Build a Documentation Hierarchy

A clear documentation hierarchy helps people find the right information quickly. This page explains how to organize your documentation using categories, collections, and documents in Atloria.

Overview

Your documentation hierarchy is the structure that groups related content together. Use it to separate broad subjects, such as Infrastructure or Security, from more specific collections and individual documents.

Start by creating top-level categories for major areas of knowledge. Within each category, use collections to group related documents by product area, process, team, or audience. Add individual documents at the lowest level, where readers can open and consume the detailed guidance.

For example, you might create an Infrastructure category, add a collection named Infrastructure Security, and place documents such as Infrastructure Overview inside that collection. This approach keeps broad topics visible while preventing the Documents list from becoming difficult to browse.

📷 Screenshot pending: The Documents area showing the Structure option and organized documentation items.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure that you have:

• Access to the Documents area.
• A project selected if Atloria displays Select a project to view documents.
• Permission to create, edit, or delete documentation items in the selected project.
• A planned outline of your main categories and the documents that belong in each one.
• Existing documents available if you want to organize content that has already been created or imported.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Open Documents from the application navigation.

2. Select the project that contains the documentation you want to organize.

3. Click Structure to open the documentation hierarchy view.

4. Review the existing categories, collections, and documents shown in the structure.

5. Create a top-level category for each major subject area you need to cover.

6. Name each category using a broad, recognizable topic, such as Infrastructure.

7. Add a collection inside the appropriate category.

8. Name the collection after the focused subject, process, product area, or audience it contains.

9. Add a document to the appropriate collection.

10. Give the document a specific title that tells readers what they will learn, such as Infrastructure Overview.

11. Repeat the collection and document steps until each document has a clear place in the hierarchy.

12. Move related documents into the same collection when they support the same task or topic.

13. Keep documents in separate collections when they serve different audiences or describe different areas of work.

14. Click Save Structure after you finish organizing the hierarchy.

📷 Screenshot pending: The Structure view with categories, collections, documents, and the Save Structure button.

15. Return to the main document list when you want to verify that the organized content is easy to find.

16. Use the Search documents... field to locate a document by title after saving the structure.

17. Use Search documents, categories, projects... when you need to find content across a wider set of documentation items.

18. Click ← Back to Documents when you are finished managing the hierarchy.

Tips and Best Practices

• Use categories for long-lived, high-level topics. Categories should remain useful even as individual documents change over time.

• Use collections to make browsing easier. A collection should contain documents that readers are likely to need together.

• Keep document titles specific. A title such as Infrastructure Overview is easier to understand than a generic title such as “Overview.”

• Avoid placing every document directly under one category. Collections provide an important middle layer that prevents large categories from becoming cluttered.

• Organize documents by the reader’s task rather than by internal ownership alone. For example, a reader looking for security guidance should be able to find it under a meaningful collection such as Infrastructure Security.

• Save your work regularly. Changes made in the hierarchy are not complete until you select Save Structure.

• Use search to confirm your structure works. If you can find a document quickly by searching its title, category, or related project, your naming and organization are likely clear.

• Remove outdated content carefully. Use Delete Documents only after confirming that the documents are no longer needed and are not the only source of important guidance.

Related Pages

• Create a New Document
• Edit a Document
• Import Existing Documentation
• Search Documents, Categories, and Projects
• Export Documentation
• Manage Documentation Projects

Troubleshooting

You cannot see any documents

If Atloria shows Select a project to view documents, select the appropriate project first. Documents and their hierarchy are displayed within the selected project context.

Your hierarchy changes are not appearing

Return to Structure and confirm that you clicked Save Structure. If you leave the structure view without saving, your category, collection, or document placement changes may not be retained.

You cannot find a document after organizing it

Use Search documents... to search by the document title. If you are unsure which project or category contains the document, use Search documents, categories, projects... and review the matching results.