a Web Page CSS is assigned then all Sub Categories under the Category will use the CSS unless a particular subcategory has different CSS assigned to it. Assign Web Page CSS by choosing an item from the Web Page CSS select box. Store Web Page CSS on the CSS Storage or CSS Main screen.
    2. If a Web Page Template (brief products) is assigned then all Sub Categories under the Category will use the Template unless a particular Sub Category has different Template assigned to it. Assign Web Page Template by choosing an item from the Web Page Template select box. Store Web Page Template (brief products) on the Template Storage or Main Template screen.
    3. If a Web Page Template (detail products) is assigned then all Sub Categories under the Category will use the Template unless a particular Sub Category has different Template assigned to it. Assign Web Page Template by choosing an item from the Web Page Template select box. Store Web Page Template (detail products) on the Template Storage or Main Template screen.
    4. If a Category Template is assigned then all Sub Categories under the Category will use the Template unless a particular Sub Category has different Template assigned to it. Assign a Category Template by choosing an item from the Category Template select box. Category Templates are stored in the Website: Categories screen within the Template Storage section of the cart.
    5. If a Product Template is assigned then all products under the Category will use that Product Template. Assign a Product Template by choosing an item from the Product Template select box. Store the Product Template on the Template Storage screen.
    6. If a Related Product Template is assigned then all products under the Category will use the Template unless a particular Product has different Template assigned to it. Assign a Related Product Template by choosing an item from the Related Product Template select box. Store the Product Template on the Template Storage screen.
    7. If a Product Filter Group is assigned, then the Dynamic Filterable Menu will display only the Product Filters contained within that filter group when the user is viewing the given Category. The intended use of the Dynamic Filterable menu is to allow customers to quickly locate their desired products by choosing the desired Filter Values. Product Filters and Filter Groups can be assigned on the Products tab | Product Filters screen. Product Filter values can be assigned via import. Alternatively, you may specify filter values per Product on the Products tab | Products screen | Click Edit link corresponding to desired product | Choose Filter Values | Choose a Filter value for each available Filter.
  4. Category Type [select box]: Use this select box to choose a Category Type. When a Category Type is selected, the Categories table will display the Categories, CategoryLinks and Sub Categories that are within that Category Type only. When creating a new Category using the New Category link, you should first use the Category Type [select box] to choose the desired, parent Category Type.
  5. Created By [select box]: A select box containing a list of all users in the control panel. By default, the user who created the Category is selected.
  6. Access Granted To [select box]: A select box containing a list of all User roles. Use the select box to select the minimum User role that is able to edit the Category or Sub Category.
  7. Name: The name of the Category or Sub Category. The name is used extensively throughout your website including your menu links (as link text), Category display, bread crumbs, etc.
  8. Name (user...): The user specific name of the Category or Sub Category. This value overrides the value entered into the Name(user...) field. The intended use of this property is to assign your sub-store's Categories and Sub Categories names that are different from those of the main user.
  9. Alternate Name: Alternate name can be entered for every Category Type, Category, or Sub Category. The alternate name can be used in the Website Menu Template in order to build menus with link text that differs from the Category Type, Category, or Sub Category name.
  10. Alternate Name (user...): The user specific, alternate name of the Category or Sub Category. This value overrides the value entered into the Alternate Name(user...) field. The intended use of this property is to create menus for your sub-stores with link text that is different from the Names and Alternate names of the main user.
  11. Sort #: This value will determine the order in which the Category will appear in the list of Categories (alphanumeric).
  12. Subcategory of [Select Box]: Contains a list of Categories within the same Category Type. By choosing a Category from the select box, you are transforming a Category into a Sub Category.
  13. Orderable By [select box]: Determines if the product is orderable by members only. Choices include:
    1. [default]: If this option is selected, then the Category will inherit the Orderable By settings of its parent Category Type.
    2. members only: If this option is selected, then only members will be able to order products located within the given Category and its Sub Categories.
    3. any customer: If this option is selected, then the products located within the given Category and Sub Categories are orderable by anyone.
  14. Allowed Shipping Zone: Specify a Zone that you will not ship orders to. A Zone is a group of one or more countries as defined on the Shipping Zones screen.
  15. Allowed Shipping Zone (user...): Specify a zone that you will not ship orders to. This is a user-specific value that overrides the value entered for Allowed Shipping Zone
  16. Navigation Names: Enter a list of comma separated values. Used to replace the pagination links that appear on the top of Category pages with custom words or phrases. If you have not supplied enough values for each of the pagination links, then the default format of [Category Name] + [page number] will be used. The intended use of this field is to allow you to replace the link text of your pagination links with SEO related phrases.
  17. Products Per Page: Determines the number of products that will be shown per page for the given Category. If the number of products in the Category exceeds the value entered for Products Per Page, then additional pages will be created automatically and each page will contain pagination links. Overrides the default Per User products per page setting.
  18. Web Page Name: The document name prefix of the page or pages located within the Category or Sub Category. The suffix is [word separator][internal category id][word separator]. Word Separator can be either a hyphen ( - ) or underscore ( _ ) and is defined on the SEO screen | SEO General Settings | Page Name Words Delimiter [select box]. Do not enter a page extension into the Web Page Name field. The extension will be added automatically and is defined on the SEO screen | SEO General Settings | Default Page Names Extension [select box].
    1. If you would like to enter an exact document name for the first page in your Category and NOT have a generic suffix (as described above), then you should enter a value into the Web Page Name field in this format: =[document_name][extension]. For example, to assign the document name plasma_televisions.htm to a given Category, you should enter the value =plasma_televisions.htm into the Web Page Name field.
  19. Web Page Name (user...): The document name prefix of the page or pages located within the Category or Sub Category. The value entered in this field will apply to the selected user only and overrides anything entered into the Web Page Name field. The Web Page Name (user...) field works similarly to the Web Page Name field.
  20. ID Foreign: The foreign id of the Category or Sub Category. The intended use of this value involves importing. When creating and/or updating your Categories using the Import function, each Category should be assigned a foreign id. The foreign id is used by the system to determine if a Category should be updated during import, or newly created.

