Creating Community Forum Categories

Configure the Community Forum Categories to further organize your posted topics and improve user navigation. Categories provide hierarchical organization that helps users discover relevant content and allows administrators to group related forum topics logically.

Requirements

To modify Community Forum Categories, users must be assigned a security role with the following permissions:

Administrator System Role permissions

Understanding Forum Categories

Category Purpose and Function

Topic Organization: Categories group related forum topics together for improved user navigation
Content Discovery: Users can filter and browse topics by category to find relevant discussions
Administrative Organization: Categories provide logical structure for managing large numbers of forum topics
Visual Grouping: Categories appear in topic lists and can influence forum layout presentation

Category Integration

Categories work seamlessly with forum topics and layout configurations:

Topic Assignment: Each topic can be assigned to one category during creation or editing
Layout Impact: Category organization affects how topics appear in forum layouts
User Experience: Categories improve content discoverability and navigation efficiency

Managing Community Forum Categories

Accessing Category Management

Navigate to the Setup Home page and click Manage > Community Settings
Click Community Forum Settings
Click the Categories tab

The Categories interface displays all existing categories with management options for creating, editing, reordering, and deleting categories.

Creating New Categories

To Create New Categories:

In the Categories management interface, click New
In the Value field, enter the category name that will appear to users
Click Save

Result: The new category becomes available for assignment to forum topics and appears in category-based forum layouts.

Category Naming Best Practices:

Use clear, descriptive names that indicate the category's content focus
Keep names concise but informative
Align category names with user expectations and organizational structure
Consider how categories will appear in navigation and filtering interfaces

Editing Existing Categories

To Modify Existing Categories:

Locate the category you want to edit in the Categories list
Click the dropdown arrow beside the category you wish to edit
Click Edit
Modify the category name in the Value field
Click Save

Result: The category name is updated throughout the forum interface, including topic assignments and user-facing navigation.

Important Note: Changing a category name automatically updates all topics assigned to that category.

Category Organization and Display

Reordering Categories:

In the Categories management interface, use the reorder arrows (drag-and-drop functionality)
Drag and drop categories to arrange them in the desired display order
Categories will appear in this order in forum navigation and topic selection interfaces

Visual Organization:

Action Column: Shows available management actions for each category
Label Column: Displays the category name as it appears to users
Value Column: Contains the internal category value (typically matches the label)
Color Column: Reserved for future color-coding functionality
Reorder Column: Provides drag-and-drop controls for category sequence

Deleting Categories

To Delete Categories:

Click the dropdown arrow beside the category you wish to delete
Click Delete
Click OK to confirm the deletion

Critical Considerations:

Topic Impact: Deleting a category affects all topics assigned to that category
Topic Reassignment: Topics assigned to deleted categories may become uncategorized
User Experience: Consider the impact on user navigation and content organization
Alternative Actions: Consider editing category names instead of deletion when restructuring

Category Implementation Strategy

Planning Category Structure

Content-Based Organization

Product Categories: Organize topics by product lines or services
Functional Categories: Group by business function (Support, Sales, Marketing)
User Type Categories: Separate categories for different user communities
Topic Type Categories: Distinguish between discussions, announcements, and Q&A

Hierarchical Considerations

Broad to Specific: Start with broader categories and consider subcategories as content grows
User Perspective: Design categories from the user's viewpoint, not internal organizational structure
Scalability: Plan category structure that can accommodate future growth
Maintenance: Consider ongoing management requirements for category structure

Category Usage Patterns

Support Forum Categories

Technical Issues
Product Questions
How-To Guides
Feature Requests

Partner Community Categories

Partner Portals - PRM
Customer Portals
Best Practices
Training and Certification

General Community Categories

Welcome and Introductions
General Discussion
Announcements
Community Guidelines

Integration with Forum Features

Topic Assignment Integration

Categories work seamlessly with topic creation and management:

Topic Creation: Categories appear in topic configuration dropdowns
Topic Editing: Categories can be changed when editing existing topics
Bulk Organization: Multiple topics can be organized using consistent category assignments

Layout Integration

Categories influence forum presentation:

Topic List Grouped by Categories: Layout option that organizes topics by their category assignments
Category Filtering: Users can filter forum content by category
Navigation Enhancement: Categories improve user navigation and content discovery

User Experience Impact

Well-designed categories enhance:

Content Discovery: Users can quickly find relevant topics
Navigation Efficiency: Logical grouping reduces time to find information
Community Engagement: Clear organization encourages participation
Knowledge Building: Structured categories support searchable knowledge base development

Best Practices for Category Management

Ongoing Maintenance

Regular Review: Periodically assess category effectiveness and usage patterns
User Feedback: Monitor user behavior to identify navigation challenges
Content Growth: Adjust category structure as forum content expands
Naming Consistency: Maintain consistent naming conventions across categories

Change Management

Impact Assessment: Consider user impact before making category changes
Communication: Inform users about significant category restructuring
Gradual Changes: Implement major category changes incrementally when possible
Documentation: Maintain records of category decisions for future reference

Creating effective Community Forum Categories provides essential organizational structure that enhances user experience, improves content discoverability, and supports scalable forum growth across your community platform.

Table of Contents