Managing Categories in Publisher¶

Complete guide to creating, organizing hierarchies, and managing categories in the Publisher module.

Category Basics¶

What Are Categories?¶

Categories organize articles into logical groups:

Example Structure:

  News (Main Category)
    ├── Technology
    ├── Sports
    └── Entertainment

  Tutorials (Main Category)
    ├── Photography
    │   ├── Basics
    │   └── Advanced
    └── Writing
        └── Blogging

Benefits of Good Category Structure¶

✓ Better user navigation
✓ Organized content
✓ Improved SEO
✓ Easier content management
✓ Better editorial workflow

Access Category Management¶

Admin Panel Navigation¶

Admin Panel
└── Modules
    └── Publisher
        └── Categories
            ├── Create New
            ├── Edit
            ├── Delete
            ├── Permissions
            └── Organize

Quick Access¶

1. Log in as Administrator
2. Go to Admin → Modules
3. Click Publisher → Admin
4. Click Categories in left menu

Creating Categories¶

Category Creation Form¶

graph TD
    A[Create Category] -->|Step 1| B[Basic Info]
    A -->|Step 2| C[Details]
    A -->|Step 3| D[Images]
    A -->|Step 4| E[Settings]
    A -->|Step 5| F[Save]

Step 1: Basic Information¶

Category Name¶

Field: Category Name
Type: Text input (required)
Max length: 100 characters
Uniqueness: Should be unique
Example: "Photography"

Guidelines: - Descriptive and singular or plural consistently - Capitalized properly - Avoid special characters - Keep reasonably short

Category Description¶

Field: Description
Type: Textarea (optional)
Max length: 500 characters
Used in: Category listing pages, category blocks

Purpose: - Explains category content - Appears above category articles - Helps users understand scope - Used for SEO meta description

Example:

"Photography tips, tutorials, and inspiration for
all skill levels. From composition basics to advanced
lighting techniques, master your craft."

Step 2: Parent Category¶

Create Hierarchy¶

Field: Parent Category
Type: Dropdown
Options: None (root), or existing categories

Hierarchy Examples:

Flat Structure:
  News
  Tutorials
  Reviews

Nested Structure:
  News
    Technology
    Business
    Sports
  Tutorials
    Photography
      Basics
      Advanced
    Writing

Create Subcategory:

1. Click Parent Category dropdown
2. Select parent (e.g., "News")
3. Fill in category name
4. Save
5. New category appears as child

Step 3: Category Image¶

Upload Category Image¶

Field: Category Image
Type: Image upload (optional)
Format: JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP
Max size: 5 MB
Recommended: 300x200 px (or your theme size)

To Upload:

1. Click Upload Image button
2. Select image from computer
3. Crop/resize if needed
4. Click Use This Image

Where Used: - Category listing page - Category block header - Breadcrumb (some themes) - Social media sharing

Step 4: Category Settings¶

Display Settings¶

Status:
  - Enabled: Yes/No
  - Hidden: Yes/No (hidden from menus, still accessible)

Display Options:
  - Show description: Yes/No
  - Show image: Yes/No
  - Show article count: Yes/No
  - Show subcategories: Yes/No

Layout:
  - Items per page: 10-50
  - Display order: Date/Title/Author
  - Display direction: Ascending/Descending

Category Permissions¶

Who Can View:
  - Anonymous: Yes/No
  - Registered: Yes/No
  - Specific groups: Configure per group

Who Can Submit:
  - Registered: Yes/No
  - Specific groups: Configure per group
  - Author must have: "submit articles" permission

Step 5: SEO Settings¶

Meta Tags¶

Field: Meta Description
Type: Text (160 characters)
Purpose: Search engine description

Field: Meta Keywords
Type: Comma-separated list
Example: photography, tutorials, tips, techniques

URL Configuration¶

Field: URL Slug
Type: Text
Auto-generated from category name
Example: "photography" from "Photography"
Can be customized before saving

Save Category¶

1. Fill all required fields:
2. Category Name ✓
3. Description (recommended)
4. Optional: Upload image, set SEO
5. Click Save Category
6. Confirmation message appears
7. Category is now available

Category Hierarchy¶

Create Nested Structure¶

Step-by-step example: Create News → Technology subcategory

1. Go to Categories admin
2. Click "Add Category"
3. Name: "News"
4. Parent: (leave blank - this is root)
5. Save
6. Click "Add Category" again
7. Name: "Technology"
8. Parent: "News" (select from dropdown)
9. Save

View Hierarchy Tree¶

Categories view shows tree structure:

📁 News
  📄 Technology
  📄 Sports
  📄 Entertainment
📁 Tutorials
  📄 Photography
    📄 Basics
    📄 Advanced
  📄 Writing

Click expand arrows to show/hide subcategories.

