Overview
Assignment Categories are labels such as Maintenance, Safety or Housekeeping that classify Assignments, so you can filter the Assignments list and report by type of work. Your organization keeps one list of Assignment Categories, managed in Configuration.
This article covers creating, renaming and deleting Assignment Categories, where they show up, and how they differ from the Categories defined inside an Assignment Definition.
At a glance |
|
Who can do this | Super Users, or a Role with Organization › Administrate |
Where | Configuration › Assignments › Assignment Categories |
Works on | Backend (web) to manage. Users pick categories on Assignments in the Backend and the mobile app. |
Availability | All organizations |
💡 Why this matters: Categories are only useful for reporting if they're applied consistently. A short, well-named list keeps your dashboards and exports clean and comparable across Locations.
Two kinds of category
Mobaro keeps two separate sets of categories for Assignments:
Kind | What it is |
Assignment Categories | One list for the whole organization, managed in Configuration. Available on every Assignment, including ones that use an Assignment Definition, unless the definition has Disable assignment categories ticked. |
Definition Categories | Created in an Assignment Definition under Categories, as Single Choice or Multiple Choice. Available only on Assignments that use that definition. See Using Assignment Definitions. |
A category in each list can share a name, but they're never linked. Dashboards report Definition Categories separately from Assignment Categories.
Manage assignment categories
1. Open the list
In the Backend, go to Configuration, open the Assignments tab and find the Assignment Categories panel.
2. Create a category
Click the + button (tooltip Create new category), enter a Category Name such as Safety, and click OK. Names must be unique; a duplicate shows The category name already exists.
3. Rename a category
Select the category and click the pencil (Edit category), or double-click it. Enter the new name and click OK. The new name replaces the old one on Assignments, Checklist assignment triggers and the downtime assignment trigger.
4. Delete a category
Select the category, click the bin (Delete category) and confirm with Yes.
🛑 Critical: Deleting an Assignment Category removes it from every Assignment that has it, including resolved ones, and from Checklist assignment triggers and the downtime assignment trigger. Reports then no longer count those Assignments under it, and recreating the category doesn't put it back. If you want to keep that history, rename the category instead, for example to Old – Safety. A renamed category stays selectable.
Where categories show up
On the Assignment — the Assignment Categories field in the Backend and the mobile app.
The Assignments list — a category filter, including uncategorized Assignments, and a Categories column. To change categories on many Assignments at once, use Change Categories; see Bulk-managing Assignments from the Backend.
Automatic Assignments — Checklist assignment triggers and the downtime assignment trigger can set categories on the Assignments they create. See Assignment triggers in Checklists.
Dashboards — the Assignments by Category Widget counts Assignments per category.
Exports — Assignment exports include a Categories column.
Best practices
Keep the list short and broad, for example Maintenance, Safety and Housekeeping. Use Definition Categories when one workflow needs finer labels.
Set categories on triggers, so Assignments created from Checklists and Downtime are categorized without anyone remembering to do it.
Rename rather than delete a category that has history you want to keep in reports.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I create a new assignment category?
In the Backend, go to Configuration › Assignments and click + in the Assignment Categories panel. You need to be a Super User or have Organization › Administrate. Definition Categories are added in the Assignment Definition instead.
I can't create a new category. The option isn't there, or it won't save.
If you can't see Configuration, you need Super User or Organization › Administrate. If it won't save, the name is already in use: The category name already exists. Names are compared exactly, so check for an existing category with that name.
Can I make the category a required field on assignments?
No. Assignment Categories are always optional. To make sure Assignments get a category, set it on the Checklist and downtime assignment triggers that create them.
Can I limit which users see or use certain categories?
No. Categories are labels, not permissions: anyone who can edit an Assignment can pick any category. Which Assignments a User sees depends on their Location access and assignments. See How access works in Mobaro.
What happens to existing assignments if I delete a category?
The category is removed from every Assignment that has it, including resolved ones, and from Checklist and downtime assignment triggers. It isn't kept for history. Rename it instead if you want to keep past reporting.
What's the difference between assignment categories and assignment definitions?
A category is a label for filtering and reporting. A definition is a template that sets an Assignment's states, fields and rules, and can have its own Definition Categories. See Using Assignment Definitions.