In Step 3 we can now start with the fun stuff - configuring the application for your own products. The first thing to do is think of categories for your items. If you have only a few items and don't need categories, you can skip this step, although I think it's still a good idea to try and group even a few items if you have them.

Categories allow you group items together. The category list shows up on the navigation bar on the left of the screen for the main store application so customers can quickly jump to a category. You can also easily show a category from anywhere with:

http://localhost/webstore/itemlist_abstract.aspx?Category=Food

for example.

To create categories you use this form:

To add a category click on the Add Category button which drops down the little blue window you see in the figure above and allows you to create a new category name. Simply type a name and an optional sort order.

The sort order determines how the items sort with higher numbers sorting to the top and any item with 0 being alphabetically sorted. If you want your list of categories to be simply in alphabetical order simply leave all the category sort order values at 0. The list shows the items in sorted order the same way as it will appear on the navigation bar.

To delete a category just select and delete the category. To change a category, delete it first then re-add it.

Note:
This form is the first form that accesses the database, so if you are getting data errors when the form loads you may need to go back and ensure that your connection string on the Configuration Form is correct.

And onwards to Step 4 - Adding Inventory Items.