Keeping your materials organized by category makes it easier to filter, report, and manage your catalog.
Here’s how to add a category to an existing material in Ply.
Step 1: Go to the Catalog
- From the left-hand menu, click Catalog.
- Make sure you’re in the Materials tab.
You’ll see a list of all your materials.
Step 2: Open the Material Settings
- Find the material you want to update.
- Click the three dots (⋯) on the right side of the material row.
- Select Edit material.
Step 3: Add a Category
- In the Editing Material panel, locate the Category field.
- Click into the category field.
- Search for an existing category or select one from the list.
- If needed, you can also create a new category from this menu.
- Click Save.
Faster Ways to Update Categories (Recommended for Multiple Materials)
If you need to update categories for multiple materials, you don’t have to edit them one by one.
Option 1: Use Bulk Edit Mode
You can use Bulk Edit directly in the Catalog.
- Go to Catalog
- Enable Bulk Edit Mode
- Edit the Category field directly from there
This is much faster than updating materials individually. You’re still editing materials one by one, but navigating through Bulk Edit makes the process much faster and more streamlined.
Option 2: Use Bulk Upload (Import)
For large updates, you can:
- Download your full catalog
- Edit the Category and Subcategory columns in Excel
- Re-upload the file using Import
This will overwrite the previous category data with the updated values from your file.
This method is ideal if you're restructuring your entire catalog.
Option 3: Have Support Update It for You
If you prefer, you can email us at support@getply.com with a file that includes:
- A column for Material Name
- A column for Item Number
- A column for the Main Category
- Additional columns for any Subcategories
Once you send that over, we can process the update for you.