---
title: "Organizing Questions: Categories, Grouping, Category Filter, Sorting and Collapsing"
description: "How to structure a Vitextra Questions and Answers knowledge base: defining categories in the Category choice column, grouping questions under category headers, turning on the category filter tabs, sorting by name, question order or creation date in either direction, collapsing or expanding answers by default, and which combination suits small, medium and large knowledge bases."
url: https://vitextra.com/en/support/kb/10379
language: en
published: 2026-10-31
modified: 2026-10-30
products:
  - "Questions & Answers"
author: "Lidija Reising"
tags: ["FAQ categories SharePoint", "group questions by category", "category filter tabs FAQ", "sort FAQ questions order", "Question Order column", "collapse by default accordion FAQ", "organize knowledge base SharePoint", "Questions and Answers appearance settings", "Vitextra Questions and Answers"]
---

# Organizing Questions: Categories, Grouping, Category Filter, Sorting and Collapsing

How to structure a Vitextra Questions and Answers knowledge base: defining categories in the Category choice column, grouping questions under category headers, turning on the category filter tabs, sorting by name, question order or creation date in either direction, collapsing or expanding answers by default, and which combination suits small, medium and large knowledge bases.

## Overview

Ten questions can be a flat list; fifty need structure. [Questions and Answers](https://vitextra.com/en/products/questions-and-answers) gives editors four tools for it: **categories** assigned to each question, **grouping** of the list by category, a **category filter** for readers, and **sorting** with a controllable order. A fifth setting, **Collapse by default**, decides whether readers see a compact index or the answers themselves. This article shows how to use each one and how to combine them. The settings live in the **Appearance** group of the property pane.

## Step 1. Define the categories

Categories are the values of the **Category** column of the questions list. The list created by the web part has a single choice, *General*, and allows typing new values (**fill-in choices**), so editors can add a category simply by typing it in the item form. For a tidy knowledge base, define the set deliberately:

1. Open the list (property pane → **Data Source** → **Open List**) and go to **List settings → Columns → Category**.
2. Enter one category per line in **Type each choice on a separate line** — for example *General*, *Accounts & passwords*, *Hardware*, *Software*, *Vacations & sick leave*.
3. Keep **Allow 'Fill-in' choices** on if editors should be able to add categories on the fly, or turn it off to enforce the list.

![Defining the categories in the Category column](https://static.vitextra.com/articles/10379/category-column-en.png)
*Defining the categories in the Category column*

The web part shows categories alphabetically, both as group headers and as filter tabs. To force an order, prefix the names with a number (*1. Getting started*, *2. Accounts*) — the prefix is shown.

📝 **Note**  
**Category** is a required column in the list created by the web part, so every question has one. A question submitted with **Ask a Question** gets the default value of the column (*General* unless you change the default); the editor reassigns it when publishing.

## Step 2. Group the list by category

With **Group By** switched on and **Category** selected in the drop-down below it, the questions are shown under a header per category, in alphabetical order of the categories. Within each group the questions follow the **Sort by** setting.

![Questions grouped by category](https://static.vitextra.com/articles/10379/grouped-en.png)
*Questions grouped by category*

Grouping suits knowledge bases of up to a few dozen questions where readers scroll: the headers act as a table of contents. With paged loading, the groups are built from the questions that are loaded; the next portion is merged into them.

## Step 3. Turn on the category filter

**Category Filter** adds a row of tabs above the list: **All** and one tab per category found among the loaded questions. A reader clicks a tab to see one category only. The row appears only when at least two categories exist; with a single category there is nothing to filter.

![The category filter tabs](https://static.vitextra.com/articles/10379/category-filter-en.png)
*The category filter tabs*

The filter works together with grouping (a single group remains), sorting and search (matches of the selected category are shown; if none, the filter falls back to **All**). It suits knowledge bases where a reader usually wants one topic — a help center with IT, HR and Facilities sections on one page.

Grouping and the filter can be combined, but one of them is usually enough: headers for a page that is read top to bottom, tabs for a page that is consulted for one topic.

## Step 4. Choose the order

**Sort by** offers three columns, and **Sorting** switches between *Sort A to Z* and *Sort Z to A*:

| Sort by | Order | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| **Question Order** | The number in the **Order** column of each question, smallest first (A to Z) | Hand-arranged lists: the most important or most common questions first |
| **Name** | The question text alphabetically | Glossaries and reference lists that people scan by keyword |
| **Created** | The date the question was added; *Z to A* puts the newest first | Knowledge bases that grow continuously, with new answers highlighted at the top |
| **(None)** | The order in which SharePoint returns the items (by ID) | Rarely useful; prefer one of the above |

The sort is applied on the server, so it stays consistent across paged loads, and inside groups when grouping is on. New web parts sort by **Question Order**, A to Z.

To arrange questions by hand, set **Sort by → Question Order**, open the list in grid view and fill the **Order** column with numbers — tens (10, 20, 30…) leave room for later insertions. Questions without a number are sorted before the numbered ones in A-to-Z order.

![The Appearance group](https://static.vitextra.com/articles/10379/appearance-group-en.png)
*The Appearance group*

## Step 5. Collapsed or expanded

**Collapse by default** (on for new web parts) shows only the question headers; readers expand what they need. Turn it off to show every answer open — appropriate for a short list of three to five policies that people should read in full, or for a single-question web part used as a notice.

A question opened through a deep link (`?questionId=N`) is always expanded, whatever the setting.

## Recommended combinations

| Knowledge base | Recommended settings |
|---|---|
| Up to 15 questions, one topic | No grouping, no filter; **Sort by → Question Order**; collapsed |
| 15–60 questions, several topics, read by scrolling | **Group By → Category**; **Sort by → Question Order** within groups; collapsed; **Page Size → All** or 50 |
| 60+ questions, readers come for one topic | **Category Filter** on, grouping off; **Sort by → Name**; collapsed; **Page Size → 20**; search box on |
| A living FAQ with frequent additions | **Sort by → Created**, *Z to A*; **Category Filter** on; search box on |

Whatever the structure, keep the search box on: readers who do not know your categories still find answers by the words in them (see [KB10378. Searching the Knowledge Base and Paged Loading in Questions and Answers](https://vitextra.com/en/support/kb/10378)).