CATEGORIES

### Movable Type User Manual: CATEGORIES

« Table of Contents

- CATEGORIES

- Edit Category Screen

# CATEGORIES

Movable Type allows you to enter a list of categories, then assign one or more categories to each of your entries. This allows you to keep track of your entries from a maintenance standpoint--for example, when listing your entries you can choose to list entries only from a particular category--and it can also be used to provide a categorization structure to your archives.

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 only one of the categories to which an entry is assigned--for example, when using the `<$MTEntryCategory$>` tag. When you wish to display a list of all of the categories to which a post has been assigned, you can use the `<MTEntryCategories>` container.

The difference between primary and secondary categories is not one of ranking but rather of usage--your secondary categories are not necessarily ``lesser'' or ``lacking in importance'' when compared to your primary category. Rather, the difference is one of usage: the primary category is the category which will be displayed when using the `<$MTEntryCategory$>` tag, or when linking to the `Category` archive for an entry using `<$MTEntryLink archive_type="Category"$>`.

You can manage your list of categories in Movable Type by logging in, selecting a weblog, then clicking Categories. Add new categories by typing their labels into the empty text entry boxes; the system always shows five empty boxes, so if you fill up the first five, just press `SAVE` and you'll get five more.

## Edit Category Screen

By clicking the Edit category attributes link, you can edit some additional metadata regarding the category. You can associate a description with each of your categories. This description can then be used on your archive pages, for example, as introductory text describing that particular category and the entries within it.

You can also manage TrackBack-related information for the category:

- TrackBack URLs to ping
  Use this field to associate a list of TrackBack URLs with a category. When you post a new entry into this category on your own site, each of the URLs you have listed will be pinged with information about this new entry.

- Accept incoming TrackBack pings
  When you turn on a category's ability to accept TrackBack pings, the system sets up a TrackBack item for this category so that remote sites will be able to send pings to your site, notifying you of new entries that fit within the category. These pings can then be displayed on your site, allowing you to build a repository of links relating to a particular subject.

  After clicking the ``On'' checkbox, save the changes, and the system will give you the TrackBack URL that other users can use to ping your category.

- Passphrase Protection
  If you only wish to allow a certain set of users to send TrackBack pings to your category, you can set a passphrase for the category. Users who wish to send pings to your TrackBack-enabled category will need to know the passphrase in order to ping you.

  This is a good way to enable ``private'' TrackBack items; even if someone can guess the TrackBack ID, he will not be able to send a ping unless he knows the passphrase.

  This is optional. If you do not set a passphrase, everyone will be able to ping you without providing a passphrase.

You can set up category archiving in your weblog configuration--select a weblog, then click Weblog Config. In the Archive Configuration section, under Archive Frequency check the box next to By Category.

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