What's changed in Release 2026.017
Site Structure is now the central place to create and organize Subcommunities and Categories. The updated workflow lets you build the relationship between languages, Subcommunities, Categories, Knowledge Bases, layouts, and Style Guides in one hierarchy.
Changes are staged in a plan so you can review the proposed structure before it affects members. For an overview of the complete Site Structure experience, see Site Structure. For plan review, progress, and operation history, see Site Structure Plans.
Understand the global area and Subcommunities
Your community has one global content area. Depending on your language configuration, the global area uses your default static language or AI Languages.
Any destination that members need to visit separately outside the one global community area must be represented by a Subcommunity. This includes separate destinations for regions, audiences, products, partners, developers, regulatory requirements, or other purposes.
This rule also applies to static languages. If English is your default static language and you want members to visit a separate French-language destination, create a French-language Subcommunity. Configuring French as a non-default static language by itself does not create a separately navigable destination.
For more information about language structure choices, see Language Translation Overview and Set Community Language Settings.
Create a Subcommunity in Site Structure
Use Site Structure to create a Subcommunity directly in the branch where it belongs. You can create a Subcommunity for a language, audience, product, region, or another separately navigable experience.
- Access the Dashboard.
- Select Site Structure.
- Select Edit.
- Locate the language or structural branch where the Subcommunity belongs.
- Select Add Subcommunity.
- Configure the available Subcommunity settings, such as the name, URL code, description, language, Home Page or layout, community content, default idea status, and permissions.
- Save the Subcommunity.
- Review the new Subcommunity under Pending Operations.
IMPORTANT: Use a Subcommunity whenever members need a separately navigable destination outside the global community area. A non-default static language does not become a separate destination on its own; the Subcommunity provides that destination.
Create and organize Categories
Create Categories from the same Site Structure hierarchy instead of planning the Subcommunity relationship separately.
- Select Edit.
- Locate the language, Subcommunity, or Category branch where the Category belongs.
- Select Add or Add Subcategory, as applicable.
- Configure the available Category settings.
- Save the Category.
- Review the new Category under Pending Operations.
Available settings depend on the Category type and the features enabled in your community. They can include post types, event creation, default idea status, visibility options, guest preview, and custom permissions.
For background on Category structure and management, see Category Configuration & Management and Category Types.
TIP: Review the selected Category type before saving. Posting Categories can contain posts, while other Category types are used for nesting, headings, or redirects.
Review layouts and Style Guides
Site Structure provides structural context for layout and Style Guide assignments. Use these related articles for the detailed configuration steps:
When Site Structure exposes Manage Layouts, use it to review whether the selected item inherits a layout or has an override. When it exposes applied Style Guide information, use it to confirm whether the Style Guide is applied globally or to a specific language or Subcommunity.
Review and apply the plan
Site Structure stages structural changes in a plan. The changes do not affect members until you apply the plan.
Before applying the plan:
- Review the plan name.
- Open Pending Operations.
- Review each operation and its details.
- Confirm that the content location, permissions, language handling, layouts, Style Guides, and member navigation are correct.
- Apply the plan when the proposed structure is ready.
Some operations depend on earlier operations and are completed in order. Large plans, especially plans that include translation, can take time to finish. Use Site Structure Plans to review progress and operation history after applying a plan.
Review the Site Structure hierarchy
After creating your Subcommunities and Categories, review the hierarchy before applying the plan.
- Confirm that every separately navigable destination outside the one global community area is represented by a Subcommunity.
- Confirm that each non-default static-language destination has the Subcommunity that members will use to reach it.
- Confirm that Categories and Knowledge Bases are under the intended language or Subcommunity branch.
- Review permissions, layouts, and Style Guide assignments where they affect the destination.
- Select View when you need to confirm the member-facing destination.
- Open Pending Operations and review the staged changes before applying the plan.
Related articles
Subcommunity list
After creating your Subcommunities, verify that your Subcommunities align with your top-level Categories. The image below depicts a proper Subcommunity setup.
