The Categories window is used to create, edit and assign categories. To show the Categories window, choose View ▶ Show Categories (⌘U) or click the Categories button in the toolbar.

To create a new category, choose Categories ▶ New Category (⌘N) or click the button. If the selected cateogry is expanded in the outline, the new category will be created as a subcategory.

You can also make a new category just by typing it in the status bar. If there isn't a category with the name you've typed, Shoebox will create a new one for you and ask where to put it.

You can make an alias of a category by choosing Categories ▶ Make Alias (⌘L).

You can create a category with the selected text in any application by choosing Services ▶ Shoebox ▶ New Category from the application menu.

Working with categories

To move a category, simply drag it in the list. You can also choose Categories ▶ Move to... (⌘>), and then select a category by typing part of its name.

If you have created two similar categories (perhaps by importing photos), you can merge them. Select two or more categories and choose Categories ▶ Merge. They will be combined into a single category, along with all of their subcategories and photos.

To find a category quickly, type the first few letters of its name in the search field at the top of the Categories window, and then hit return.

To add the selected photos to a category, click the button next to its name. To display the photos in the category, click the button.

You can view part of the outline in a separate window by choosing Categories ▶ Open Category in New Window. This is useful for working with different parts of the outline at the same time, or working with categories deep in the hierarchy.

Category Info

The Category Info window lets you edit information about the selected category. To show it, choose Categories ▶ Show Category Info (⇧⌘I),

You can edit the category's name. (You can also edit the name by double-clicking it in the outline.)

If two categories have the same name, you can give them unique long names. The long name is a more descriptive version of the name, and is used whenever the category appears outside of the category browser or outline.

The shortcut makes typing frequently used categories in the combo boxes easier. The shortcut should be the first letter of the name. For example, if you have a category whose name is "Mom" and whose shortcut is "m", the letter "m" will always autocomplete to "Mom".

Check "No photos" to prevent photos from being added to the category. This is useful for "abstract" categories that contain subcategories, but not photos. For example, "Things" and "Mammals" are abstract (because there's no such thing as a picture of just a mammal).

Check "Don't export" to mark a category as private and prevent it from being included in exported categories.

Check "Locked" to prevent a category from being renamed, moved, or deleted.

Check "Sort Manually" to manually sort subcategories, rather than alphabetizing them automatically. This is useful if the categories have a natural order, such as stations on a train line.

Importing categories

You can create categories based on your exising folder structure by adding photos in a folder.

You can create categories from your iPhoto albums and keywords by importing from iPhoto.

You can import categories from the web, or from an XML file.

Deleting categories

To delete a category, choose Categories ▶ Move Category to Trash (⎇⌘⌫), hit the delete key, or click the button. It will then be moved to the Trash category (which works like the Trash in the Finder, except for categories). When you want to permanently delete the categories in the Trash, choose Categories ▶ Empty Trash.