How the Category Page Contents List Works
How the Category Page Contents List Works
SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base can display a contents list on category pages.
The list gives visitors a quick overview of the articles inside that category and lets them jump directly to the guide they want to read.
This is especially useful when a category contains several articles.
What is the category contents list?
The category contents list is a set of links created from the articles currently shown on the category page.
For example, a Getting Started category might include:
- What is SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base?
- SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base System Requirements
- How to Install SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base
- How to Activate SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base
- How to Set Up Your First Knowledge Base
Selecting an article title opens that article.
The list is created automatically, so you do not need to add the links manually.
Enable the category contents list
To enable it:
- Sign in to your WordPress dashboard.
- Open Knowledge Base > Settings.
- Select the Features, Articles or category layout tab, depending on your plugin version.
- Find the category contents option.
- Enable it.
- Choose where the list should appear.
- Select Save Changes.
Open one of your public category pages afterwards to check the result.
Choose where the contents list appears
SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base can display the category contents list in different positions.
Depending on the current settings, it can appear:
- Above the category article list
- In the right-hand category sidebar
Choose the position that works best with your category layout.
Contents list above the articles
Placing the list above the category content makes it easy to see as soon as the page opens.
This works well when:
- The category contains several articles
- The page does not use a sidebar
- Visitors need a quick overview
- Most visitors use mobile devices
- Article titles are short and easy to scan
The list will appear before the main set of article cards or links.
Contents list in the sidebar
The sidebar position keeps the contents list beside the category articles on larger screens.
This can work well when:
- The category page already uses a right-hand sidebar
- You want to keep the main content area cleaner
- Visitors need to move between several articles
- The category contains a manageable number of guides
On mobile devices, the sidebar may move underneath or above the main category content.
Check the page on a phone after changing the position.
Change the contents heading
You can change the heading displayed above the category links.
Examples include:
- Category Contents
- Articles in This Category
- Browse This Section
- In This Category
- Help Articles
- Guides in This Section
Choose wording that makes sense for your website.
For a general documentation area, Articles in This Category is clear and easy to understand.
How articles are added to the list
The contents list uses the published articles displayed on the current category page.
To add an article to the list:
- Open Knowledge Base > All Articles.
- Edit the article.
- Assign it to the correct category.
- Make sure the article is published.
- Make sure it is not marked as unlisted.
- Select Update.
The article should then appear in the category contents list.
Which articles are included?
The list normally includes articles that are:
- Published
- Assigned to the current category
- Publicly available
- Not marked as unlisted
Articles may be left out when they are:
- Drafts
- Pending Review
- In the Trash
- Unlisted
- Assigned to another category
- Hidden because the licence is inactive
If an article is missing, check its status and category assignment.
Parent and child categories
The contents list is based on the articles shown on the category page being viewed.
For example, if you open a child category called Installation, the list should focus on articles inside Installation.
It will not necessarily include every article from the parent category.
This keeps the list relevant to the section the visitor has opened.
Article order
The contents list follows the order used by the category page.
The exact order may depend on the way SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base sorts category articles.
For example, articles may be shown by:
- Publication date
- Modified date
- Title
- The order used by the category layout
The contents list should match the visible articles below it.
If the order looks wrong, check the category page itself rather than trying to change the contents list separately.
Keep article titles clear
The contents list uses the article titles, so those titles need to be easy to understand.
Good examples include:
- How to Install SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base
- How to Activate Your Licence
- Where to Find Your Product Key
- Fix Licence Details Not Recognised
Avoid vague titles such as:
- More Information
- Important Notes
- General Help
- Setup
Visitors should be able to scan the contents list and immediately understand what each guide covers.
Avoid very long article titles
Long article titles can wrap across several lines, especially in a narrow sidebar.
For example:
What You Should Do When Your SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base Licence Cannot Be Verified After Moving Your Website
could be shortened to:
Fix Licence Problems After Moving Your Website
Shorter titles are easier to scan and usually work better in search results and category lists too.
Use the contents list with category descriptions
The category description should explain the overall purpose of the section.
The contents list then shows the individual guides available inside it.
For example:
Category description
Learn how to install SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base, activate your licence and complete the first-time setup.
Contents list
- System Requirements
- Installation
- Licence Activation
- First-Time Setup
The two parts work together without repeating the same information.
