Use and manage custom categories

Owned by Clarissa Forbes
Last updated: Jan 09, 2024
3 min read

 

Introduction

Categories are used to sort word and phrase entries into groups based on a shared theme. For example, the words for 'moose', 'eagle', 'seal', and 'raven' can all be given the category of Animals.

You also have the option to group categories together under a shared “parent” category. This is when one broader category has more specific (“child”) categories within it. For example, Animals could be the parent category to several child categories like Mammals or Fish. Then, if you give 'moose' and 'seal' the category of Mammals, they will also have the category of Animals, and will appear when people look for Animals.

New FirstVoices language sites have some starter categories already created, but you are able to customize them to suit your needs.

 

Tip: Categories cannot be added or edited from the word entry form. Before an Assistant or Editor can add a custom category to a word entry, it must first be created by a Language Administrator.

 

Tutorial video

https://www.loom.com/share/4d5dfadc8c5c4a49bc988928b145770f?sid=1199ec04-6743-4fc7-9dd0-386d78e90dfd

 

Categorize words and phrases

  1. Login to FirstVoices and access your Dashboard

  2. From the Dashboard, navigate to “Edit > Edit Words/Phrases” and find the entry you wish to assign a category to

    1. Or you can navigate to “Create > Create Word/Phrase” to start a new entry

    2. Click here to read about details of how to add or edit words and phrases

  3. Once you are on the Create/Edit form, scroll to “Categories”

  4. Click “+ Add Categories”

  5. Click the category you want. Then click “+ Add Category to document”.

    1. If you have lots of categories on your site, you can use the search bar to find it more easily

    2. Repeat with any more categories you want to add

  6. To remove categories that have already been added on the entry, you can click “X” to delete them

  7. Then, press “Finish” or “Save Changes”

If you add a child category (such as Mammals), the entry is automatically in the broader parent category too (such as Animals) – you don’t need to add both of them.

 

Manage categories as a Language Administrator

Only Language Administrators can perform these actions. Learn more about team roles on FirstVoices.

Add new categories to your language site

  1. Login to FirstVoices and access your Dashboard

  2. In the left-side navigation, click “Create”

  3. Then, find and click "Add a Category"

  4. Fill out the form to create your new category.

    1. You must provide a title, but a description is optional.

    2. You do not need to select a Parent Category unless you want to group sub-categories together.

  5. Then click “Create Category” to save it

Edit the names and relations of categories

  1. Login to FirstVoices and access your Dashboard

  2. In the left-side navigation, click “Edit”

  3. Then, find and click "Edit Categories"

  4. Find the category that you want to modify in the list and click "Edit" (pencil icon)

  5. Provide what edits you would like to make

  6. Click "Save Changes" when you are satisfied