Why is the Internal ID Colored Red?

  1. If the ID is colored red, there are several possible reasons:
    1. The Category may be inactive.To activate a Category:
      1. From the Control Panel, click the Products tab. You will be transferred to the Products screen.
      2. Locate the Product Structure section of the Products screen. Click the Categories icon. You will be transferred to the Categories screen.
      3. On the Categories screen, use the Category Type [select box] to choose the parent Category Type of the Category you would like to activate. The Categories table will display the Categories located within the selected Category Type.
      4. check the Active checkbox on the Categories table corresponding to the Category you would like to activate.
    2. The Category's parent Category Type may be inactive. If a Category is inactive, then all of the Categories, Sub Categories and Products within that Category Type are also inactive. To activate a Category Type:
      1. From the Control Panel, click the Products tab. You will be transferred to the Products screen.
      2. Locate the Product Structure section of the Products screen. Click the Category Types icon. You will be transferred to the Category Types screen.
      3. On the Category Types screen, the Category Types table displays a list of all Category Types. Check the checkbox in the Active column corresponding to the Category Type that you would like to activate.
    3. The store may be Customized and no Products are chosen for the given Category. When a store is Customized, it means that the settings on the Choose Products have been adjusted so that only one or more of the available Products will appear on the website. The intended use of Customized stores is for Control Panels with multiple sub-stores and need to have different or overlapping sets of products on each store. To Choose Products:
      1. From the Control Panel, click the Products tab. You will be transferred to the Products screen.
      2. Locate the Product Settings section. Click the Choose Products icon. You will be transferred to the Choose Products screen.
      3. Browse to the Products you would like to select using the Category Type and Category select boxes.
      4. For each Product you would like to choose, click the corresponding checkbox in the USE column.

Categories & Sub Categories Keywords

Categories & Sub Categories Keywords for the AUTO_GENERATED_CONTENT Field

  1. AUTO_GENERATED_IMAGE: Will be replaced with the image uploaded using the AUTO_GENERATED_IMAGE field.
  2. AUTO_GENERATED_CONTENT_CATEGORYTYPE: Will be replaced with the description of the Category's parent Category Type.
  3. AUTO_GENERATED_CATEGORIES_IN_CATEGORYTYPE: Will be replaced by a list of text links to each Category and Sub Category contained within the same Category Type. Can be used to adjust the text link frequency of your Categories.
  4. AUTO_GENERATED_CATEGORYTYPE_ID_PATH: Will be replaced with the Categories ID path. Use the ID path to construct a Show All Products per Category link. For Example:
    1. <a href = "tool_dynamic.php?action=search&searchby1=keywords&searchby2=category&searchby_category=AUTO_GENERATED_CATEGORYTYPE_ID_PATH">Show All Products</a>
  5. AUTO_GENERATED_PRODUCTS_GROUP_id: Will be replaced with a Product Group. You may use a product group to create a special display of products that will appear above or below the products listed on your Category page. Replace the id with id of the Product Group you want to display. For example:
    1. AUTO_GENERATED_PRODUCTS_GROUP_3

Categories & Sub Categories Keywords for the AUTO_GENERATED_HEADER Field

  1. AUTO_GENERATED_CATEGORY_NAME - Will be replaced with the product's name. The intended use of this keyword is to allow you to automatically add the Product Name to your title and meta tags.