2.2. Category Editing

Edit Category Form

To create a new Category, or edit an existing one, follow the steps below:

1. Click the [Create New] or [Edit Category] button. The Edit Category window will appear.

2. Select a Store View. Select the Store from the drop-doqn list, to which you would like to add the Category. By default, a new category is created for all Stores managed by the Admin user. Alternatively, you may select a specific Store from the list of available Stores, in which to create your category.

3. Specify the following General Information:

1. • "Category Name" is a required field.

   • "Parent Category". Specify the Parent category, if one exists. The default Parent category is the Default Category, which is a top-level category. If you select an existing category as a Parent, the new category will be created as a sub-category of your selected Parent category.

   • "Description". Specify the category description exactly as you want it to appear on the category's page.

     • The [HTML Editor] button displays an HTML editor window with your newly created category's information, available for review, or further editing. It has 2 tabs: "HTML" and "Code", along with a Properties Toolbar. The Source preview is useful if you are working directly with "raw" HTML text, and gives you precise control over the tags used in the page. However, by default, you will work directly with the page objects, by visually manipulating them.

   • "Page Title", "Meta Keywords", and "Meta Description". Specify the meta information for the designated category.

   • "Is Active". Select whether the category is active (displayed) or hidden (not displayed) on the site.

   • "URL key" is the field for a relative URL path, which can be entered in place of the standard Target Path. It is "Search Engine Friendly", because it can use the name of the category, instead of the ID#. If you leave this field blank, it will automatically be generated, using the name of the category, upon the creation of the category (i.e ...after saving). Do not use spaces, if you enter your own, custom URL value here.

4. Select the "Display Settings" tab. It consists of the following fields:

• "Display Mode" drop-down. Select which content to display on your category page. Select an option from the following list:

  • • • • • "Products only" - any products associated with the category will display, but no static blocks.

          • "Static block only". Selected static block will display, without any products. This is ideal if you want to get your customers excited about a product category, before actually showing them any products. Or, there may be particular content that you want to pre-display for a certain category (tip: Make this page an anchor category and use layered navigation to allow selection of specific products, after viewing the landing page).

          • "Static block and products". Selected static block will display, along with any associated products, listed directly beneath it. This is also useful if you want to have several category pages, that display the same static block, but each featuring different products.

• "CMS Block" drop-down. Should you choose to do so, select a static block that you would like to be displayed on your category page. The drop-down will include all existing static blocks that were created earlier (create your blocks in the Static Block Manager - CMS > Static Blocks).

• "Is Anchor" drop-down. Anchored categories will display all products associated with all child categories (and child of child, and child of a child of child, etc.), on that category’s page, along with the products associated directly with the Parent category.

Anchored categories will also display the filterable attributes of all products displayed on the category page (ie... the products associated with that particular category, and its child categories) in the Layered Navigation menu, in the left column.

Choose "Yes" or "No" from the drop-down list:

• The "Available Product Listing Sort By" field displays a list of options for product sorting in a drop-down list format. Selected sorting options will be visible in case you determined one of the product display modes in the field above (see "Display Mode" position).

• "Default Product Listing Sort By" helps to determine default sort order in the front-end. It is available in case one of the "Display Product Modes" is selected in the field above. Contains the following options:

  • • • • • • "Best Value" sorts order defined by the merchant. It can be set in the "Category Products" tab manually.

            • "Name". The sorting will be performed in an alphabetical order by the item name.

            • "Price" sorts by the product price parameter (by default sorting is ascending index).

• The "Layered Navigation Price Step" field allows you to set the price steps automatically, based on the products price values of the selected category. You can set your own price step for a specific category. To do so enter necessary value in the text field (use the built-in calculator option).

5. The "Custom Design" tab consists of the following fields:

• "Use Parent Category Settings". If you leave this field blank, it will automatically use the Current package name design. This can later be edited by navigating to: System -> Configuration -> Design tab.

• "Apply To Products" drop-down list:

  • • • "All" - the design will be applied to the selected category, and its subcategories.

      • "This category only" - the design will be applied to the selected category page only (not the subcategories).

      • "This category and its products" - the design will be applied to the selected category page, and also to the pages of all products associated with the category. If a product is associated with multiple categories, each with a different design, the design displayed on the product page will be determined by the design of the category page from which the user navigates to the product.

      • "This category and its child categories" - the design will be applied to the selected category page, and also to the pages of all sub-categories, sub-sub-categories, etc.

• "Page Layout". Specify a category page layout:

  • • • "No layout updates" will apply the configuration settings in the default Magento installation.

      • "Empty" displays the Category page without any objects, except for the content (static blocks and products, or static blocks only), category name, and view options (number to display per page, view as grid or list, and sort be options).

      • "1 column" displays the contents, category name and view options, as well as the header, footer, search field, and navigation bar.

      • "The column on the left" adds the left column to the 1 column display, which, by default, includes currency selection and layered navigation.

      • "The column on the right" adds the right column to the 1 column display, which, by default, includes the shopping cart view, wishlist, compared products list, polls, and newsletter sign-up.

      • "3 columns" displays both the left and the right column.

• "Active From" and "Active To" specifies a time frame, during which the category will automatically switch to your custom, or updated, design. The design will automatically switch back to its previous design state after the time frame expires. This is perfect for the holidays, allowing you to create a holiday design for your pages, at any prior convenient time. Upon expiration of the 'special' period, your site will automatically switch back to its normal design, without your having to remember to perform any discrete user intervention.

• "Custom Layout Update" specifies your custom layout, exactly as it will appear on the relevant product's page. The updated layout will display at the bottom of the page, below the products, with a static block displaying above (if a static block is set to display with the products).

6. In the "Image" tab you can select an image for a category:

You can add (1) ,delete (2), apply (3) or cancel (4) rules, if necessary.

Note: the image(s) will automatically upload via FTP, if it has been properly configured.

For additional information, refer also to useful articles referenced below:

How to Assign Multiple Products to Categories