Categories provide an alternate means to the weblog's traditional chronological form of organizing entries. Movable Type allows you to enter a list of categories using a variety of methods and assign one or more to each of your entries. You can use MT's categorization facilities to group related entries despite chronology or simply as a means of filtering entry listings in the CMS more easily.

Each entry can be assigned one primary category and any number of secondary categories. The primary category is used when you wish to display information about just one of the categories to which an entry is assigned. Secondary categories cast a wider net and allow entries to span classification. The difference between primary and secondary categories is one not of ranking but rather of usage. Your secondary categories are not necessarily "lesser" or "lacking in importance" when compared to your primary category.

As of version 3.1, Movable Type categories may also be given a hierarchical structure using subcategories. For example, if you have two categories, Books and Music, you may now create a new category, Entertainment, which contains both of these. Entertainment is considered the parent category of the Books and Music categories.

Categories Listing

The Categories Listing screen is used to create, edit and manage all weblog categories. This screen is also used to assign their positions in the subcategory hierarchy.

1 Create new top level category. A link to create a category with no parent.

2 Categories. A list of category names linked to their respective Edit Category screens and indented to denote their assignments in the hierarchy.

3 Create Action. A link to create a new category with the associated category as its parent.

4 Move Action. A link that enables the associated category's parent to be changed.

5 Entries. The number of entries linked to a pre-filtered Entry Listings screen.

6 TrackBacks. The number of category pings linked to a pre-filtered TrackBack Pings Listing screen. .