Manage Shopware categories: the whole tree in one window

Manage and edit Shopware categories without jumping between catalogue, layouts and product groups: the PIM category management shows the tree per sales channel and language, creates, moves and copies whole subtrees, switches many categories at once and backs up the state as CSV or JSON.

Managing categories in standard Shopware

In the Shopware admin you maintain categories in the catalogue, one after the other. For single corrections that is enough. Larger restructurings get tedious: before a new season twenty categories should disappear from the navigation, a promotion area should be created as a copy of an existing subtree, and before you move categories you want to back up the current state with all languages. On top of that come questions the tree alone does not answer: which languages does this sales channel actually serve? Which products end up in a category through which rule? For each of these tasks you switch to another area of the admin.

Manage Shopware categories with the PIM

You open category management in the PIM product list via the "Categories" button. It runs as a window above the list. At the top you choose sales channel and language, and the tree is built from the channel's navigation entry point. The language selection only shows the languages assigned to the channel. When it opens, category management repairs broken categories, for example invalid sorting references, so that the listing does not fail.

Create, rename, move, duplicate

• New category: as a root category in the selected channel or as a subcategory. New categories are created in the system language.
• Rename, activate, deactivate, delete directly in the tree or in the detail area. You confirm deletion in a separate dialog.
• Move by drag and drop below another parent category.
• Duplicate in the detail header: the copy includes all subcategories and appears as a sibling with the suffix "(Kopie)".

Master data, layout and sorting

In the detail area you set the type and parent category, the external link for link categories, the main navigation switch and the custom fields. You assign a layout (shopping experience) directly; "Create new layout" opens the Shopware editor in a new tab. You define the default sorting of the product listing per category, "Default (inherited)" removes the custom sorting again. You pick the category image from the media library or upload it, together with a language-dependent alt text.

Assign products: product group or preset

In the "Products" section you decide how products get into the category: either via a Shopware dynamic product group or via a preset from the PIM product list. With a preset you see the number of hits live, separated into parent products and variants. When you save in preset mode, the products found are assigned to the category permanently. If the preset currently returns no hits, the category stays unchanged as a safeguard. "No preset" removes the assignment again.

Bulk actions with history

Using checkboxes you select several categories in the tree. The bar above shows the count and offers "Set active/inactive" as well as "Show/hide in navigation". Before every bulk action the PIM creates a named snapshot of the previous state. Under "History" you find these snapshots including a log and restore an earlier state.

Import, export and backup

"Import/Export" manages the complete tree of the selected channel. The CSV export contains custom fields as separate cf. columns and one column per language for each translatable field, for example name.de-DE or description.en-GB. On import, the parentPath column resolves the parent category, missing categories are created and existing ones updated, with preview and validation. Beforehand you can download a backup of the current state. "Back up tree as JSON" creates a complete backup with all languages, custom fields and IDs; you restore it by importing it again.

Step by step: restructure Shopware categories for a new season

1. Open: click "Categories" in the PIM product list and choose sales channel and language.
2. Back up: save the tree as JSON via "Import/Export" before you change anything.
3. Copy a template: open last season's category and duplicate it in the detail header. The copy appears with all subcategories and the suffix "(Kopie)".
4. Rename and place: give the copy its new name and drag it to the right position.
5. Assign products: in the "Products" section choose a suitable preset per category and check the number of hits.
6. Hide last season: select last season's categories in the tree and remove them from the navigation with "Show/hide in navigation". The snapshot taken beforehand keeps the way back open.

Use cases

• Restructuring the range: re-attach subcategories by drag and drop, with a JSON backup beforehand.
• Promotion area: duplicate an existing promotion category including its subtree, assign products via presets and deactivate all categories in one go after the promotion.
• Editing in a spreadsheet: export the tree as CSV, adjust names and custom fields in the spreadsheet and import it again via parentPath.
• New language channel: "Copy from default language" gives all categories starting texts in the new language. How to build out texts and meta data afterwards is shown in the guide Shopware category texts and category SEO.

Frequently asked questions

Read more

• Category management in the PIM: guide - all fields and actions in detail
• Shopware category texts and category SEO - descriptions, meta data and slugs
• Filter Shopware products - build presets for product assignment
• Undo changes in Shopware - snapshots and history
• Import Shopware products - bring in product data from files

Try PIM for Shopware

All licence models and terms are listed on the pricing page. Want to know up front whether the PIM fits your shop and your processes? Get in touch via the contact form - we answer personally.

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