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Understanding Taxonomies and Vocabulary Terms
All sites benefit from structured vocabularies, which allow different terms to be used site-wide. For example, a vocabulary might be Fruit Types, with terms such as Citrus, Berries, and Stone Fruit.
Think of it like the aisles of a grocery store:
- Bread is the vocabulary (aisle).
- Within that aisle, there are terms: Buns, Loaves, Baguettes.
[Learn more about taxonomies and how they work.]
For example, the Contact Type vocabulary might include the following terms:
- Administrative Staff
- Appointed Official
- Elected Official
- Emergency Contact
- Support and Maintenance Staff
Example of Taxonomy Vocabulary:
Example of Taxonomy Contact Type Terms:
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How to Add Taxonomy Terms
Note: Only users with the Agency Manager role can adjust or edit taxonomies.
There are two ways to add taxonomy terms:
Method 1: Using the Structure Button
- Navigate to the Structure button.
- Hover over Taxonomy to reveal a dropdown with available vocabulary types.
- Click on the vocabulary type you want to add a term to (e.g., Contact Type).
- Click the blue "Add Term" button.
Method 2: Using the Taxonomy Button
- Click directly on the Taxonomy button.
- A list of vocabulary names will appear.
- To add a term, click the arrow beside the "List Terms" button and select "Add Term."
Editing Taxonomy/Division
To add, delete, or edit terms:
- Navigate to "List Terms" for a full list of available options.
- Click Edit in the Operations row to change the term’s name.
- The Edit Page will appear, allowing you to make changes.
- Once saved, all content tagged with that taxonomy will automatically update across the site.
How to Use Row Weights
You can manually adjust the order of terms by selecting a number in the Weight row:
- Example: If Appointed Official has a weight of -5, it will appear below Administrative Staff, which has a weight of -6.
- Alternatively, you can hide the Row Weight column by clicking the eye icon, revealing the drag-and-drop crossbars to reorder terms manually.
Example:
Example: Example: Appointed Official term with the weight of -b is above Administrative Staff term with the weight of -5
Terms are displayed in ascending order by weight but there is another method to moving terms and that is done if you hide the row weight by clicking the eye button and there you will see the crossbars appear.
Example: Row Weight Unhidden
Example: Row Weight Hidden
How to Add Taxonomy Child Terms
There are two ways to add child terms:
Method 1: From the Taxonomy Type Page
- Click the arrow next to the Edit button.
- Select "Add Child" from the dropdown.
Example:
Method 2: From the Term Page Under Relations
- Click the blue "+ Add Term" button.
- Navigate to the "Relations" tab.
- Select the Parent Term you want to associate the child term with.
Example: Add a child term from the term page under relations dropdown
Next Steps
Now that you understand how to create taxonomy vocabulary and terms, it's time to put them into action. You can now categorize your content correctly using the relevant taxonomy type.