# "Schedule publishing" to a different category
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/schedule-publishing-to-a-different-category/238993
**Category:** Feature
**Created:** [September 14, 2022, 2:23pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/schedule-publishing-to-a-different-category/238993 "2022-09-14T14:23:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ganncamp](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ganncamp)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2022, 2:23pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/schedule-publishing-to-a-different-category/238993/1 "2022-09-14T14:23:00Z")
We’re experimenting with a category where only staff can create new topics but everyone can reply. We post a weekly discussion topic on Mondays & for next week, I’d like to “promote” a topic initially created by a user.
I assumed I could schedule publishing for Monday like I did for this week’s topic.
But that’s not available on his post:
Because… it’s not starting from a private category?
Which… _I guess_ I understand since I suppose “publish” means “make public” here.
And, in my case, I want to use the feature to “make _more_ public”.
So this is my request to broaden the feature 😃
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### Author:  [@Jagster](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jagster)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2022, 3:20pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/schedule-publishing-to-a-different-category/238993/2 "2022-09-14T15:20:43Z")
As you know, I reckon, you can’t schedule publishing to same category, because it is… already published 😉
Actually Discourse doesn’t have scheduled publishing. It has scheduled move to another category, what is called as scheduled publishing.
Bad UX, I think.
But I’m quite sure the team doesn’t change that too fast (they have tendency listen you, though 😉 ) so use it more ”expected” way: publish it first in staff-only category and schedule it with moving to users-reply category. Problem solved.
If I now understood right you…
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### Author:  [@ganncamp](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ganncamp)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2022, 4:08pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/schedule-publishing-to-a-different-category/238993/3 "2022-09-14T16:08:32Z")
> [@Jagster](#):
>
> As you know, I reckon, you can’t schedule publishing to same category, because it is… already published
Yep. I want to move it to another category. 😉
The thing is, I wan’t to “publish” a user’s post to another category as a way of heightening the attention it gets.
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### Author:  [@Stephen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2022, 4:36pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/schedule-publishing-to-a-different-category/238993/4 "2022-09-14T16:36:30Z")
Is there anything stopping you from moving it to a more private category prior to scheduling publishing?
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### Author:  [@ganncamp](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ganncamp)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2022, 5:06pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/schedule-publishing-to-a-different-category/238993/5 "2022-09-14T17:06:22Z")
Ehm… I thought about that. But I’m hesitant to move a user’s post to a place he wouldn’t be able to find it (yes, he can track it down through his user activity, but…)
We have a core principle of transparency, and a move feels like it would go against that.
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### Author:  [@Stephen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2022, 5:26pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/schedule-publishing-to-a-different-category/238993/6 "2022-09-14T17:26:21Z")
As scheduled publishing only moves a topic anyway are the two so different?
It’s going to be moved when it’s published regardless?
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### Author:  [@Jagster](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jagster)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2022, 5:31pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/schedule-publishing-to-a-different-category/238993/7 "2022-09-14T17:31:16Z")
I don’t follow now 😳 Because…
> [@ganncamp](#):
>
> We’re experimenting with a category where only staff can create new topics
What is the issue if you allow that category only (writing/reading) for staff and then you will schedule it to category, where topics are allowed only for staff and replying for everyone else?
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### Author:  [@ganncamp](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ganncamp)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2022, 6:07pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/schedule-publishing-to-a-different-category/238993/8 "2022-09-14T18:07:01Z")
> [@Stephen](#):
>
> It’s going to be moved when it’s published regardless?
Ehm… Yes?
Because I can’t schedule this, then I’ll be moving it manually. I had hoped to “set it and forget it”. And without the ability to schedule the move ahead of time, I have to remember to do the move on Monday.
> [@Jagster](#):
>
> What is the issue if … you will schedule it to category
The issue is that I _can’t_ schedule it.
To be clear, the target category is
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### Author:  [@Stephen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2022, 6:29pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/schedule-publishing-to-a-different-category/238993/9 "2022-09-14T18:29:58Z")
Right, but your choices are to move it from the current category to a category where it can be scheduled from, or to wait until scheduled publishing allows it to go direct from current category to published category.
The option to schedule publishing is tied to the permissions of the source category, not the destination.
Either way the user will see their topic move categories, no?
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### Author:  [@Jagster](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jagster)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2022, 6:46pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/schedule-publishing-to-a-different-category/238993/10 "2022-09-14T18:46:59Z")
> [@ganncamp](#):
>
> The issue is that I _can’t_ schedule it.
It is already published. It doesn’t matter any more. Just move it.
But you’ll be in same situation on monday. And week after that, and so on. And that issue you should fix, not worry some trivial moving now 😉
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### Author:  [@ganncamp](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ganncamp)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2022, 11:36am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/schedule-publishing-to-a-different-category/238993/11 "2022-09-15T11:36:19Z")
> [@Stephen](#):
>
> or to wait until scheduled publishing allows it to go direct from current category to published category.
I truly don’t understand this. I _can’t_ schedule the move. That’s my whole point. So I’ll have to remember to do this manually on Monday with no extra help from the platform.
And yes, the user will obviously see the move. In fact I PM’d him yesterday to explain what we plan and why.
> [@Jagster](#):
>
> It is already published. It doesn’t matter any more. Just move it.
I’m asking for the ability to set up the move when I’m thinking about it, rather than having to remember to do it later. I’m sure _you’ve_ never forgotten something you meant to do, but I have.
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### Author:  [@Stephen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2022, 12:29pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/schedule-publishing-to-a-different-category/238993/12 "2022-09-15T12:29:36Z")
Ok, but the issue is the source category where the post currently resides.
What’s stopping you from moving it so that you _can_ schedule it?
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### Author:  [@ganncamp](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ganncamp)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2022, 2:09pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/schedule-publishing-to-a-different-category/238993/13 "2022-09-15T14:09:37Z")
Moving it so I can schedule it means moving it to a non-public category, which I don’t want to do. Maybe someone will come across his post in the meantime and give an answer (probably not, but it could happen). I don’t want to prevent that. And as I said earlier, I don’t want to put the user’s post in a place that he, himself wouldn’t be able to (get to to) find it in.
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### Author:  [@Falco](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Falco)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2022, 2:54pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/schedule-publishing-to-a-different-category/238993/14 "2022-09-15T14:54:08Z")
I quite like this, and can see it being useful to promote announcements from a restricted public to a more general one like you describe.
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### Author:  [@ganncamp](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ganncamp)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2022, 5:26pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/schedule-publishing-to-a-different-category/238993/15 "2022-09-15T17:26:21Z")
Actually @Falco I want to do the opposite: promote from an open-to-all category to an “exclusive” one.