Problem

You want to create a category or subcategory to assign entries to.

Solution

Use the Create action on the Category Listings screen.

Discussion

Creating a category is a quick and easy affair. Before you can begin, you must check that you have Edit Categories permission for the weblog.

Begin with the Category Listing and click the "Create new top level category" link. To create a subcategory, click the "Create" link next to the parent category.

If you are making a new entry and need to create a new category, Movable Type provides a shortcut in the Primary Category pulldown menu. Select the Add new category... option at the end of the list. This will automatically open a pop-up window where you can enter the category label and associate it with a parent category.

Depending on your display options, the Primary Category pulldown menu may not be visible on your New/Edit Entry Screen. See "Customizing the Edit Entry Screen" for how to customize your display of this page.

To define a description for the category, enter the Category Listing and click on the category's title. This will open the Edit Category Screen which allows you to enter a description. In this screen you can also rename a category and set its TrackBack options. For more on the TrackBack options, see "Enabling a Category as a TrackBack repository" and "Sending a TrackBack automatically based on an entry's category".