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Categories Overview

Categories help you organize notifications and allow subscribers to choose their preferences. They serve two purposes:

  1. Organization - Group and filter deliveries in the dashboard
  2. Subscriber Preferences - Let users choose what notifications they want

Accessing Categories​

  1. Navigate to your app
  2. Click Categories in the app menu

Managing notification categories and colors in the OCM Pulse dashboard

Category Properties​

PropertyDescriptionLimit
NameDisplay name shown to users100 chars
Tag KeyInternal identifier for segmentation50 chars
DescriptionExplanation of the category255 chars
ColorVisual indicator in dashboard9 preset colors or custom hex color

Tag Key​

The tag key is used to:

  • Identify the category in subscriber tags
  • Create segments based on preferences
  • Reference in API calls

It's automatically generated from the name but can be customized.

Rules:

  • Lowercase only
  • Letters, numbers, underscores
  • No spaces or special characters

Creating Categories​

  1. Click Add Category
  2. Fill in the form:
    • Name - User-facing label (required)
    • Tag Key - Internal identifier for segmentation (auto-generated from name if left empty)
    • Description - Brief explanation of the category
    • Color - Pick from presets or use color picker
  3. Click Create

Filling out the category creation form with name, tag key, and color selection

Setting Colors​

Colors help visually identify categories in the deliveries list. Choose from 9 preset colors or use the custom color picker:

PresetHex
Blue#3B82F6
Green#10B981
Purple#8B5CF6
Red#EF4444
Amber#F59E0B
Gray#6B7280
Pink#EC4899
Cyan#06B6D4
Orange#F97316

You can also use the color picker for any custom color.

Managing Categories​

Reordering​

Drag and drop categories to change their order. The order affects:

  • How they appear in the Category Slidedown prompt
  • Display order in dropdown menus

To reorder:

  1. Drag a category row up or down
  2. Drop in the desired position
  3. Click Save All Changes

Editing​

  1. Click the edit button on a category row
  2. Modify name, color, or description
  3. Click Save

Deleting​

  1. Click the delete button on a category row
  2. Confirm deletion
warning

Deleting a category doesn't delete associated deliveries, but they will become "Uncategorized."

Saving Changes​

After making changes (reorder, edit, or delete):

  1. Click Save All Changes to persist
  2. Or click Discard Changes to revert

The banner shows unsaved changes when present.

Using Categories​

In Manual Notifications​

When creating a notification:

  1. Select a category from the dropdown
  2. Category is assigned to the delivery

In RSS Triggers​

Configure an RSS trigger with a category:

  1. Edit the RSS trigger
  2. Select a category
  3. All notifications from this trigger get the category

In Category Slidedown​

If using the Category Slidedown permission prompt:

  1. Go to Channels → Web Push → Prompts
  2. Configure the Category Slidedown
  3. Add categories from your list
  4. Users select their preferences when subscribing

Filtering Deliveries​

In the Deliveries list:

  1. Use the Category filter
  2. Select a category to see only those deliveries
  3. Select "Uncategorized" to see deliveries without categories

Filtering the notification delivery history by category in OCM Pulse

Category Slidedown Integration​

The Category Slidedown prompt lets users choose what notification types they want.

A preview of the Category Slidedown prompt showing preference checkboxes to a subscriber

How It Works​

  1. User sees the subscription prompt
  2. Categories are shown as checkboxes
  3. User selects their preferences
  4. Upon subscribing, their choices are saved as tags
  5. You can target users based on their preferences

Configuring Categories for Slidedown​

  1. Create categories in the Categories section
  2. Go to Channels → Web Push → Prompts
  3. Configure the Category Slidedown
  4. Select which categories to show
  5. Set default checked states
  6. Order them using drag and drop

Using Subscriber Preferences​

After users subscribe with category preferences:

  1. Their choices are stored as tags
  2. Create segments using tag rules:
    • Tag "sports_news" has value "true"
  3. Target notifications to that segment

Example Categories​

News Site​

CategoryTag KeyColor
Breaking Newsbreaking_newsRed
Daily Digestdaily_digestBlue
SportssportsGreen
EntertainmententertainmentPurple

E-commerce​

CategoryTag KeyColor
Flash Salesflash_salesRed
New Arrivalsnew_arrivalsBlue
Price Dropsprice_dropsGreen
Back in Stockback_in_stockOrange

Blog/Content​

CategoryTag KeyColor
New Postsnew_postsBlue
Weekly NewsletternewsletterPurple
Special AnnouncementsannouncementsRed

Best Practices​

Category Names​

  • Keep names short and clear
  • Use user-friendly language
  • Be specific about content type

Colors​

  • Use distinct colors for easy identification
  • Match your brand when possible
  • Be consistent across similar categories

Number of Categories​

  • Don't create too many (5-7 is usually enough)
  • Combine similar types
  • Remove unused categories

Descriptions​

  • Explain what subscribers will receive
  • Set expectations for frequency
  • Help users make informed choices

Limits​

LimitValue
Categories per appRecommended maximum of 20
Name length100 characters
Tag key length50 characters
Description length255 characters

Next Steps​