Creating category trees

Category trees are used in knowledge bases and service portfolios when your users need to view field values but not change them (browsing but not editing). Dependent field groups are used in workspaces to guide your users to specific fields where they select or enter values. For more information about dependent field groups, see Creating dependent field groups.

When you configure category trees, your users can drill down quickly to the correct option. Basically, you are creating a browser for solutions or services that you can add to forms.

The following topics are provided:

To create a category tree

1. Open the service portfolio or knowledge base where you want to create the category tree:
   1. Click the Administration tab.
   2. In the appropriate section, click the name of the container or click Manage to open the container Administration page. Then double-click the container.
      The container details page appears.
2. In the left pane, click Category Trees.
3. Click Create.
4. In the Name field, enter the name of this category tree.
5. (Optional) Enter a description.
6. (Optional) In the Icon field, select the image file that you want to use for the top level of the tree.
   If you do not select an icon, the default icon is used.
7. Create the necessary categories and subcategories:
   1. To add a category, click the parent category node for the new category, and click Add.
      A New Category Tree node is added to the tree.
   2. Fill in the fields as described above.
   3. To remove a category node, select it in the tree, and click Remove.

   4. To move a category up or down within its tree level, select it, and click Move Up or Move Down.

   5. Click Save definition.
8. (Optional)Publish the container to implement your changes:
   1. In the breadcrumb trail, click the container link.

   2. Click Save and Publish.

      A confirmation message appears.

   3. Click Yes.

      The Publication Succeeded message appears, showing the number of errors and warnings.

To create a Category type field for your form

1. Open the service portfolio or knowledge base where you want to add the category tree to a form:
   1. Click the Administration tab.
   2. In the appropriate section, click the name of the container or click Manage to open the container Administration page. Then double-click the container.
      The container details page appears.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To add the category tree field so you can use it in multiple items, in the left pane, click Shared Fields.
   • To add the category tree field to a particular item, in the left pane, click the items link (Record Definitions or Solutions) and then double-click the item where you want to add the category tree.

3. Create a field of Category type.

4. In the Singular Name field, enter the name that your users will see.
5. In the Category Tree field, select the category tree that you want to use for this field.
6. Click Save.
7. If you selected a shared field in the Category Tree field, click Assign to assign the field to an item.
   You cannot add the category browser control to a form unless it is assigned to an item.
8. (Optional) Publish the container to implement your changes:

   1. If not already on the container details page, click the container's link in the breadcrumb trail.

   2. Click Save and Publish.

      A confirmation message appears.

   3. Click Yes.

      The Publication Succeeded message appears, showing the number of errors and warnings.

To add the category browser to a form

1. Open the service portfolio or knowledge base and item where you want to add the category tree:
   1. Click the Administration tab.
   2. In the appropriate section, click the name of the container or click Manage to open the container Administration page. Then double-click the container.
      The container details page appears.
   3. In the left pane, click the items link.
      The Items page appears.
   4. Double-click the item that contains the category field.
      The item details page appears.
2. In the left pane, click Forms.
3. Double-click the appropriate form.
4. In the left pane, click Fields.
5. Select the category field and drag it on to the form.
6. Click Save.

7. Publish the container to implement your changes:

   1. In the breadcrumb trail, click the container link.

   2. Click Save and Publish.

      A confirmation message appears.

   3. Click Yes.

      The Publication Succeeded message appears, showing the number of errors and warnings.

Next steps

Create a new record and select options in the category tree fields.

To verify category tree configuration

1. From the service portfolio or knowledge base Home page, click Actions > New > <container/item>. Make sure to select the item where you added the category field to a form.
2. Enter the required fields.
3. Click the arrow in the Category Tree field, and select an option.
4. Drill down to the lowest level to make sure the tree is structured correctly.
5. Save the ticket.

Related topics

Configuring fields

Configuring knowledge bases

Configuring service portfolios