Creating Categories for Posts
Each post in WordPress is filed under one or more Categories. This aids in navigation and allows posts and to be grouped with others of similar content.
Each Category may be assigned to a Category Parent so that you may set up a hierarchy within the Category structure. In creating Categories, recognize that each Category Name must be unique. Thus, even if two Categories have two different Parents, they must still have different names.
This Screen allows you to create new Categories, edit or delete existing ones, and organize your Categories hierarchically.
Manage Catagories
This Screen is divided into the Popular Categories, Add Category and Category Table sections.
Add New Category
This part of the Screen, which is conveniently linked to from the top of the Table of Categories, allows you to create a new Category. There are four pieces of information associated with each new Category: the name, slug, category parent, and description.
Name
To reiterate, the Category Name must be unique.
Slug
The Category slug must be unique. The Category Slug is used in the URL. For example, setting a Category Name of “Recipes” and a Category Slug of “food” would show all “Recipes” posts with a URL like example.com/blog/food/.
Parent
Use this drop-down if you want to make this Category a sub-Category; you will select the sub-Category’s Parent here. For example, you may have a Category called “Photos” but want to add further clarification about the subject of a particular “Photos” post. You could add “Oregon Coast” and “Ice Storm” as sub-Categories to the “Photos” Category; “Photos” would be the Parent of these two new sub-Categories.
Description
Category Descriptions are optional. Some themes take advantage of Category Descriptions, others do not, so having Descriptions may or may not modify the way Categories are displayed for your site. Even if they are not used by your site’s theme, you may still find them useful from an administration point of view.
Add New Category
The most important part of the Add New Category box. Once you’ve entered in all the information about your new Category, use this button to save it.
Table Of Categories
This table lists all of your categories by row. Categories are displayed hierarchically and alphabetically; subcategories are displayed beneath their parents and are prefaced by long dashes. These dashed are not part of a Category’s name; they are there only to show hierarchy.
- [ ] – A checkbox that when clicked (checked), ‘selects’ that particular Category to be deleted when the Delete Action is Applied.
- Name – The name of the Category. Remember each Name must be unique. Click on the Category’s Name to edit the Category.
- Description – Categories may have an optional description. By default, the description is shown to viewers when they hover over the category’s link.
- Slug – The slug of a Category.
- Posts – The number of posts which are members of the Category. Click on the number in the Posts column to be directed to the Edit Posts Screen to manage the Posts in that Category.
The table of categories contains the following columns:
Actions
Actions describe the process to be performed on particular Categories. There are two styles of Actions that will be referred to as Bulk Actions and Immediate Actions. The follow describes these Actions:
- Bulk Actions – These Actions can be performed on one, or more Categories, at one time, if those Categories have been previously selected. Bulk Actions are available, when appropriate, as choices in the Actions pulldown box, above each Table. The only Bulk Action allowed is Delete.
- Immediate Actions – Immediate Actions are performed immediately, on an individual Category. Hovering the mouse cursor over the Category row reveals the Edit, Quick Edit, and Delete options under the Name column in that Category row. Clicking on a Category Name will also initiate the Edit Action.
The available Actions are described below:
- Edit – This Immediate Action displays the Edit Category Screen to edit the Category fields. This Action can be initiated by click on the Category Name or clicking on the Edit option just below the Category Name. See the Edit Category section for details on editing a Category.
- Quick Edit – This Immediate Action initiates the Quick Edit of that Category. See the Quick Edit section for details doing a Quick Edit on a Category.
- Delete – This Action deletes the Category. Delete is available as a Bulk Action and an Immediate Action.
Apply
After one or more Categories are selected, and after a Bulk Action is specified, the Apply button performs the given Action on the selected Categories.
- Apply – Click the Apply button to execute the Bulk Action, specified in the Actions pulldown, on the selected Categories. Remember, prior to executing Actions, one or more Categories must be selected, as described before.
Quick Edit
The following fields can be change via the Quick Edit Action:
Category name
To reiterate, the Category name must be unique.
Category slug
Again, the Category slug must be unique.
Cancel
Click this button to cancel any changes and return to the Table of Categories
Update Category
Once you’ve edited all the information about the Category, use this button to save the changes.
Edit Catagory
This Screen only displays when you click on a Categories’ Name in the Table of Categories. It is possible to edit four pieces of information associated with each Category: the name, the slug, the parent, and the description.
Category name
To reiterate, the Category name must be unique.
Category Slug
Again, the Category slug must be unique.
Category Parent
Use this drop-down if you want to make this Category a sub-Category; you will select the sub-Category’s Parent here. For example, you may have a Category called “Photos” but want to add further clarification about the subject of a particular “Photos” post. You could add “Oregon Coast” and “Ice Storm” as sub-Categories to the “Photos” Category; “Photos” would be the parent of these two new sub-Categories.
Description
Category descriptions are optional. Some themes take advantage of Category descriptions, others do not, so having Descriptions may or may not modify the way Categories are displayed for your site.
Update
Once you’ve changed the Category information, use this button to save the changes.
original text sorced from http://codex.wordpress.org/Posts_Categories_Screen#Table_of_Categories
