Help:Categories

Acategory is a navigational tool used in MediaWiki to group similar pages together and structure the wiki, making it easier to explore and use. They can be used to group not only articles but also templates, images, and even users. These are on the article side of the Wiki. You may also be looking forDiscussions Categories.

Categories can be found in thearticle header and at the bottom of the page.

Why are categories important?[]

Categories are the basic tool for structuring wikis. They help organize the content, navigate the pages, and find related content. Ideally, every wiki page should be in at least one category.

Categories themselves can be categorized withinother categories, allowing you to create acategory tree of interlinked categories that makes exploring the wiki much easier.

For example, a reader browses through a TV series wiki and opens a page about Jessica's protagonist. She is categorized as one of theMain characters. The reader can open that category and then move up to the higher levelCharacters category to exploreMinor characters orCharacters by season. TheCharacters category acts as the trunk of the category tree from which other categories branch off. Without the category, the reader would have to know the specific name of a character to find an article about them.

There is another reason for using categories: categorization is essential for several core features of Fandom wikis, including:

• DynamicPageList, which generates lists based on categories.
• The "Related Pages" module displays pages based on their categories.
• Manybot usages.

Without categories, they won't work.

How do I add a category?[]

To add a category, go to the page you wish to categorize. Then, use either the category module at the bottom of the page or aneditor to add your category.

Using the category module[]

Thecategory module, if enabled, allows you to add categories without opening the editor. Scroll down to the bottom of a page and:

• Click on theAdd category button and start typing in a category name.
• You can use an already-established category (suggestions will appear as you type) or add a new one.
• Once you are done, hit Enter/Return, then save, and the category will appear on the article.

If you don't use the module, you can disable it through thepreferences page. Click on theEditing tab, check the box next toDisable Category module, and save your preferences.

While editing[]

Depending on which editor you use, there are various ways to add categories while editing the wiki.

Visual Editor and Source editor

The editor allows for switching betweenSource Editing andVisual Editing.

• In Source Editing mode, you simply add the category link to the article:[[Category:Help]] will add a page to the Help category.
• In Visual Editing mode, you can click the Categories button in the drop-down menu on the right. This opens the category dialogue, allowing you to edit categories, add new ones, and customize how the article should be sorted.

To commit changes, simply save the page.

How to sort articles in categories?[]

• When clicking the edit icon next to category names, you can define a "sortkey" for that category. This sortkey defines when the article appears in a category page's listings, e.g., sort afirst-last name page underlast name.

For example, you can use[[Category:Help]]to add a page to the Help category. To customize the sorting, you can use[[Category:Help|Custom name]]or[[Category:Help| ]]to force the article to display at the top of the page.

• If an articleexample is an introduction for categoryexample, a blank (space) or* (asterisk) sortkey puts it near the beginning of the category.
• If the article is in many categories, you can add{{DEFAULTSORT:<sort key>}} in the article while editing insource editor to sort the article in all the categories the same way. This will save you from having to edit each category's parameters individually.

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Linking to category pages[]

To link to a category page without putting the current page in that category, insert a colon at the start of the link. For example: [[:Category:Category name]].

How to use category pages?[]

As soon as you add a category to a page, it will appear inSpecial:Categories. You can reach the category page by clicking on the category link or entering the address into your browser.

However, the category page still needs to be created in order to be a part of thecategory tree, be available for selection on theMobile Main Page, and be suggested when editing.

To do this, you need to create the category page.

Creating a category page[]

You can either create categories in advance, by starting a new page under the desired category name (Category:Target name) in any of our editors, or by adding the category to a page and then clicking on the category link or usingSpecial:WantedCategories.

Category pages are created like any other page on a wiki and categorized in the same fashion.

For example, if your wiki is about the Marvel Universe and you're starting a category about female heroes in the MarvelCinematic Universe (aka Earth-199999), you can create the categoryFemale superheroes (Earth-199999) in this manner:

'''Female superheroes of Earth-199999''' came from every part of that Earth, exhibiting a wide range of powers, both meta—human and mortal. This category collects pages on this wiki about them and many images and videos featuring their exploits. [[Category:Earth-199999]]

Once published, the category will appear underEarth-199999 and become available in the category module,all bots,DynamicPageList, theHelp:Mobile Main Page, and other features.

Note that a category description isn't essential. However, a brief summary will always benefit your wiki'sSEO, as it will be displayed in search results.

Deleting a category[]

Categories can be deleted likeany other page, from the Edit menu drop-down panel. However, remember that deleting a categorydoes not remove it from the pages contained within it. You have to remove them manually before or after deleting the category.

To remove a category within a page,edit the source of that page and delete[[Category:UnwantedCategory]] (usually at the end of thewikitext content).

As long as a single page remains in the category, it will be listed onSpecial:WantedCategories.

What's the category page layout?[]

There are several ways a category can be displayed. Anonymous or logged-out users will only be shown the dynamic, default category layout, while registered users can switch between them and select a default one.

You can change your preferred layout through thepreferences page:

• Open theMy Info tab.
• Scroll down to theAppearance section.
• Use the drop-down next toCategory page layout to select your preferred layout.
• Save your preference changes.

You can also switch between layout options by using the layout buttons in the top-right corner of the page.

Note that the category display options do not affect the contents of the category page itself, they only affect how pages listed in the category are depicted. The category's contents (description, images, etc.) will always display first.

Dynamic categories[]

This is the default layout for anonymous and logged-out users.

The first section is an image gallery similar to the one used by the classic categories layout. Although similar in layout, the galleries may feature different pages due to different selection criteria. The gallery for dynamic categories cannot be disabled.

The second section contains a count of the total number of list items and a list of up to 200 items. The list contains both subcategories and pages sorted alphabetically by sortkey. The list is organized into two columns; where possible, each item contains an image from its respective page. Above the list is a series of links that allow the viewer to skip to a specific letter in the alphabet. Below the list, next and previous buttons are displayed.

Classic categories[]

The first section is a list of subcategories, and the second section is a list of pages. The layout of the lists is similar to each other. If a list has no items to display, its section is not displayed. The sections contain a count of the total number of list items and a list of up to 200 items.

If there are more than 200 items in the list, links to view the next/previous items will be placed both above and below the list. The list is organized into as many as three columns and sorted alphabetically by sortkey. If the CategoryTree extension is enabled (it should be by default), the subcategory list will display each item as a category tree instead of a link to the category page.

Hiding categories[]

Categories can behidden. That means they are not shown on its member pages unless you go toSpecial:Preferences →Appearance → Show hidden categories is checked. This is done by placing themagic word __HIDDENCAT__ on the category. This also places the category intoCategory:Hidden categories.

Further reading[]

• How images are picked to represent articles.
• Special:CategoryTree is an alternate way to display the contents of a category. The extension also adds the ability to expand subcategories on a category page, allowing you to see further subcategories. It can be transcluded in other pages. SeeMediaWiki for details.
• MediaWiki's help page on categories for detailed information on categories.
• See:Discussions Categories for categories on theDiscussions side of Wikis.

Further help and feedback[]

• Browse and search other help pages atHelp:Contents
• CheckFandom Community Central for sources of further help and support
• CheckContacting Fandom for how to report any errors or unclear steps in this article