Configuration: Categories

Setup Checklist

This section is a comprehensive and high level summary of all tasks and prerequisites required for this feature to function properly. This section is purposed for use after an administrator is familiar with configuring this feature as an “audit” checklist. For detailed set-up instructions, jump down to “Prerequisite Tasks” and “Detailed Setup Guide” and then follow up with this checklist to ensure all steps are completed.

Prerequisite Tasks

This section describes all requirements that must be completed before you can begin setting up this feature. Once these tasks are complete continue to the next section.

Aspenware Commerce Tasks

• This feature may require updates to the following settings
  

Settings, Language Strings and/or HTML Widgets for this Feature

This feature may require updates to the following settings, language strings and/or HTML Widgets. Learn more about how to update and create Settings, Language Strings, and HTML widgets follow the links to the respective section.

Settings

• Categories can be configured as hidden so that they do not display in the category dropdown but can be reached via the category URL. Categories can be flagged as hidden by including the category ID in a comma-separated list of hidden categories for the following setting. 

Glossary

Detailed Setup Guide

This section describes all required steps to set up the feature after prerequisite tasks have been completed.

Creating Categories

Note: If in Basic mode (check upper left corner right above Category info tab), switch to “Advanced” in order to have access to all required fields.

• From the Catalog>Categories page in Admin, click Add New

• Update the following fields:

  1. (Category) Name

     1. This is the name that will appear in the drop-down menu

  2. Parent Category (optional) - This creates a subcategory, or a secondary (more specific) grouping that resides under a category.

     1. To create a subcategory: Catalog>Categories>Add New

        1. Follow the same steps as you would for a Parent Category, BUT select the parent category you would like this to nest under in the “category info” tab

     2. Only use if creating a subcategory. Select the parent category from the list.

     3. No products can be added to the parent category if the parent category has subcategories

• Update the following fields under the Display section. (It may be collapsed)

  1. Published - Check this box to enable the category on the site. Note that products belonging to unpublished categories are not available to view on the site, even if they are set up to be hidden (see below).

  2. Include in top menu - Check to include this category in the site’s category navigation. Even if the category will be a hidden category, this should still be checked.

  3. Allow customers to select page size - uncheck

  4. Page Size Options - Enter 20

  5. Display order - Enter number to define order within category display

     1. Categories are displayed in order from the lowest display order value to the highest starting at 0.

• Update the following fields under the Mappings section. (It may be collapsed)

  1. Discounts - If discounts have been created and apply to every product within this category, add them here.

  2. Limited to customer roles - If customer roles have been created and only customers with a given role can see this category, assign the role.

  3. Limited to stores - If multiple storefronts map to a single Aspenware Commerce Admin and this category should only display in some, not all, stores, map the desired stores here.

• Update the following fields under the SEO section. (It may be collapsed)

  1. Add an SEO friendly page name. Only SEO names can be added that do not previously exist

• Add products and reorganize the display order, if they are already created, under the Products section. (It may be collapsed)

  1. Select Add a new product.

  2. Search from the list of products and select products to be added to the category. Click Save to add the selected products to the category.

  3. To reorganize the display order of the products within the category, edit each product, change the display order (highest priority gets the lowest number) and update to save the display order.

Note: Do not add products to a parent category if it has subcategories. If a category has subcategories, products should ONLY be added to the subcategories, not the parent category.

Note: Do not check Is featured product

Editing Categories

• From the Catalog>Categories page in Admin, click Edit on the desired category.

• From here, follow category creation steps and edit any of the fields defined there.

• To edit products that are featured in a specific category, see the “Adding Products to Categories” section
  

Creating Hidden Categories

When setting up renewal products, employee only products, or discounted products that are only available to a small audience, hidden categories can be a nice way to restrict product visibility to only people with a specific URL to access the product.  

• From the Configuration>Settings>All Settings (advanced) page in Admin, search in Name the desired setting name: catalogsettings.hiddencategories

• From here, click edit, and add the category ID(s) in the value field using a comma separated list.  Do not include spaces between commas and values. 

  1. To find the category ID, from the URL of the parent category notice the number after… .net/#/______. This is the category ID.

     1. Example: http://test.net/Admin/Category/Edit/63 

• Click Update and your desired category is now hidden

Note: Make sure the IDs are listed in ascending order starting from left to right.  Also, do not add spaces between the values and the commas as this will not work. 

Deleting Categories

• Go to the Catalog>Categories page in Admin.

• Find the desired category (e.g. Rentals>>Rental Delivery).

• Select the red Delete button in the upper right corner.