Managing Item Categories

Organize your products and services into categories in Officaid for easier catalog management.

Organize Your Catalog with Categories

As your product and service catalog grows, categories help you keep everything organized. Group related items together, create parent-child structures, and find what you need faster.

Accessing the Categories Tab

To view and manage your categories, go to Sales → Items and click the Categories tab. Here you will see a list of all categories with their parent category, item count, and action buttons for editing or deleting.

Creating a Category

You can create categories in two ways:

From the Categories tab by clicking + Add New Item Category
Inline while adding an item by clicking + Add New in the Item Category dropdown

Both methods open the same form with these fields:

Item Category Name is the name displayed in your category list and dropdowns.
Parent Category (optional) places this category under an existing one, creating a hierarchy.
Remarks (optional) lets you add internal notes about the category.

Click Add Item Category to save.

Using Parent-Child Categories

Categories support a hierarchical structure. Any category can be set as a parent, allowing you to create nested groupings as deep as you need.

For example, you might have:

Servicing (parent) containing Maintenance (child)
Development (parent) containing Frontend and Backend (children)

When viewing the Categories tab, child categories display their parent in the Parent Category column. In dropdowns, child categories appear indented under their parent.

You can create deeper hierarchies by selecting a child category as the parent when creating a new category.

Editing a Category

To update a category:

1 Go to Sales → Items and click the Categories tab
2 Find the category you want to edit
3 Click the pencil icon in the Actions column
4 Update the name, parent, or remarks as needed
5 Click Add Item Category to save your changes

Deleting a Category

To remove a category:

1 Go to Sales → Items and click the Categories tab
2 Find the category you want to delete
3 Click the trash icon in the Actions column
4 Confirm the deletion when prompted

Deleting a parent category does not delete its child categories. The children become top-level categories instead.

Understanding Item Count

The Item Count column shows how many items are assigned to each category. This helps you see which categories are most used and identify empty categories you might want to remove.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I assign an item to multiple categories?

No. Each item can only belong to one category. Choose the most relevant category for each item.

What happens to items if I delete their category?

Items remain in your catalog but no longer have a category assigned. You can edit those items to assign a new category.

How deep can category hierarchies go?

There is no limit. You can create nested categories by selecting any existing category as a parent, including child categories.

Do categories appear on quotations or invoices?

No. Categories are for internal organization only. They help you manage your catalog but do not appear on documents sent to clients.

What's Next?

Now that your catalog is organized, explore these related guides:

Adding an Item to create products and services in your new categories
Viewing Item Details and Performance to track how items in each category perform
Understanding Items to learn more about managing your catalog

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