Show details for Automatic Categories: How the Category Header Works

Automatic Categories: How the Category Header Works

Add a header menu that builds itself from your category tree - and understand why it shows different subcategories as customers browse.

Automatic Categories: How the Category Header Works

Add a header menu that builds itself from your category tree - and understand why it shows different subcategories as customers browse.

Guide4 min readVideo8-step guideUpdated 15 Oct 2026

Overview

The Header Item - Automatic Categories content item adds a menu to your storefront header that fills itself from your category tree. Publish a new category and it appears in the menu - no links to maintain by hand.

What it does

  • A self-maintaining menu - lists your categories automatically.
  • Follows the customer - inside a category, the menu expands to show that category's subcategories.
  • Respects access - customers only see the categories they are allowed to see.

How it works

  • On the home page and other non-category pages - the menu lists your top-level categories (with Maximum depth on category navigation at 0).
  • Inside a category - the path to the current category opens up, showing its subcategories beneath it, while the other top-level categories stay visible.
  • Which categories appear - every published category the customer can access. It is not limited to categories marked Show on home page.
  • Subcategories on every page - Maximum depth on category navigation (Configuration > Settings > Catalogue Settings) also controls this menu. At 0, subcategories only appear along the customer's path; at 1, every top-level category is listed with its subcategories on every page, and 2 adds the next level. The same setting controls the category navigation on your category pages.

When to use something else

  • If you want a fixed list - for example a short set of featured categories that never changes - use a Header Dropdown Item and add the links yourself. The automatic menu always changes with the customer's position in the tree.

Good to know

  • The header is cached: click Clear cache after adding or changing the item.
  • Unpublish a category, or change who can access it, to remove it from the menu.
  • Display Order on each category sets the order in the menu.

Step-by-step

  1. Open the Header in Editable Content

    Go to Content Management > Editable ContentAn area of Infigo admin where you can directly control the content on different areas of your site.. On the System tab, find Header (it holds your header menu, logo and account links) and click Edit.

    Editable Content > Header > Edit

    Editable Content > Header > Edit
  2. Add the Automatic Categories item

    Under Main Navigation, click Add Content and choose Header Item - Automatic Categories. The item is added to the end of your menu; drag it by its handle to change its position.

    Add Content > Header Item - Automatic Categories

    Add Content > Header Item - Automatic Categories
  3. Name the menu item

    Enter the Header Item Text - the word your customers see in the header, for example Shop. Header Item Link is optional: it is where the top-level word itself links to. Open in sets whether that link opens in the same tab. The list of categories underneath is filled in automatically.

    Header Item Text: Shop

    Header Item Text: Shop
  4. Save the header and clear the cache

    Click Save and Continue Edit, then Clear cache in the admin top bar. The header is cached, so the new menu may not appear on your storefront until the cache has been cleared.

    Save and Continue Edit

    Save and Continue Edit
  5. Check the menu on your storefront

    Open your storefront and point at the new menu item. On the home page (and any page that is not a category) it lists your top-level categories - every published category the customer is allowed to see. It is not limited to categories marked Show on home page.

    Home page: the top-level categories

    Home page: the top-level categories
  6. Browse into a category - its subcategories appear

    The menu follows the customer. Inside a category, that category's subcategories are shown beneath it, and the rest of the top level stays visible. This is by design: the menu always shows the path to where the customer is, so the list changes from page to page. If you need a fixed list that never changes, use Header Dropdown Item content instead and add the links yourself.

    Inside Branded Merchandise: its subcategories appear

    Inside Branded Merchandise: its subcategories appear
  7. Optional: list subcategories on every page

    Go to Configuration > Settings > Catalogue Settings. Maximum depth on category navigation also controls this menu. At 0, subcategories only appear along the path to the category the customer is in (steps 5 and 6). At 1, every top-level category is listed with its subcategories, on every page; 2 adds the level below that. The same setting controls the category navigation on your category pages. Each level makes the menu longer, so keep the value low. Save, then clear the cache.

    Catalogue Settings: Maximum depth on category navigation = 1

    Catalogue Settings: Maximum depth on category navigation = 1

    Depth 1: every category with its subcategories, on every page

    Depth 1: every category with its subcategories, on every page
  8. Control which categories appear

    The menu is built from your category tree, so you manage it in Catalogue > Categories > Manage Categories. Untick Published to remove a category from the menu (and from your storefront). Customers only see categories their roles are allowed to access, so different customers can see different menus. Display Order sets the order.

    Category > Published

    Category > Published

Video transcript

Overview video

0:00 The automatic categories menu

0:03 The automatic categories menu is a header item that fills itself from your category tree. When you publish a new category, it appears in the menu.

0:13 On the home page, the menu lists your top-level categories: every published category the customer can access.

0:20 When the customer opens a category, the menu expands to show that category's subcategories underneath it. So the list changes as they browse. That's by design.

0:31 It's added to the header in Editable Content, as a single content item.

0:37 It's built from one header content item and your category tree. The step-by-step guide on this page shows how to add it, and how to control what it lists.

Step-by-step video

0:00 Add an automatic categories menu

0:03 In this tutorial we'll add a menu to your storefront header that builds itself from your categories, and look at how it behaves as customers browse.

0:12 Go to Content Management, then Editable Content. Find Header, and click Edit.

0:18 Under Main Navigation, click Add Content, and choose Header Item, Automatic Categories. Drag it into position if you need to.

0:27 Enter the Header Item Text, the word customers see, such as Shop. The link and Open in settings are optional. The categories underneath fill in automatically.

0:38 Click Save and Continue Edit, then Clear cache in the top bar. The header is cached, so this step matters.

0:45 On your storefront, the menu lists your top-level categories. That's every published category the customer can access, not only the ones marked to show on the home page.

0:56 Open a category, and the menu expands to show its subcategories beneath it. The list follows the customer, so it changes from page to page. If you want a fixed list instead, use a header dropdown item and add the links yourself.

1:11 To list subcategories on every page, go to Configuration, Settings, Catalogue Settings, and set Maximum depth on category navigation to 1. The same setting controls the category navigation on your category pages.

1:26 Now every top-level category is listed with its subcategories, on every page. Each extra level makes the menu longer, so keep the number low.

1:35 The menu comes from your categories. Untick Published to remove a category, and use Display Order to change the order. Customers only see categories they're allowed to access.

1:47 That's it: a menu that keeps itself up to date as your catalogue grows.

Search terms

Alternate Search Phrases
automatic categoriescategory menuheader menucategory navigationheader item automatic categoriessubcategories menunavigation depth
Guide | Automatic Categories: How the Category Header WorksLast updated: 15 Oct 2026
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