Building a Custom Category Set
About Categories in CoMapeo
What is a category in CoMapeo?
A category is a predetermined icon, label, and detail questions for any data type being collected. For each observation made with CoMapeo, participants select a category to classify it, and may answer questions or respond to prompts to provide more detail about what is being documented.
What are Category Sets in CoMapeo?
Category Sets are files that contain and define the distinct Categories for a Project. Creating config used to require coding skills that limited the possibility for people to customize their own categories. We have now made it more accessible through a spreadsheet template that we explain in this section.
💡 For those familiar with the predecessor app Mapeo, Category Sets were previously known as Configurations.
Why customize Category Sets?
[VIDEO WALKTHROUGH]
Reasons for customizing CoMapeo Category Sets
- Custom Categories are a powerful tool for customization in CoMapeo, allowing users to define specific icons, and questionnaires for their projects.
- Text can be written in any language that can be typed, ensuring that key parts of the data collection interface can appear in the native language of the groups using it.
Reflect and organize information you will need
Initial planning and consultation with project participants is essential to designing effective ways of organizing your data. To start the customization process, project participants should reflect on the project goals, what kind of data will be needed, and what properties might be required for data outputs.
You will need to think through what to include for each of the key customizable areas of CoMapeo.
| Categories component | Description | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Category Name | When collecting or creating data with CoMapeo, users assign a top-level category to each observation or element on the map | text (recommended less than x characters for best display |
| Icon | Each Category you include must have an icon or a small graphic to display to users when selecting a category. | png, (max 100px) |
| Color | Color appears as observations on map view and in the Category selection screen. It helps to use thematic groups when defining colors functioning like a map legend. | Hex colour code |
| Details fields | For each Category in your Category Set, you can include one or more structured data fields (like a mini form or questionnaire) that users can optionally fill out when creating a new observation or map element with that category. | Text prompt and with fields that can be filled with values that are typed text, single select, or multiple select. The values can be text. Note that single select options may be preferred for data processing when organizing or doing analysis |
Using the CoMapeo Category Generator Spreadsheet
Once you have this information, use the to create your categories. This tool will allow you to create and edit Categories, icons, details fields and language, and export all this information into a .comapeocat file
Whether you imported a Mapeo config or are starting from scratch, you will find these two main sheets named in tabs on the bottom of Googlesheets
→ Categories sheet to define category name, icon and colour
→ Details sheet to create a simple form included in different categories
👉🏽 Download the CoMapeo Category Generator
👣 Converting Legacy Mapeo Configurations
Categories sheet contents
Names (COLUMN A) Use the column titled English (by included) to type the name of each category. You can change the language to the one you are using as your included language.
Icons (COLUMN B) This is a link (URL) to an image in SVG format in an associated Google Shared folder.
👣 Step by step
💡 Tip: Naming the file with the name of the category will help you keep order and make sure you have the right image for the right category.
👉🏽 More: Use the Mapeo icon generator to create images into svg files, choosing among colors and options it provides.
Follow the steps displayed on the tool, and once you have downloaded them into your computer, upload them into your “icons” folder and continue with step
When you create an icon using the CoMapeo Icon Generator, you will find a hex color code below your svg file options. Use this for COLUMN D.
Details (COLUMN C) Choose the list of questions you want to add to each category. Select the details that you want to add to each category row.
💡 Tip: To populate to the list of details to select from n the Categories sheet , use the Details sheet.
Color (COLUMN D)
Add a thematic color in hex code format in which each observation will be shown as a point in the 
map to improve experience of viewing diverse data .
Example: #1F8C55**.**
💡 Tip: Use the “Fill color” spreadsheet tool to fill rows or cells with the color matching hex color code to help with creating a useful legend.
Details sheet content
Here you can customize the questions you want to ask for each category.
Label - This works like a title for the detail that appears as options in Column D in the Categories sheet.
Helper text - This explains what that detail field is for or a prompt question
Type of response you want to get as detail:
-
Text for written responses
-
Number for numerical responses
-
Multiple for a list of options
To write the list of multiple options for a response, write them within the same cell under the Column D. Write a comma after each option to indicate these are separate options.
Exporting the Category Set File
After the spreadsheet content has been filled in completely, a .comapeocat file is ready to be exported by the CoMapeo Category Generator
👣 Step by step
Step 1: To export the category file, first review that all tabs are ready and do not show any red, orange or yellow color indicating an error. If you want to double check, go to CoMapeo Tools -> Lint Sheets and it will show you any of these.
Step 2: Once its ready go to the top menu and click on CoMapeo Tools -> Generate CoMapeo Category.
Step 3: Choose a language to translate to. At this moment, you have to choose at least one language for the export to work.
Step 4: After completing 8 automatic steps, the spreadsheet will show a “Download file” button. The file will be in a zip folder, open it and find it ending in comapeocat.
Translations
When you generate a CoMapeo Category File, the spreadsheet automatically creates other sheets as tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet. Each new sheet contains automated translations from the language you selected.
⚠️ Warning: These translations use Google Translate and will likely need your revision and improvement. Click on each cell to edit or improve the translations.
Testing out new categories
An important part of the process is to test out the custom categories set created in CoMapeo Mobile. It can be helpful to include a couple teammates to help catch any improvements needed.
Go to 🔗 Changing Categories Set for instructions on importing .comapeocat files
Revisions must be made in the CoMapeo Category Generator. Repeat the export steps again, and test as needed.
Related Content
Go to 🔗 New Tool: Mapeo Icons Generator blogpost by Luandro Vieira.
Go to 🔗 Welcome to CoMapeo Cateogries Library blogpost by María Alvarez
Having Problems?
Go to 🔗 Troubleshooting: Setup and Customization → Custom Categories Set Problems