Manage Categories
Categories are how PartsDiagram Pro connects your diagrams to the right Shopify product pages automatically. Once set up, a customer viewing a product in your store will see the matching parts diagram appear on that page — without you having to manually link every diagram to every product.
Go to PartsDiagram Pro → Manage Categories to manage them.
Model Categories vs Brand Categories
Section titled “Model Categories vs Brand Categories”There are two types of categories, accessible via tabs at the top of the page:
Model Categories — Identify the specific model a diagram belongs to. Examples: Yamaha 10HP, Yamaha 15HP, BMW Z8, Bracket 001. These are typically the most granular level of identification — the exact engine, model, or assembly the diagram covers.
Brand Categories — Identify the brand or manufacturer. Examples: Yamaha, BMW, Honda. These are broader than model categories and can be used to group diagrams across multiple models from the same brand.
Both types work the same way — you create them here and then assign them to diagrams when creating or editing a diagram.
How the Shopify theme block uses categories
Section titled “How the Shopify theme block uses categories”This is the key feature that makes PartsDiagram Pro integrate directly with your store’s product pages.
When you install the PartsDiagram Pro theme block in your Shopify theme (via the theme editor under a product template), it looks at the product being viewed and uses the assigned categories to automatically find and display the matching diagram.
Here’s how it works end-to-end:
- You create a Model Category called
Yamaha 10HP - You assign that category to all diagrams that cover the Yamaha 10HP engine
- In Shopify, you tag your
Yamaha 10HP Outboard Motorproduct with that same category identifier - A customer opens the
Yamaha 10HP Outboard Motorproduct page - The theme block reads the product’s category, finds all diagrams tagged
Yamaha 10HP, and displays them directly on the page
The result: customers never have to leave the product page to find the right parts diagram — it’s already there.
Adding a new category
Section titled “Adding a new category”- Go to PartsDiagram Pro → Manage Categories
- Select the tab for the type you want to add (Model Categories or Brand categories)
- Type the category name in the Add New Category field
- Click Submit
The new category appears in the Saved Categories table with an auto-assigned UID (unique identifier used internally).
The Saved Categories table
Section titled “The Saved Categories table”| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| UID | Auto-assigned unique ID. Used internally — you don’t need to manage this. |
| Category Name | The name of the category as it appears in diagram and product settings. |
| Actions | Edit (pencil icon) or delete (trash icon) the category. |
Editing and deleting categories
Section titled “Editing and deleting categories”Click the pencil icon to rename a category. The new name will be reflected everywhere it’s used.
Click the trash icon to delete a category. Be careful — deleting a category removes it from all diagrams it was assigned to. The diagrams themselves are not deleted, but they will lose that category tag and may no longer appear via the theme block on associated product pages.
Create your categories before your diagrams. You assign Model and Brand categories when creating a diagram, so having them ready in advance makes the workflow faster.
Be consistent with naming. The theme block matches on exact category names, so Yamaha 10HP and yamaha 10hp are treated as different categories. Pick a convention (e.g. title case) and stick to it.
Use model-level categories for precise matching. If you assign a diagram to Yamaha (brand only) rather than Yamaha 10HP (model), it will appear on every Yamaha product page — which may not be what you want.