> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.cartble.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Organize your catalog with collections and categories
> Use collections for curated or rule-based product groups and categories for hierarchical taxonomy to power navigation, filtering, and discovery.
Cartble gives you two complementary tools for organizing your catalog: **collections** and **categories**. They serve different purposes and work best together. Collections are curated or automatically populated groups — think "Summer Sale" or "Best Sellers." Categories are a hierarchical taxonomy that classifies every product in your store, drives navigation filters, and powers on-site search. Understanding the difference helps you build a storefront that's both easy to browse and easy to manage.
## Collections
A collection is a named group of resources. You can build it manually by hand-picking items, or automatically by defining rules that Cartble evaluates to populate the group for you.
### Manual collections
A manual collection gives you direct control over which resources appear in the group. You add and remove items one at a time, making manual collections ideal for editorial curation — seasonal picks, staff favorites, promotional bundles, or any group where the selection logic is too nuanced for rules.
**To create a manual collection:**
1. Go to **Catalog → Collections** and click **New Collection**.
2. Set the **type** to `Manual`.
3. Enter a name, optional description, and cover image.
4. Use the resource picker to add specific items to the collection.
5. Toggle **Show in menu** if you want the collection to appear as a navigation link.
6. Save the collection.
### Automated collections
An automated collection uses rules to determine which resources belong to it. Whenever you add or update a resource, Cartble re-evaluates the rules and updates the collection membership automatically — no manual curation needed.
Each rule has three parts:
| Field | Description |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Column** | The resource attribute to evaluate (e.g., `tags`, `vendor`, `price`) |
| **Relation** | The comparison operator (e.g., `equals`, `contains`, `greater_than`) |
| **Condition** | The value to compare against |
You can combine multiple rules — for example, all resources tagged `"organic"` with a price less than `50` — to build precise dynamic groups.
Automated collections stay up to date without any manual work. When you publish a new resource that matches the rules, it appears in the collection immediately.
### Collection settings
Both collection types share these additional settings:
| Setting | Description |
| ----------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Featured** | Marks the collection as a featured group, eligible for homepage placement |
| **Show in menu** | Makes the collection available as a navigation link in the Navigation editor |
| **SEO title** | Custom meta title for the collection page |
| **SEO description** | Custom meta description for the collection page |
| **Template suffix** | Override which storefront template renders this collection's page |
| **Forced resource template suffix** | Override the product template for all resources viewed within this collection |
## Categories
Categories provide a hierarchical taxonomy for your entire catalog. Unlike collections, categories are not curated — they classify every resource into a logical tree that reflects how you think about your inventory.
### Hierarchy and parent/child relationships
Categories support unlimited nesting through parent/child relationships. A `level` field tracks depth, and each category stores its full ancestry in a `path` array — enabling breadcrumb navigation and nested filtering on the storefront.
**Example hierarchy:**
```
Clothing (level 0, parent)
├── Men's (level 1)
│ ├── Shirts (level 2)
│ └── Trousers (level 2)
└── Women's (level 1)
└── Dresses (level 2)
```
**To create a category:**
1. Go to **Catalog → Categories** and click **New Category**.
2. Enter a name and optional description and image.
3. Set a **parent category** if this is a sub-category.
4. Choose a status: `active` (visible) or `hidden` (invisible in navigation and search).
5. Save the category, then assign resources to it from each resource's edit form.
### Category SEO fields
Each category has its own **meta title** and **meta description** fields. These appear in search engine results when a category page is indexed, so writing them clearly improves click-through rates from organic search.
## Showing collections and categories in your storefront
In the Navigation editor, add a collection or category as a menu item by setting the item type to `collection` or `category`. Nested items create dropdown and mega-menu structures.
The Spark theme's **Featured Collection** section displays a collection's resources on your homepage. Set a collection as Featured and select it in the section settings.
Use **categories** for your primary site navigation and filtering sidebar. Use **collections** for promotional groupings and homepage feature sections — they're easier to curate without disturbing your taxonomy.