> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://integration.delogue.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Manage compliance categories
> Create and maintain the compliance categories that classify certificates and standards by product type — such as Fibres, Textiles, and Footwear.
**When to use this.** Compliance categories are admin reference data that sit behind the
Compliance module. You create them once in Admin, and they then appear as a dropdown choice
whenever a user creates a certificate or compliance standard. Set these up before you start
creating certificates. Categories classify by **product type** (e.g. Textiles, Footwear),
while groups classify by **purpose** (e.g. Sustainability, Chain of Custody) — they are
separate resources.
## The workflow
Compliance categories are prerequisites for the Compliance module. The typical path is to create
your category vocabulary, optionally assign user-defined IDs for import/export alignment, and
then reference categories from certificates and standards.
`POST /api/compliance-categories` with an array of one or more categories. Each category
needs only a `name`; add a `userDefinedId` if you need to match against an external system.
`GET /api/compliance-categories` to confirm all categories are in place. Filter by `State`,
`Names`, or `Search` if you have a large vocabulary.
`GET /api/compliance-categories/{id}` to inspect `usedInStandard` and
`usedInCertificates` — these counters tell you whether a category is safe to delete.
`PUT /api/compliance-categories/{id}` with `state: "inactive"` to stop offering the
category to new certificates without losing history, or `DELETE /api/compliance-categories/{id}`
to hard-delete it (blocked if `usedInStandard > 0` or `usedInCertificates > 0`).
```mermaid theme={"dark"}
sequenceDiagram
participant A as API consumer
participant API as Delogue API
A->>API: POST /api/compliance-categories (name, userDefinedId, state)
API-->>A: id, name, state, usedInStandard, usedInCertificates
A->>API: GET /api/compliance-categories (list / filter)
API-->>A: paginated category list
A->>API: GET /api/compliance-categories/{id}
API-->>A: single category with usage counts
A->>API: DELETE /api/compliance-categories/{id}
API-->>A: 200 (or 409 if in use)
```
## Walkthrough
Create a compliance category for Footwear. The body is an array — one or many categories are
created in a single all-or-nothing transaction.
```bash cURL theme={"dark"}
curl -X POST "https://service.my.delogue.com/api/compliance-categories" \
-H "Accept: application/json" \
-H "X-Auth-Token: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '[
{
"name": "Footwear",
"userDefinedId": "FW-01",
"state": "active"
}
]'
```
```js JavaScript theme={"dark"}
const res = await fetch("https://service.my.delogue.com/api/compliance-categories", {
method: "POST",
headers: {
"Accept": "application/json",
"X-Auth-Token": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
"Content-Type": "application/json",
},
body: JSON.stringify([
{
"name": "Footwear",
"userDefinedId": "FW-01",
"state": "active"
}
]),
});
const { data } = await res.json();
```
```json theme={"dark"}
{
"status": "success",
"code": "compliance_categorys_created",
"data": [
{
"id": 120,
"name": "Footwear",
"state": "active",
"usedInStandard": 0,
"usedInCertificates": 0,
"userDefinedId": "FW-01",
"properties": []
}
]
}
```
The response wraps the created categories in the standard envelope. Hold onto each `id` — you
will need it when updating or deleting individual categories.
## Field reference
| Field | What it means at Delogue |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `name` | Display name of the compliance category. Required. Must be unique within the organisation. |
| `state` | Initial lifecycle state for the category. Defaults to active. The value deleted is rejected on creation — use DELETE after creating. |
| `userDefinedId` | Optional customer-defined identifier. Must be unique within the organisation when provided. |
## Roles & permissions
Managing compliance categories requires the **`CompanyAdmin`** and **`Compliance Admin`** roles
on a **designer (brand)** account. Supplier accounts do not manage a brand's compliance
vocabulary. The Compliance module itself requires a **Professional license** subscription.
## When things go wrong
Errors use the standard envelope (`status: "error"`, a `code`, and `error.details[]`). Key
cases to handle:
* **409 Conflict** — `DELETE` is rejected when `usedInStandard > 0` or
`usedInCertificates > 0`. Check the counts with `GET /api/compliance-categories/{id}` first,
then reassign or remove the references before deleting.
* **400 validation\_error** — `name` is required; `state: "deleted"` is rejected on `POST` and
single-item `PUT`.
* **404 resource\_error** — the `id` does not exist within your organisation.
See [Errors & responses](/concepts/errors) for the full list of codes and how to resolve them.
## What to call next
A parallel category vocabulary that organises styles — set these up alongside compliance
categories for a consistent admin structure.
Category classification for items (materials, fabrics, trims).
Compliance groups organise certificates and standards by purpose, e.g. Sustainability or
Chain of Custody — the sibling resource to categories.
Another admin reference dataset needed before product data can be created.