Reorganize Categories¶

Move Category¶

1. Go to Categories list
2. Click Edit on category
3. Change Parent Category
4. Click Save
5. Category moved to new position

Reorder Categories¶

If available, use drag-and-drop:

1. Go to Categories list
2. Click and drag category
3. Drop in new position
4. Order saves automatically

Delete Category¶

Option 1: Soft Delete (Hide)

1. Edit category
2. Set Status: Disabled
3. Click Save
4. Category hidden but not deleted

Option 2: Hard Delete

1. Go to Categories list
2. Click Delete on category
3. Choose action for articles:

   ☐ Move articles to parent category
   ☐ Move articles to root (News)
   ☐ Delete all articles in category
   

4. Confirm deletion

Category Operations¶

Edit Category¶

1. Go to Admin → Publisher → Categories
2. Click Edit on category
3. Modify fields:
4. Name
5. Description
6. Parent category
7. Image
8. Settings
9. Click Save

Edit Category Permissions¶

1. Go to Categories
2. Click Permissions on category (or click category then click Permissions)
3. Configure groups:

For each group:
  ☐ View articles in this category
  ☐ Submit articles to this category
  ☐ Edit own articles
  ☐ Edit all articles
  ☐ Approve/Moderate articles
  ☐ Manage category

1. Click Save Permissions

Set Category Image¶

Upload new image:

1. Edit category
2. Click Change Image
3. Upload or select image
4. Crop/resize
5. Click Use Image
6. Click Save Category

Remove image:

1. Edit category
2. Click Remove Image (if available)
3. Click Save Category

Category Permissions¶

Permission Matrix¶

                 Anonymous  Registered  Editor  Admin
View category        ✓         ✓         ✓       ✓
Submit article       ✗         ✓         ✓       ✓
Edit own article     ✗         ✓         ✓       ✓
Edit all articles    ✗         ✗         ✓       ✓
Moderate articles    ✗         ✗         ✓       ✓
Manage category      ✗         ✗         ✗       ✓

Set Category-Level Permissions¶

Per-Category Access Control¶

1. Go to Categories list
2. Select a category
3. Click Permissions
4. For each group, select permissions:

Example: News category
  Anonymous:   View only
  Registered:  Submit articles
  Editors:     Approve articles
  Admins:      Full control

1. Click Save

Field-Level Permissions¶

Control which form fields users can see/edit:

Example: Limit field visibility for Registered users

Registered users can see/edit:
  ✓ Title
  ✓ Description
  ✓ Content
  ✗ Author (auto-set to current user)
  ✗ Scheduled date (only editors)
  ✗ Featured (only admins)

Configure in: - Category Permissions - Look for "Field Visibility" section

Best Practices for Categories¶

Category Structure¶

✓ Keep hierarchy 2-3 levels deep
✗ Don't create too many top-level categories
✗ Don't create categories with one article

✓ Use consistent naming (plural or singular)
✗ Don't use vague names ("Stuff", "Other")

✓ Create categories for articles that exist
✗ Don't create empty categories in advance

Naming Guidelines¶

Good names:
  "Photography"
  "Web Development"
  "Travel Tips"
  "Business News"

Avoid:
  "Articles" (too vague)
  "Content" (redundant)
  "News&Updates" (inconsistent)
  "PHOTOGRAPHY STUFF" (formatting)

Organization Tips¶

By Topic:
  News
    Technology
    Sports
    Entertainment

By Type:
  Tutorials
    Video
    Text
    Interactive

By Audience:
  For Beginners
  For Experts
  Case Studies

Geographic:
  North America
    United States
    Canada
  Europe

Category Blocks¶

Publisher Category Block¶

Display category listings on your site:

