# Update Category

<!-- meta: type=update-category; location=Categories; category=Step (action); platforms=Joomla and WordPress (where applicable) -->

## Overview

Updates a Joomla article category (title, parent, alias, description) when the flow runs. Use to reorganize taxonomy after imports, rename sections, or sync category metadata from an external PIM.

When the flow reaches this step, JOrchestrator executes **Update Category** against your linked site or an external integration, using the field values you set on **General** and **Design**. Downstream steps can read the output payload fields defined for this node.

## Why use this node

Update Category is a **action step** in the **Categories** group. Action steps run in the middle or end of a flow. They perform work on your CMS, call external services, or transform data for the next step.

Typical reasons teams add **Update Category** to a flow:

- Update Category on your linked Joomla site when the flow reaches this step
- Update category based on webhook, schedule, or CMS event data
- Integrate Categories operations with messaging, AI, or database steps in one canvas

## Example workflows

Common patterns on the canvas:

1. **Trigger or Webhook** → upstream steps → **Update Category** → **Send Email** or CMS update
2. **Scheduled trigger** → **Update Category** → **Debug** (while testing) → production action

## How to set it up

Select the category on Design; optional new title, parent, alias, and description fields.

## Good to know

Cannot move a category under its own descendant — Joomla enforces the tree.

## Properties panel

The designer shows these tabs for this node:

| Tab | Purpose |
|-----|---------|
| **Info** | Plain-language description and output payload fields for downstream steps |
| **General** | Canvas label and read-only node ID |
| **AI** | Optional assistant to help draft settings from plain language |
| **Design** | Node-specific configuration fields |

### System (automatic — not edited by the user)

These fields are managed by the designer or runtime — you do not type into them directly:

| Property key | Label | Type | Required | Visible when | Notes |
|--------------|-------|------|----------|--------------|-------|
| `_nodeId` | Node ID | `node-id` | No | — | — |
| `_payloadFields` | Available Fields | `payload-panel` | No | — | — |

### User-configured — General tab

| Property key | Label | Type | Required | Visible when | Notes |
|--------------|-------|------|----------|--------------|-------|
| `label` | Label | `text` | No | — | Node label |

### User-configured — Design tab

| Property key | Label | Type | Required | Visible when | Notes |
|--------------|-------|------|----------|--------------|-------|
| `title` | New title (optional) | `text` | No | — | Leave blank to keep |
| `alias` | Alias (optional) | `text` | No | — | Leave blank to keep or regenerate |
| `description` | Description (optional) | `textarea` | No | — | Leave blank to keep |

### CMS-backed (options from the linked site)

| Property key | Label | Type | Required | Visible when | Notes |
|--------------|-------|------|----------|--------------|-------|
| `id` | Category | `category-select` | **Yes** | — | Category to update |
| `parent` | New parent (optional) | `category-select` | No | — | Leave unchanged if not set |

### CMS site configuration (not on this node's properties panel)

Credentials, API keys, mailers, SMTP, and integration defaults are configured in the CMS plugin under **Node Configuration**, not per step on this node. Link the flow to a domain before testing CMS-backed fields.

## Output payload fields

After this step runs, later nodes can reference these fields using placeholders such as
`{{update_category.id}}`.

| Field key | Type | Description |
|-----------|------|-------------|
| `id` | string | Primary record identifier. |
| `title` | string | Title text for the created or updated record. |
| `alias` | string | URL-safe alias / slug. |
| `parent_id` | string | Parent category or menu item ID. |
| `description` | string | Category or contact description text. |
| `path` | string | Filesystem-relative path (often under /images). |
| `level` | number | Nesting level in the category tree. |

## Related nodes

Other steps in the same area of the palette:

- **Create Category** (`create-category`) — Categories
- **Create Category** (`wp-create-category`) — Categories
- **Delete Category** (`delete-category`) — Categories
- **Delete Category** (`wp-delete-category`) — Categories
- **Update Category** (`wp-update-category`) — Categories