Categorization
What is categorization
Categorization is a set of tree-structured catalogs (categories, sections, topics) that can then be used as a field in any entity — for example, a Category field on a ticket (see Service Desk) or a Section field on a knowledge base article.
Technically, a category catalog is a special kind of entity: a regular data table with a "this is a category catalog" flag, which stores its records (tree nodes) hierarchically — each node has a reference to its parent. A catalog isn't configured and edited in the general entity builder, but in its own Categorization section, with its own visual tree editor.
The "Categorization" section
Available under Application Management → Categorization in the menu, or at /categorization. The list shows every category catalog created in the system.
| Address | Purpose |
|---|---|
/categorization | List of all category catalogs |
/categorization/new | Wizard for creating a new catalog |
/categorization/:id | Catalog settings (the field builder — the same screen used for a regular entity) |
/c/:table_name | Visual tree editor for a specific catalog's nodes |
Creating a category catalog
The creation wizard (/categorization/new) walks you through three steps.
Step 1. Basic information
- Name — the catalog's name in Russian (required); a system name is suggested based on it
- Name (en) — optional, for the English locale
- Table system name — lowercase Latin letters, no spaces (for example
products_categories); can be edited manually
Step 2. Fields
Which additional fields each tree node will have, besides its name. Simple types are supported: text, integer, float, yes/no, date, date and time, email, multiline text, value list, user, file. For each field you set a label in different languages, a system name, and whether it's required.
A Name field is added automatically if you don't create one explicitly — it's used as the node's title in the tree.
Step 3. Settings
- Display field — optional; which custom field to show instead of the name in the tree (if a different node label is needed).
Once the wizard finishes, the platform automatically creates two system fields:
| Field | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
Parent (parent) | category (reference to the same catalog) | Stores the parent node — this is what the hierarchy is built on |
Sort Order (sort_order) | Integer (hidden) | Sort order of the node among nodes with the same parent |
After the catalog is created, you're taken to the visual tree editor (/c/{system_name}).
Chat and change history are disabled for category catalogs — those features are designed for regular business records, not for a reference catalog.
Category tree editor
The /c/:table_name screen shows a tree with drag-and-drop support for reordering and renesting nodes.
- Tree (left panel) — nodes can be dragged into each other (nesting) or reordered among siblings
- Properties (right panel, tab) — fields of the selected node: its name and all custom fields defined in step 2 of the wizard
- Usage (right panel, tab) — a list of records from other entities that reference this node through a "Category"-type field
A node can't be deleted if it has child nodes, or if records of other entities reference it — in that case, the platform shows a warning listing the entities that use the node.
Using a category as a field on an entity
In the field builder for a regular entity (the Fields tab), there's a Category field type. Selecting this type makes the following available:
- Catalog (Category Source) — a dropdown listing every existing category catalog (entities flagged as a category catalog)
- Allow Multiple Selection — a checkbox that lets you select several tree nodes at once instead of just one
If there are no category catalogs in the system yet, the builder suggests creating one through the wizard.
Example from Service Desk: the Category field on a ticket references a catalog of request categories (IT Hardware, Software, Network, etc.). For each category, its own fields can include, for example, "Owner" and "SLA, hours" — so when a category is selected on a ticket, that data can be used to automatically calculate a deadline (see Service Desk → SLA and Deadlines).
See also
- Entities Overview
- Relations Between Entities — the category hierarchy is technically implemented as a self-relation via the "Parent" field
- Example: Service Desk