1. Go to Admin → Blocks
2. Find Publisher - Categories
3. Click Edit
4. Configure:

Block Title: "News Categories"
Show subcategories: Yes/No
Show article count: Yes/No
Height: (pixels or auto)

1. Click Save

Category Articles Block¶

Show latest articles from specific category:

1. Go to Admin → Blocks
2. Find Publisher - Category Articles
3. Click Edit
4. Select:

Category: News (or specific category)
Number of articles: 5
Show images: Yes/No
Show description: Yes/No

1. Click Save

Category Analytics¶

View Category Statistics¶

From Categories admin:

Each category shows:
  - Total articles: 45
  - Published: 42
  - Draft: 2
  - Pending approval: 1
  - Total views: 5,234
  - Latest article: 2 hours ago

View Category Traffic¶

If analytics enabled:

1. Click category name
2. Click Statistics tab
3. View:
4. Page views
5. Popular articles
6. Traffic trends
7. Search terms used

Category Templates¶

Customize Category Display¶

If using custom templates, each category can override:

publisher_category.tpl
  ├── Category header
  ├── Category description
  ├── Category image
  ├── Article listing
  └── Pagination

To customize:

1. Copy template file
2. Modify HTML/CSS
3. Assign to category in admin
4. Category uses custom template

Common Tasks¶

Create News Hierarchy¶

Admin → Publisher → Categories
1. Create "News" (parent)
2. Create "Technology" (parent: News)
3. Create "Sports" (parent: News)
4. Create "Entertainment" (parent: News)

Move Articles Between Categories¶

1. Go to Articles admin
2. Select articles (checkboxes)
3. Select "Change Category" from bulk actions dropdown
4. Choose new category
5. Click Update All

Hide Category Without Deleting¶

1. Edit category
2. Set Status: Disabled/Hidden
3. Save
4. Category not shown in menus (still accessible via URL)

Create Category for Drafts¶

Best Practice:

Create "In Review" category
  ├── Purpose: Articles awaiting approval
  ├── Permissions: Hidden from public
  ├── Only admins/editors can see
  ├── Move articles here until approved
  └── Move to "News" when published

Import/Export Categories¶

Export Categories¶

If available:

1. Go to Categories admin
2. Click Export
3. Select format: CSV/JSON/XML
4. Download file
5. Backup saved

Import Categories¶

If available:

1. Prepare file with categories
2. Go to Categories admin
3. Click Import
4. Upload file
5. Choose update strategy:
6. Create new only
7. Update existing
8. Replace all
9. Click Import

Troubleshooting Categories¶

Problem: Subcategories not showing¶

Solution:

1. Verify parent category status is "Enabled"
2. Check permissions allow viewing
3. Verify subcategories have status "Enabled"
4. Clear cache: Admin → Tools → Clear Cache
5. Check theme shows subcategories

Problem: Can't delete category¶

Solution:

1. Category must have no articles
2. Move or delete articles first:
   Admin → Articles
   Select articles in category
   Change category to another
3. Then delete empty category
4. Or choose "move articles" option when deleting

Problem: Category image not showing¶

Solution:

1. Verify image uploaded successfully
2. Check image file format (JPG, PNG)
3. Verify upload directory permissions
4. Check theme displays category images
5. Try re-uploading image
6. Clear browser cache

Problem: Permissions not taking effect¶

Solution:

1. Check group permissions in Category
2. Check global Publisher permissions
3. Check user belongs to configured group
4. Clear session cache
5. Log out and log back in
6. Check permission modules installed

Category Best Practices Checklist¶

Before deploying categories:

• Hierarchy is 2-3 levels deep
• Each category has 5+ articles
• Category names are consistent
• Permissions are appropriate
• Category images are optimized
• Descriptions are complete
• SEO metadata filled in
• URLs are friendly
• Categories tested on front-end
• Documentation updated

Related Guides¶

• Article Creation
• Permission Management
• Module Configuration
• Installation Guide

Next Steps¶

• Create Articles in categories
• Configure Permissions
• Customize with Custom Templates

publisher #categories #organization #hierarchy #management #xoops¶