Create Categories and Subcategories in Zen Cart

What are categories and subcategories?

A category is a group of similar products. Think of a clothes shop. One sign says "Men" and below it are smaller signs like "Shirts" and "Shoes". "Men" is the category. "Shirts" and "Shoes" are subcategories, which are categories inside another category.

Create a main category

1. Log in to your Zen Cart admin area.
2. Click Catalog in the top menu.
3. Click Categories/Products.
4. You will see a list of your categories. If the shop is new, the list is empty.
5. Click the New Category button.
6. Type the Category Name. For example, "Men".
7. If your store has more than one language, type the name for each language.
8. Add a Category Description if you like.
9. Click Browse under Category Image to add a picture if you want one.
10. Set a Sort Order. A lower number appears first. Leave it empty to sort by name.
11. Click Save.

Create a subcategory

1. In Categories/Products, click the name of the main category, such as "Men". Click the name, not the edit button. The page now shows the inside of that category.
2. Check the top of the page. It should show the category path, for example "Top > Men".
3. Click New Category.
4. Type the subcategory name, such as "Shirts".
5. Click Save.

The new subcategory now lives inside "Men". Repeat these steps to go deeper. Do not go too deep. Two or three levels are easy for shoppers.

Add products

1. Open the category where the product should live.
2. Click New Product.
3. Fill in the product details and click Preview, then Insert.

Quick recap

• Go to Catalog, then Categories/Products.
• Click New Category to make a main category.
• Open a category, then click New Category to make a subcategory.
• A category holds either products or subcategories, not both.