# Higher level of granularity for category & subcategory styling
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/higher-level-of-granularity-for-category-subcategory-styling/57071
**Category:** Feature
**Created:** [February 7, 2017, 3:15pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/higher-level-of-granularity-for-category-subcategory-styling/57071 "2017-02-07T15:15:53Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@erlend\_sh](https://meta.discourse.org/u/erlend_sh)
#### Post date: [February 7, 2017, 3:15pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/higher-level-of-granularity-for-category-subcategory-styling/57071/1 "2017-02-07T15:15:53Z")
Continuing the discussion from [Show subcategory list UI](https://meta.discourse.org/t/show-subcategory-list-ui/56734):
I find our current options for category styling a bit confusing. When I change the category style, I expect that category style to apply everywhere, unless otherwise specified. The fact that a subcategory index has a unique, hardcoded styling is unexpected.
I’d love to have category UI settings with this level of granularity:
- `desktop category page style`
- Categories only
- Categories with featured topics
- Categories and latest topics
- None; just show Latest
- 🆕`desktop sub-category list style` (replaces `show subcategory list`)
- Inherit `desktop category page style`
- Categories only
- Categories with featured topics
- Categories and latest topics
- None; just show Latest
- 🆕 #Contribute > Feature page style (i.e. configured in a category’s General settings)
- Inherit `desktop sub-category list style`
- Categories only
- Categories with featured topics
- Categories and latest topics
This would would allow us to set a more documentation-friendly styling for our #howto category, while the rest remains focused on discussion.
(Also find it a bit weird that we only do this on desktop, as there’s definitely a way to do a mobile style layout for all of these options, but that’s a different topic.)
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [February 7, 2017, 6:26pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/higher-level-of-granularity-for-category-subcategory-styling/57071/3 "2017-02-07T18:26:52Z")
I’m not able to understand your post – can you perhaps use some cropped screenshots to illustrate?
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Newsom](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Tom_Newsom)
#### Post date: [February 8, 2017, 11:55am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/higher-level-of-granularity-for-category-subcategory-styling/57071/4 "2017-02-08T11:55:00Z")
If I understand it, we’re talking about having the option to maintain the two-column split view while browsing categories, or to _only_ show subcategories with no topics listed (in the case of “container” categories).
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [February 8, 2017, 4:44pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/higher-level-of-granularity-for-category-subcategory-styling/57071/5 "2017-02-08T16:44:34Z")
Perhaps @erlend_sh can clarify with cropped screenshots.
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### Author:  [@erlend\_sh](https://meta.discourse.org/u/erlend_sh)
#### Post date: [February 8, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/higher-level-of-granularity-for-category-subcategory-styling/57071/6 "2017-02-08T17:04:00Z")
I’m holding off on the mockups since I suggested a simpler solution in one of our internal discussions.
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### Author:  [@PackElend](https://meta.discourse.org/u/PackElend)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2019, 11:40am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/higher-level-of-granularity-for-category-subcategory-styling/57071/7 "2019-08-12T11:40:46Z")
@erlend_sh
is that what ask for something like on [https://meta.discourse.org/c/plugin](https://meta.discourse.org/c/plugin), including some inherent options?
@codinghorror, how do you create such a layout? Could also list tags and/or topics in the tile?
Somethinkg like
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### Author:  [@dax](https://meta.discourse.org/u/dax)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2019, 1:35pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/higher-level-of-granularity-for-category-subcategory-styling/57071/8 "2019-08-12T13:35:02Z")
> [@PackElend](#):
>
> how do you create such a layout?
Take a look to the Category Settings, under the **Appearance** title
> [@PackElend](#):
>
> Could also list tags and/or topics in the tile?
Yes for the latest topic titles, no for tags (unless you build a new theme component to do that).
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### Author:  [@PackElend](https://meta.discourse.org/u/PackElend)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/higher-level-of-granularity-for-category-subcategory-styling/57071/9 "2019-08-12T14:05:48Z")
> [@dax](#):
>
> Take a look to the Category Settings, under the **Appearance** title
found it after activating it 🙂
> [@dax](#):
>
> unless you build a new theme component to do that
good to know 😬 but it would allow me to replace boxes by e.g. in a horizontal scrollable window, e.g. imaging there \>10 boxes under POPULAR TOPICS on [https://experts.feverbee.com/](https://experts.feverbee.com/)
ending up with a layout like
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### Author:  [@dax](https://meta.discourse.org/u/dax)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2019, 2:11pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/higher-level-of-granularity-for-category-subcategory-styling/57071/10 "2019-08-12T14:11:06Z")
[https://experts.feverbee.com/](https://experts.feverbee.com/) has a very **high level** of customization and plugins written specifically to create a new interface. If you want to reach the same level of customization, you must have a team of developers able to manipulate and create new templates for Discourse, or hire developers on our #Marketplace
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### Author:  [@PackElend](https://meta.discourse.org/u/PackElend)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2019, 2:17pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/higher-level-of-granularity-for-category-subcategory-styling/57071/11 "2019-08-12T14:17:11Z")
> [@dax](#):
>
> customization and plugins
would be nice to know what of those is behind which customization 😋
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### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2019, 6:23pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/higher-level-of-granularity-for-category-subcategory-styling/57071/12 "2019-08-12T18:23:33Z")
Some of those CSS customizations they have posted on their site.
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### Author:  [@PackElend](https://meta.discourse.org/u/PackElend)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2019, 9:18pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/higher-level-of-granularity-for-category-subcategory-styling/57071/13 "2019-08-17T21:18:26Z")
> [@dax](#):
>
> no for tags (unless you build a new theme component to do that)
I’ve just stumbled across [https://discuss.okfn.org/](https://discuss.okfn.org/) where they show the sub-categories in the boxes. Is this also customized or is that only a unique feature of the [Discourse Vincent theme](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-vincent-theme/76662)?
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### Author:  [@Andy02](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Andy02)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2019, 7:07pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/higher-level-of-granularity-for-category-subcategory-styling/57071/14 "2019-10-27T19:07:07Z")
this is something i’d like to see, the same view for Tags. Now Discourse has adopted them it would be great to be able to use them for navigation more effectively. right now they are mostly hidden away and a non-tech users will struggle to find and use them