Category Management

Categories provide a consistent taxonomy for organizing resources across AcaTrove. They are used to classify documents, templates, publications, equipment, and other workspace resources. The category management page lets administrators define, edit, and organize the categories available to their workspace. Admin role is required.

Accessing Category Management

Navigate to /admin/categories from the admin sidebar.

Category management page with hierarchical category list

How Categories Work

Categories are workspace-wide labels that users can apply when creating or uploading resources. A well-defined category system helps users find resources quickly, enables consistent filtering across the platform, and supports reporting and analytics.

Categories are distinct from tags. Categories are administrator-defined and provide a controlled vocabulary, while tags are free-form labels that users create ad hoc.

Creating Categories

1. Click + New Category on the category management page.
2. Enter the category details:
   • Name -- The category label (e.g., "Molecular Biology," "Grant Proposals," "Safety Equipment").
   • Slug -- An auto-generated URL-friendly identifier. You can customize it if needed.
   • Description -- A brief explanation of what the category encompasses.
   • Parent Category -- Optionally nest this category under an existing one to create a hierarchy (e.g., "Western Blot" under "Molecular Biology").
   • Color -- Assign a color for visual identification in lists and filters.
   • Icon -- Choose an optional icon to represent the category.
3. Click Save.

Organizing Category Hierarchies

Categories support nesting up to three levels deep. This allows you to create structured taxonomies:

Life Sciences
  ├── Molecular Biology
  │   ├── PCR
  │   ├── Western Blot
  │   └── Cloning
  ├── Cell Biology
  └── Biochemistry

Drag and drop categories to rearrange their order or change their parent. The hierarchy is reflected in all category selectors throughout the platform.

Editing Categories

Click on any category to edit its name, description, parent, color, or icon. Renaming a category updates the label everywhere it is referenced. Changing a category's parent moves it and all its children to the new location in the hierarchy.

Deleting Categories

To delete a category:

1. Click on the category and select Delete.
2. If resources are assigned to this category, you are prompted to reassign them to another category or leave them uncategorized.
3. Confirm the deletion.

Deletion is permanent. If you want to hide a category without deleting it, rename it with a "[Deprecated]" prefix instead.

Where Categories Are Used

Categories appear in several places across AcaTrove:

• Document uploads -- Users select a category when uploading documents.
• Template browser -- Templates are organized by category.
• Equipment management -- Equipment items are classified by category.
• Publication types -- Publications can be categorized for reporting.
• Filters -- Category filters appear on search results, library views, and analytics dashboards.

Tips

• Define your category hierarchy before your workspace has significant content -- retroactive recategorization is time-consuming.
• Keep the top-level categories broad and use sub-categories for specificity.
• Review your category list periodically to merge similar categories and remove unused ones.
• Communicate the category system to your team so everyone uses categories consistently.