Fields cannot be categorized.

pctechnikch commented

2026-03-22 18:08:58 +00:00

Member

Steps to reproduce the issue

Unfortunately, it's no longer possible to categorize fields in the componentbuilder JCB v6. This is the case on all my systems. The "Field Categories" entry is missing on the left side. Interestingly, if you create a new field, you can then select a category at the top. But of course, this isn't actually possible.

This isn't related to the operating system; the link is missing. You can see this via the URL

option=com_categories&view=categories&extension=com_componentbuilder.field

This is also visible in JCB 3.2.5. Or have you removed this feature?

Many Thanks

Expected result

Actual result

System information (as much as possible)

OS Name & Version: Virtualmin, Wampserver
MySql Version:
Apache Version:
PHP Version: 8.3
Joomla Version: 6.0.3
JCB Version: 6.1.4
Browser: Firefox, Chrome

Additional comments

René

### Steps to reproduce the issue Unfortunately, it's no longer possible to categorize fields in the componentbuilder JCB v6. This is the case on all my systems. The "Field Categories" entry is missing on the left side. Interestingly, if you create a new field, you can then select a category at the top. But of course, this isn't actually possible. This isn't related to the operating system; the link is missing. You can see this via the URL `option=com_categories&view=categories&extension=com_componentbuilder.field` This is also visible in JCB 3.2.5. Or have you removed this feature? Many Thanks ### Expected result ### Actual result ### System information (as much as possible) - OS Name & Version: Virtualmin, Wampserver - MySql Version: - Apache Version: - PHP Version: 8.3 - Joomla Version: 6.0.3 - JCB Version: 6.1.4 - Browser: Firefox, Chrome ### Additional comments René

FehlendeFeldkategorien02.jpg

109 KiB

FehlendeFeldkategorien01.jpg

83 KiB

FehlendeFeldkategorien03.jpg

129 KiB

Llewellyn commented

2026-03-23 09:22:33 +00:00

Owner

Thanks for reporting this - I think there's just a bit of confusion around what changed in JCB 6.

In Joomla 3, when you added a category field to a view, JCB would automatically add the Categories entry to the sidebar menu. This behaviour was intentionally removed starting with Joomla 4, and it remains the case in JCB 6.

So what you're seeing is expected:

The category field can still be added and used.
You can still select categories when creating/editing items.
However, the Categories menu item is no longer automatically added to the sidebar.

If you want the category manager in your component menu, you now need to add it manually. There are two common approaches:

Create a custom admin menu for categories and link it into your component menu.
Add access via a dashboard or custom navigation setup.

To access the categories, you go on the dashboard:

Here you can create all the categories you need:

Then in any field you can select them:

Once selected and saved they will show in the list view:

You can also filter by them:

Why this change was made

We've been moving away from relying heavily on Joomla's native category system, mainly due to limitations when working with imports/exports across multiple systems.

The key issue is that category IDs are not consistent between systems, which makes data portability difficult. When you're syncing or migrating datasets, this becomes unreliable and hard to manage.

Because of this, we've shifted toward:

Custom category-like structures
Tag-based systems
More flexible relational setups

A good example of this approach is the Service Directory we've built - it uses its own category and tagging logic instead of Joomla's native categories, allowing for much better portability and API integration.

Thanks for reporting this - I think there's just a bit of confusion around what changed in JCB 6. In Joomla 3, when you added a category field to a view, JCB would automatically add the Categories entry to the sidebar menu. This behaviour was intentionally removed starting with Joomla 4, and it remains the case in JCB 6. So what you're seeing is expected: * The category field can still be added and used. * You can still select categories when creating/editing items. * However, the **Categories menu item is no longer automatically added to the sidebar**. If you want the category manager in your component menu, you now need to add it manually. There are two common approaches: 1. Create a custom admin menu for categories and link it into your component menu. 2. Add access via a dashboard or custom navigation setup. To access the categories, you go on the dashboard: ![image.png](https://git.vdm.dev/attachments/d593c612-9b6e-4e2b-aeb4-318dc2c3e7ad) Here you can create all the categories you need: ![image.png](https://git.vdm.dev/attachments/460cb859-cf42-43ee-9a97-07240c325af9) Then in any field you can select them: ![image.png](https://git.vdm.dev/attachments/aec6df6e-3eb7-4a0f-855e-965f3d031ff0) ![image.png](https://git.vdm.dev/attachments/d8301486-d269-4ae9-91ef-4058db5ba0a1) Once selected and saved they will show in the list view: ![image.png](https://git.vdm.dev/attachments/06a8f936-3277-4e9b-823f-622c6df37360) You can also filter by them: ![image.png](https://git.vdm.dev/attachments/78ed2f11-652b-46a5-9b5e-b5e41aec5ab3) ### Why this change was made We've been moving away from relying heavily on Joomla's native category system, mainly due to limitations when working with imports/exports across multiple systems. The key issue is that **category IDs are not consistent between systems**, which makes data portability difficult. When you're syncing or migrating datasets, this becomes unreliable and hard to manage. Because of this, we've shifted toward: * Custom category-like structures * Tag-based systems * More flexible relational setups A good example of this approach is the [Service Directory](https://github.com/orgs/joomengine/discussions/1008) we've built - it uses its own category and tagging logic instead of Joomla's native categories, allowing for much better portability and API integration.

image.png

320 KiB

image.png

108 KiB

image.png

175 KiB

image.png

176 KiB

image.png

172 KiB