Rule-Based Categorization

Last updated: November 24, 2023

This article helps you to create rules to automate the categorization of posts in Wide Narrow.

Prerequisites

The Rule-Based Categorization feature is an advanced add-on feature that can be turned on per portal. Please get in touch with your Wide Narrow Account Manager to access this feature.

When turned on, the Rule-Based Categorization page is available for Superusers with Admin permissions in the Admin module.

Introduction

All Wide Narrow portals have a custom taxonomy that makes it possible to categorize, search, and filter posts in Wide Narrow. The categorized posts can be easily distributed to different target groups and deliveries.

When posts arrive in Inboxes, you can either manually categorize the posts using the taxonomy categories or automate the categorization by creating rules that the auto-categorization tool will follow.

On the Rule-Based Categorization page in Admin, superusers with Admin permissions can set up rules to automate the categorization of posts in one, several, or all inboxes.

Posts containing the specified keywords in the title or description will be categorized with this category. Namely, words matching the selected keywords will be auto-categorized.

The table on the Rule-Based Categorization page in Admin shows the taxonomy categories and the corresponding keywords added as rules for the automated categorization of posts. No rules have been created if the table only consists of taxonomy categories without any keywords in the Keyword column.

How to create Rule-Based Categories

• Go to Admin and select the Rule-Based Categorization tab in the navigation bar.
• On the Rule Based Categorization table: Find the Taxonomy Category you wish to automate.
• Click the category name or the More icon to open and fill in the Rule Based Categorization form. 

On the Rule-Based Categorization form: 

"Keywords" text box

• List all keywords that shall be automatically categorized with the taxonomy category.
• The keywords could be synonyms and words related to the category.
• Separate the keywords by spaces or commas.

Example: If you add "merger" and "acquisition" as keywords to the taxonomy category "M&A," all posts containing text with the word "merger" or "acquisition" will be automatically categorized with "M&A."

If you want to create more advanced rules, you can also use truncation, citation quotes, brackets, and the AND, OR, and NOT Lucene operators to specify how the keywords should match the category. Feel free to experiment. The tool will tell you if the suggested combination of keywords and operators needs to be corrected.

Only posts containing the specified keywords in the title or text description will be categorized with this category.

If you leave the field empty, all incoming posts will be categorized with the taxonomy category regardless of content.

"Select Inboxes" search bar:

• Select the inboxes where the automatic categorization rule should be applied.
• You can select one, several, or all the inboxes.

"New rule" button:

• Press the "New Rule" button to add more rules to the taxonomy category.

"Save", "Cancel" and "Delete" buttons:

• Press the Cancel button to cancel your automation rules.
• Press the Save button to save your automation rules.

On the Rule Based Categorization table:

• Click the More button to edit or delete the rules you have created.
  
  

Create Basic Rule-Based Categories

It's super easy to create basic rule-based automation categories using keywords and commas or spaces between the keywords.

On the Rule-Based Categorization form:

• List all keywords that shall be automatically categorized with the taxonomy category.
• The keywords could be synonyms and words related to the category.
• Separate the keywords by commas or spaces.

Only posts containing the specified keywords in the title or text description will be categorized with the taxonomy category.

If you leave the field empty, all incoming posts will be categorized with the taxonomy category regardless of content.

Basic examples:

Topic categories:

If you add "merger" and "acquisition" as keywords to the taxonomy category "M&A," all posts containing the words "merger" or "acquisition" will be automatically categorized with "M&A." Separate the keywords by commas or spaces.

M&A, merger, acquisition

Player categories:

In this example, we want to categorize everything about authorities with the category "Government" automatically. Separate the keywords by spaces or commas.

Authorities, agencies, agency, authority, "European Commission," government*,  parliament*

Add citation quotes to clarify that the "European Commission" is one keyword and not two separate keywords.

Add truncations to include variations of a keyword. In this example, we have added truncations to the keywords government* and parliament*.

Alternatively, you can add multiple variations of a word as separate keywords (e.g., governments, governmental)

Authorities, agencies, agency, authority, government, governments, governmental, parliament, parliaments, parliamentary

Geography categories:

If you add "North America", "United States", "USA", "US", "America", "American" and "Americans" as keywords to the taxonomy category "North America", all posts containing the above keywords will be automatically categorized with "North America".