Contents list vs article table of contents
These are two separate features.
Category contents list
The category contents list shows links to different articles inside a category.
Article table of contents
The article table of contents shows links to headings inside one article.
For example:
- The category list helps visitors choose How to Activate SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base
- The article table of contents helps them jump to Fix Licence Details Not Recognised inside that guide
You can use both features.
Contents list and compact search
A category page can also include a compact search box.
The contents list helps visitors browse the current category.
The search box helps them search the full knowledge base.
Using both can be useful for larger documentation areas, but avoid making the category page feel too crowded.
A simple layout might use:
- Category title and description
- Compact search
- Category contents list
- Article cards
- Help box
Contents list and the sidebar
If the contents list appears in the sidebar, think carefully about what else is displayed there.
A busy category sidebar could include:
- Compact search
- Category contents
- Popular Articles
- Recently Updated Articles
- Help box
You may not need all of these at once.
For most category pages, a useful sidebar could contain:
- Category contents
- Compact search
- Help box
Keep the most useful section near the top.
When should you use the category contents list?
The list is most useful when a category contains several articles.
It may be worth enabling when:
- Categories contain five or more guides
- Article titles clearly explain each topic
- Visitors often browse by category
- You want a quick list above article cards
- Category pages are becoming long
A category with only one or two articles may not need a separate contents list.
Avoid very large category lists
If one category contains dozens of articles, the contents list may become too long.
This can make the page harder to use rather than easier.
Consider splitting a large category into child categories.
For example, a broad category called Using the Plugin could be divided into:
- Creating Articles
- Managing Categories
- Search and Navigation
- Design Settings
- Analytics
Smaller categories normally create shorter and more useful contents lists.
Check the public category page
After enabling the feature:
- Open a published category page.
- Find the contents list.
- Check that the heading is correct.
- Select each article link.
- Make sure each link opens the correct guide.
- Check that the article titles match the list below.
- Test the page on mobile.
Also check the category while signed out of WordPress.
The contents list is not showing
If the list is missing, check that:
- The category contents feature is enabled
- The category contains published articles
- The articles are assigned to the category
- The articles are not unlisted
- The correct display position is selected
- The settings were saved
- Your SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base licence is active
- The website cache has been cleared
Try testing a category that contains several published articles.
An article is missing from the list
Open the article and check that:
- Its status is Published
- The correct category is selected
- It is not marked as unlisted
- It has not been moved to Trash
- The public article URL works
- The website cache has been cleared
Update the article after checking the category assignment.
An article appears in the wrong category
The article may have more than one category selected.
To fix this:
- Open Knowledge Base > All Articles.
- Edit the article.
- Review the Knowledge Base Categories panel.
- Remove any category that does not apply.
- Keep the most relevant category selected.
- Select Update.
Check both category pages afterwards.
The list order does not match the articles
Clear the WordPress and server cache first.
If the problem remains, check whether:
- The category page is using an older cached article order
- An article was recently updated
- An article changed status
- The current plugin version uses a particular sort order
The contents list should normally follow the articles shown on the category page.
The sidebar list is too narrow
If article titles wrap too much:
- Shorten the article titles
- Move the contents list above the category content
- Use a wider page layout
- Remove an extra theme sidebar
- Reduce other sidebar content
A full-width or standard wide WordPress page layout normally gives SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base more room.
The contents list is too long on mobile
On mobile devices, long lists can take up a large part of the page.
You can improve this by:
- Splitting large categories
- Shortening article titles
- Moving the list into a more suitable position
- Removing unnecessary articles from the category
- Disabling the list for very small or very large sections
The list should save visitors time rather than create another long area to scroll through.
Changes are not appearing
After changing the category contents settings:
- Select Save Changes.
- Clear the WordPress cache.
- Clear any hosting or server cache.
- Clear your browser cache.
- Open the category in a private browser window.
- Confirm that you are checking the correct category page.
Category pages are often cached, so changes may not appear immediately.
Category contents checklist
Before finishing, check that:
- The feature is enabled
- The heading is clear
- The display position suits the layout
- Every link opens the correct article
- Article titles are easy to scan
- Draft and unlisted articles are excluded
- The list is not too long
- The order matches the category articles
- The layout works on desktop and mobile
- The category does not feel overcrowded
The category contents list is now ready to help visitors browse the articles inside each section.