Category Manager

VIDEO WALKTHROUGH

Category Manager: setup guide

2:39

Recorded on version 1.0.3 · Narrated walkthrough · English captions

Jump to a chapter 8 chapters

1. 0:00Set up Category Manager
2. 0:12Open settings and choose scope
3. 0:33Configure category columns
4. 0:50Export before editing
5. 1:09Prepare updates and new categories
6. 1:31Import and verify
7. 1:55Save and verify your setup
8. 2:17Your setup checklist

Read the full video transcript

Category Manager 1.0.3 — Magento Admin setup

00:00:00 — Set up Category Manager
Welcome to the Agentic Ecom Category Manager Admin guide. We'll walk through the main setup screens and the checks to make before using the module. This guide assumes the extension is already installed.

00:00:12 — Open settings and choose scope
Start in Magento Admin and open Stores, Configuration. Choose Category Manager. Check the Scope selector before editing. Use the appropriate website or store view where the setting supports it. The screen values here are a demonstration; enter the settings and service details that belong to your own store.

00:00:33 — Configure category columns
In General, enable the Category Column in Product Grid if your team needs it. Choose the Category Display Mode, whether to show Category I D, and whether category links should be clickable. Save these presentation settings separately from your category import work.

00:00:50 — Export before editing
Open System, Data Transfer, Category Import and Export. Export the merchant category tree and keep an untouched backup. Magento's tree root and catalogue root are excluded. Use the exported columns as your template so that identifiers and category relationships are preserved.

00:01:09 — Prepare updates and new categories
Keep category I D when updating an existing category. To create a category, leave its I D blank and supply the correct parent I D. Review store-view scope carefully so a translated name or description is not overwritten at the wrong level. Check URL keys and active or menu flags before importing.

00:01:31 — Import and verify
Choose the prepared C S V in the import screen and review any row-specific validation messages. Test a small file in staging first. After importing, reopen representative categories and check their parent, store-view content and storefront URL. An export backup and a verified sample make larger catalogue updates easier to control.

00:01:55 — Save and verify your setup
When your required settings are complete, use the screen's Save control and wait for Magento's confirmation. Then reopen the record or configuration and check the saved values at the intended scope. If the storefront still shows earlier settings, refresh the relevant caches. Test your own configuration before using it with customers.

00:02:17 — Your setup checklist
That's the Admin setup walkthrough for Category Manager. Check permissions and scope, review the module-specific settings, then save and verify a small staging example. Use the written guide at user guides dot Agentic Ecom dot net for installation details, complete field references and any separate storefront integration steps.

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Category Manager lets you manage merchant categories as a CSV — export categories below the catalog root, edit them in a spreadsheet (names, URL keys, active/menu flags, descriptions, SEO meta), and re-import to update existing categories or create new ones in one pass. It’s the fast way to update a large catalogue or hand category content to someone who lives in Excel.

This guide covers the stable 1.0.4 release, installed, upgraded and compiled on Magento Open Source 2.4.9 with PHP 8.5.10 without AgenticEcom Core. Admin configuration display/save/ACL and authenticated CSV export passed QA. Version 1.0.3 adds an independent Admin configuration tab; the CSV workflow is unchanged.

Optional settings are at Stores → Configuration → AgenticEcom Category Manager → Category Manager.

Install

The Composer commands below are for a direct AgenticEcom purchase. If you bought this extension through Adobe Commerce Marketplace, use the purchased Composer package from repo.magento.com with Adobe Marketplace access keys; see Getting Started. A Marketplace purchase should not require a second AgenticEcom direct-store licence.

Install Category Manager with Composer using your AgenticEcom licence key (find it on your My Licences page — one key unlocks every module you own):

# 1. Register the AgenticEcom repository (once per store)
composer config repositories.agenticecom composer https://repo.agenticecom.net
composer config --global --auth http-basic.repo.agenticecom.net <YOUR-LICENCE-KEY> x

# 2. Require this module
composer require agenticecom/module-category-manager

# 3. Apply it
php bin/magento setup:upgrade && php bin/magento setup:di:compile && php bin/magento cache:flush

Have the whole platform?

Install every module in one command with composer require agenticecom/suite — see Install the complete suite.

Compatibility

Magento

QA baseline: Open Source 2.4.9. Check release notes for other versions.

PHP

Project QA baseline: 8.5.10; check this module’s release notes.

Round-trip

Export → edit → import. Export contains default-store values; add rows for store-view overrides.

Validation

An invalid row stops the import and reports its row number.

Quick start

1. System → Data Transfer → Category Import & Export → Export CSV to download merchant categories. Magento’s tree root and catalog root are excluded.

2. Edit in a spreadsheet. To update a category, keep its category_id; to create one, leave category_id blank and set the parent_id.

3. Import CSV to apply — existing IDs are updated, blank-ID rows are created. Back up your CSV first.

CSV format

One row per category; the export produces exactly these columns:

category_id,parent_id,store_id,name,url_key,is_active,include_in_menu,description,meta_title,meta_keywords,meta_description
12,2,0,Outdoor,outdoor,1,1,"Everything for the outdoors","Outdoor Gear","",""
12,2,1,Outdoor Equipment,,1,1,"Store-view description","","",""
,2,0,New Arrivals,new-arrivals,1,1,"","","",""

Column	Meaning
category_id	The category to update. Leave blank to create a new category.
parent_id	The parent category (defaults to the root catalog when creating).
store_id	0 for All Store Views; use an existing store-view ID for a translation or override. New categories must first be created at 0.
name	Category name (required).
url_key	SEO URL key.
is_active / include_in_menu	1/0 flags.
description, meta_title, meta_keywords, meta_description	Content & SEO fields.

Update or create — by ID

The category_id column is the switch: present = update that category, blank = create a new one under parent_id. So the same file can both fix existing categories and add new ones. For an existing category, keep its current parent_id; moving existing categories is not supported by this import.

Invalid rows stop the import

If a row has the wrong number of columns, an unknown category/store/parent ID or a missing name, the import stops with the row number. Changes from earlier rows are rolled back. Correct the CSV and run it again. Exported fields with commas or quotes are safely quoted for round-trip import.

FAQ

How do I bulk-rename categories?

Export, edit the name column in a spreadsheet, and re-import. Keeping each row’s category_id updates that exact category rather than creating a duplicate. To move an existing category to a different parent, use Magento’s category editor.

Can I create new categories from the CSV?

Yes — leave category_id blank and set parent_id to the parent. The import creates the category under that parent (defaulting to the root catalog if no parent is given).

What happens if my spreadsheet has a broken row?

The import stops and reports the row number. Earlier changes in the same file are rolled back; fix the row and retry.

Is it secure?

The import and export are behind the AgenticEcom_CategoryManager::import_export ACL resource, so only authorised admins can run them. Check the release notes for tested Magento and PHP versions.