North America, United States, USA, US, America, American, Americans

Create Advanced Rule-Based Categories

To create more advanced rules, you can use truncation, citation quotes, parenthesis, and the AND, OR, and NOT Lucene operators to specify how the keywords should match the category. Feel free to experiment. The tool will tell you if the suggested combination of keywords and operators needs to be corrected. Read more in the Keyword Search Guide.

On the Rule-Based Categorization form:

Add all keywords and keyword combinations that you want to automatically categorize with the taxonomy category. The keywords could be synonyms, shortenings, and words related to the category. Use truncation, citation quotes, parenthesis, AND, OR, and NOT Lucene operators to specify the keywords and categorization rules.

Only posts containing the specified keywords in the title or text description will be categorized with this category.

If you leave the field empty, all incoming posts will be categorized with the taxonomy category regardless of content.

Advanced examples:

Topic categories:

In this example, we have created a rule for the keywords we want to automatically categorize with "Digitalization." We have used combinations of keywords, citation quotes, shortenings, and truncations to include all variations of the specified keywords.

(AI OR AR OR "artificial intelligence" OR (augment* AND realit*) OR cloud* OR comput* OR connectiv* OR digital* OR "Information Technology" OR interconnect* OR IoT OR "Virtual Realities" OR "Virtual Reality" OR Virtual-Realit* OR VR)

Player categories:

In this example, we have created a rule for the keywords we want to automatically categorize with "Competitors." We have used combinations of keywords, citation quotes, parenthesis, shortenings, and truncations to include all possible variations of the specified competitor names we want to use as keywords.

(ALLETE* OR Ameren* OR "American Electric Power" OR Avista* OR CenterPoint* OR "Consolidated Edison" OR "Duke Energy" OR "NorthWestern Corporation" OR "NorthWestern Corporation" OR "WEC Energy")

Geography categories:

In this example, we created a rule defining the keywords we want to automatically categorize with "North America." We have also specified keywords we do not want to categorize as "North America." We have used combinations of keywords, citation quotes, parenthesis, shortenings, and truncations to specify all possible variations of the keywords.

(("United States" OR USA) OR ((America OR American OR Americans) NOT ((Carib* OR ("Central America" OR "Central American" OR "Central Americans" OR Central-America* OR Centralamerica*) OR (LatAm* OR "Latin America" OR "Latin American" OR "Latin Americans" OR Latin-America* OR Latinamerica*) OR ("South America" OR "South American" OR "South Americans" OR South-America* OR Southamerica*)) OR (Argentin* OR Bolivia* OR Brazil* OR Chile* OR Colombia* OR Ecuador* OR Guatemala* OR Mexic* OR Paraguay* OR Peru* OR Uruguay* OR Venezuela*))))

How to edit Rule Based Categories

• Go to Admin and select the Rule-Based Categorization tab in the navigation bar.
• On the Rule Based Categorization table: Find the Taxonomy Category you wish to edit.
• Click the More button and select Edit to open the Rule-Based Categorization form.

On the Rule-Based Categorization form:

"Keywords" text box

• Change the Keywords in the Keyword text box. Press the Save button to save the changes.
• Remove all Keywords in the Keyword text box to leave the field empty. Press the Save button to save the changes. From now on, all incoming posts will be categorized with the taxonomy category regardless of content.

Inbox search bar:

• Search and select more inboxes to apply the categorization rules to them.
• Click the cross icon on inboxes chosen to remove them from the applied rules.
• Press the Save button to save the changes.

How to delete Rule-Based Categories

• Go to Admin and select the Rule-Based Categorization tab in the navigation bar.
• On the Rule Based Categorization table: Find the Taxonomy Category you wish to edit.

To delete all the rules connected to the category:

• Click the More button and select "Delete all."
• Press the "Yes, continue" button to confirm deletion.

To delete any of the rules connected to the category:

• Click the More icon and select Edit to open the Rule-Based Categorization form.

On the Rule-Based Categorization form:

• Click the bin (garbage can) icon connected to a keyword rule to remove the rule.
• Repeat for all keyword rules you want to remove.
• Press the Save button to save the changes.

More Resources

Read more about Rule-Based Categorization in this QuickStart Guide.

Read more about Keywords and Search filters.