Commons:Meta categories

This page is a proposed Commons guideline, policy, or process.

The proposal may still be in development, under discussion, or in the process of gathering consensus for adoption. References or links to this page should not describe it as "policy".

Note that this page is currently very skeletal. Propose and discuss sections to add or change on the talk page.

Meta categories are a specific type of category. They are useful tools for both finding and organizing media on Wikimedia Commons.

Definition

This section details what a meta category is.

Identifying

Users can identify meta categories by their name, content, and place in the category hierarchy. Some categories which look like meta categories are not, and there can be meta categories

What meta categories are not

There are several types of categories that may seem like meta categories but are actually not. This is important, as mixing meta and non-meta categories together can create inconsistencies in the category hierarchy.

Usage

Browsing

Meta categories can help users find files they are searching for in several ways.

Organizing

When organizing files and category trees, there are cases when meta categories may or may not be useful. Meta categories have specific requirements on where they should be categorized, which categories belong under them, and what sort keys are appropriate to use for each.

Creation and maintenance

Meta categories should be created and maintained in a consistent manner. There are several templates that can be helpful in identifying, categorizing, and maintaining these categories correctly.

Naming

Meta categories should be named in a particular format.

Useful templates

Several templates can be used on meta categories:

{{MetaCat}}