# Categories & Media Library

> How Gallery Categories work in Wisp Gallery: one taxonomy for images, posts and pages, plus a Media Library column, filters and bulk actions.

Source: https://wispgallery.com/docs/categories/

The filter buttons come from **Gallery Categories**: a taxonomy that images, posts and pages share. Categories live on the media item itself, so a photo tagged once is filtered correctly in every gallery it appears in.

## The Gallery Categories taxonomy

- Taxonomy name `wisp_gallery_category`, hierarchical and public.
- Attached to media, posts and pages. Developers can add other post types with the [`wisp_gallery_taxonomy_object_types`](https://wispgallery.com/docs/developers/#hooks) filter.
- Each category has an archive at `/wisp-gallery-category/<slug>/` – in block themes it uses the [Gallery Category Archive template](https://wispgallery.com/docs/patterns/#archive-template).
- Usable in the Query Loop’s taxonomy filter, like any other taxonomy.

A gallery doesn’t have to use Gallery Categories: with Wisp Gallery Pro, under **Filtering → Filter by** it can filter by any public taxonomy, such as regular post categories or tags.

## In the editor

- **One image:** the *Gallery categories* panel in the sidebar of an Image block inside a gallery. It saves straight to the attachment.
- **Several images:** select them and use the tag button in the block toolbar, or the *Tag selected images* command. See [Editing](https://wispgallery.com/docs/editing/#bulk-categories).
- **Posts and pages:** the Gallery Categories panel in the post sidebar.

## In the Media Library

For tagging a whole shoot at once, the Media Library is quicker.

### List view

- A **Gallery Categories** column. Each category links to the list filtered by it.
- A **category filter** dropdown above the list.
- Bulk actions **Add to gallery category…** and **Remove from gallery category…**, with a category picker next to them.

1. Go to **Media → Library** and switch to the list view.
2. Tick the images.
3. Choose *Add to gallery category…* in the bulk actions, pick the category and click **Apply**.

### Grid view

A **Filter by gallery category** dropdown in the toolbar, next to core’s filters.

### Attachment details

In the attachment details of the media modal, Gallery Categories appear as a **checklist** instead of core’s text field of comma-separated slugs.

## Tips

- Keep the category names short: they become button labels.
- Order the buttons in the filter’s settings (*Categories*), or hide empty ones.
- Use child categories for fine-grained archives; a Media Query with *Use the archive’s category* includes the children.
- Imported galleries bring their tags along as Gallery Categories – see [Switching](https://wispgallery.com/docs/switching/).
- AI agents can tag images for you through the [Abilities API](https://wispgallery.com/docs/abilities/).

Further reading: [Filterable portfolios with posts and images in one gallery](https://wispgallery.com/blog/filterable-portfolio/), a tutorial that uses Gallery Categories on posts, images and a Media Library query.