How to Create a Dynamic Category

To create a dynamic category, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the ikas Dashboard:

   Sign in to your ikas dashboard.

2. Access Categories:

   From the left-hand menu, click on Products > Definitions, then select Categories.

3. Add a New Category:

   Click the Add New Category button.

   A window will open, allowing you to choose between the following options:

   • Normal Category: Add products to the category manually. Learn more here.
   • Dynamic Category: Products matching your defined conditions are assigned automatically.

4. Select Dynamic Category:

   Choose Dynamic Category.

5. Fill in the General Information:

   A dynamic category does not allow for a hierarchy (tree structure). Instead, products are automatically assigned based on conditions.

   • Category Name: Enter a clear and descriptive name for the category.
   • Description: The category description will be displayed on the category page. Here you can insert text, images, links, videos, and tables. Use relevant keywords to improve the category's visibility. Please note that the description is limited to 32,000 characters.
   • Image: Upload an image in .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .webp format. The maximum file size is 10 MB.

6. Set Conditions:

   Define the rules for how products will be automatically assigned. You can set up to 8 conditions and choose whether at least one or all conditions must be met.

   • Condition Criteria: Choose the criterion by which you want to categorize the products, such as brand, price, tag.

   • Defined Values: After selecting the criterion, you can narrow down the condition by specifying one or more specific values for that criterion. For example:

     • Criterion: Brand
     • Value: Apple

   • Method: Additionally, you can specify whether the condition applies inclusively or exclusively to a specific value. This means:

     • Contains: Only products containing the selected value will be added to the category (e.g., "Brand contains Apple" – all Apple products will be added to this category).
     • Does not contain: Excludes products with the selected value from the category (e.g., "Brand does not contain Apple" – all non-Apple products will be excluded from the category).

     With this feature, you can define very specific conditions to either categorize or exclude products based on a certain value.

7. Delete Conditions (optional):

   Click on the trash can icon next to the condition to delete it.

8. Sort Products:

   In the Products section, define how the products in this category should be sorted by default.

9. Search Engine Optimization (SEO):

   This section is filled in automatically:

   • The slug and page title are generated based on the category name.
   • The meta description is generated based on the category description.

   You can manually adjust any of these by editing the fields. A preview is shown on the right.

   Want to create your own SEO template? [Learn more here.]

   ➡️ Advanced SEO Settings

   • Prevent Crawling: If you want to block search engines from crawling this page, check this box. Crawling is the process where search engines use automated bots to scan web content for indexing and ranking.
   • Canonical URL: Use this to specify the preferred version of a page when multiple URLs have similar content.

10. Sales Channels and Visibility:

    In the Sales Channels section (top right corner), you can define:

    • Which sales channels the category should be available on
    • Whether the category should be visible on search and category pages or hidden

11. Save the Category:

    Don’t forget to save your changes.

12. Manage Views:

    After saving, normal and dynamic categories will appear in separate tabs.

13. Delete a Category (Optional):

    If you want to delete a category, open it, click the three-dot menu (···) next to the save button, and select Delete.

For any assistance or if you have further questions, please let us know. You can contact us by phone at +49 7361 3893012 or email us at support@ikas.de.