Category questions offer you the ability to customize fields specific to each category. For example, you may want to ask certain questions to your sellers who are entering listings within an Automobiles category, but a completely different set of questions for a seller entering listings within a Real Estate category. During the Listing Process, these questions will appear to the seller under the "Optional Questions" section.

Not only do these Category Questions show up during the Listing Placement and Listing Edit Processes, but they also show up on the Listing Display Page and as search criteria (for that category) on the Search Page.

By default, this Software does not have category questions already entered for you. You have the ability to add as many category questions as you would like. When you Add New Question you are taken to a page that allows you to set up the question’s name, explanation for the seller, type of entry box that you want displayed, an additional other box, and finally the display order that you want to display that particular question.

You can also enter your own Pre-Valued Dropdown questions. Using dropdown questions keeps your sellers from having to type out all of their answers. Instead, they can simply choose their answer from the dropdown box list you have given to them.

Any category specific questions created for a specific category also "apply" that categories subcategories. If you add a specific category specific question to a category it will appear as a question for that listing placed in that category or any of that categories subcategories. The category questions appearing for any specific category is the cumulative category specific questions for that category and all of its parent categories.

Also note that questions added to a specific category are specific to that category even if those category specific questions were copied from another category to the current category. Each category's questions are unique to that category and copying questions to another category creates unique,autonomous questions for that category. So if a client changes the category for a specific listing the category specific questions answered from the previous the previous category will not automatically be transferred to the new category. The client must then edit the listing details for that same listing and "re-answer" that category's specific questions to have those category specific questions' answers appear in the listing details page.

<tip c n>All category specific questions created for a specific category automatically appear as questions for that category's subcategories. So there is never any need to copy category questions "down" to a category's subcategories. </tip>

These category specific questions will automatically appear in the advanced search page built on the fly by the system but only when a specific category has been chosen leading into the advanced search page or a category has been chosen within the advanced search page. After making a category choice from the category dropdown within the advanced search page the category specific fields you have created for that category will automatically appear at the bottom of that advanced search form.

Notice that this specific feature will only work if you are using the advanced search form built by the system. If you have turned off the use of the default search form within the admin tool setting below these fields will not automatically appear within the search form as you have chosen to use your own custom built search form:

SITE SETUP > BROWSING SETTINGS > SEARCH PAGE SETUP

Once you have setup your category specific questions they will automatically appear within the place a listing process within the listing details collection page to clients placing a listing within the requisite category. Any of these questions that are answered by the client within the place a listing process or (re)answered within the edit process for that listing will appear within the listing details page. Since these questions are dynamic and appear specifically per category there are no specific placement tags to place each them individually within the listing details template. These questions will appear where the category specific questions placement tag for that page is placed within the listing details template. The placement tag that makes the category specific questions appear in the listing details page is:

{listing tag='extra_questions'}

That tag should be placed within the listing details templates of your working template design for the category-specific questions answered in the place a listing process where you want those to appear in your listing details page. Where the above placement tag is within those templates is where those questions will appear. While you may have changed the listing details templates you use the two default ones we include within all default designs is the following templates:

/main_page/listing_auction.tpl
/main_page/listing_classified.tpl

The default templates above by default themselves have the above tag within them. But if you have edited them or created your own and have lost the category specific questions displaying within your listing details templates make sure the placement tag above is still within your details template where you want them to appear.

Do note if category-specific questions are not answered in the place a listing process for a listing there will appear none when that listing's details page is displayed.