Category Inclusion / Exclusion
Control which of your store's categories appear in the Facebook and Instagram product catalogue feed — either by blocking specific categories or by allowing only the ones you select.
Available since v1.2.1
Overview
Not every product in your store belongs in a Facebook catalogue. Some categories may contain adult-related products that Facebook's advertising policies flag, seasonal ranges you do not want to advertise, or supplier items that should not appear in paid placements.
The Included / Excluded Categories panel gives you a category tree — the same hierarchy you see in your Back Office — with a checkbox against each category. Depending on the restriction method you choose, those checkboxes either mark categories to remove from the feed or mark the only categories to keep.
Understanding the restriction method is critical before you start checking boxes, because the two modes interpret your selection in exactly the opposite way.
Include Mode vs Exclude Mode
The Category restriction method to apply dropdown at the top of the panel controls how the checkboxes are interpreted. You must set this before saving.
| Method | What checked boxes mean | Default state of unchecked boxes |
|---|---|---|
| Exclude (Default) | Checked categories are removed from the feed | All other categories are included |
| Include | Checked categories are the only ones in the feed | All other categories are excluded |
Exclude mode is the default and is the right choice when you want to block a small number of categories while keeping the rest. Check the categories you want to remove, save, and those products will not appear in the feed.
Include mode is the right choice when you have a large catalogue but only want to advertise a focused selection. Check only the categories you want to advertise, save, and every other category is dropped from the feed.
Switching the restriction method without reviewing your checkboxes will immediately change which categories appear in the feed. If you previously had three categories checked for exclusion and then switch to Include mode, those same three categories become the only ones in the feed. Always verify your checkboxes after changing the method.
How the module matches products to categories
The two modes also differ in how a product is matched to its category:
- In Exclude mode, the module evaluates only the main (default) category of each product. If that main category is checked, the product is excluded. A product with a secondary category that is checked but a non-checked main category will still appear in the feed.
- In Include mode, the module includes any product that belongs to a checked category — including secondary categories, not just the main one. A product assigned to multiple categories will be included if any of those categories is checked.
This difference matters if your products are assigned to more than one category. Use Exclude mode when you want a clean, main-category-based filter. Use Include mode when you want to pull in every product touched by a particular category regardless of how it is assigned.
The Tree UI
Open the Included / Excluded Categories tab in the module's Back Office configuration page.
The panel loads your full category tree via AJAX the first time you open the tab. Each category appears with a checkbox to its left. Parent categories can be expanded to reveal subcategories.
To configure category filtering:
- Go to Modules > Module Manager, find Facebook & Instagram Product Catalogue Feed Pro, and click Configure.
- Click the Included / Excluded Categories tab in the navigation.
- Wait for the category tree to load.
- Use the Category restriction method to apply dropdown to choose Exclude or Include.
- Check the boxes next to each category you want to target (exclude or include, depending on your mode).
- Click Update Categories to save.
The next time the feed is generated — whether manually, via cron, or via cycle — the new category rules take effect.
Important Notes
- Multi-shop: Category settings are stored per shop in the database (
fpf_cat.excluded). When multi-shop is active, you must be in a single-shop context to save changes. If you are viewing an "All Shops" context, the save is silently ignored. Switch to the specific shop first. - Inactive categories: Products belonging to inactive categories are also excluded from the feed regardless of this setting.
- Facebook Product Sets: The module documentation recommends using Facebook's own Product Set filters (inside Facebook's Catalogue Manager) for most segmentation needs. Category exclusion in the module is best reserved for categories that Facebook's policies would flag — for example, adult products or other restricted content that should never reach the catalogue at all.
- The
fpf_cattable is shared: This is the same database table used by the Google Product Category Association and the Age Group / Gender panels. Saving the exclusion tree updates theexcludedcolumn on existing rows without touching the Google taxonomy, age group, or gender columns.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Checked categories still appear in the feed after saving | Confirm you are in a single-shop context (not "All Shops") when saving. In multi-shop mode, changes made from the "All Shops" view are not saved. |
| All products disappeared from the feed after changing the method | You switched from Exclude to Include (or vice versa) while boxes were already checked. In Include mode, only checked categories appear. Verify the restriction method dropdown and your selections, then save again. |
| A product appears in the feed even though its category is checked for exclusion | In Exclude mode, only the product's main category is checked. If the product's main category is different from the one you excluded, it will still appear. Either also exclude the product's main category, or switch to Include mode to target secondary categories as well. |
| The category tree does not load | The tree is fetched via AJAX when you open the tab. Check for JavaScript console errors, or try reloading the page. A misconfigured AJAX token or a server-side error during feed generation can occasionally block the request. |
| Changes saved but feed unchanged | The feed is not re-generated automatically after saving category settings. Trigger a manual generation from the Dashboard tab, or wait for the next cron cycle. |
Frequently Asked Questions
I want to sell products from only two categories on Facebook. Which mode should I use?
Use Include mode. Check the two categories you want to advertise, set the dropdown to Include, and save. Only products from those two categories will be in the feed.
Does excluding a parent category automatically exclude all its subcategories?
No. Each category must be checked individually. Checking a parent category only excludes products whose main category is that specific parent — subcategory products with a different main category are unaffected. Check each subcategory separately if you need to exclude the entire branch.
If a product is in two categories and I use Include mode with only one of those categories checked, will the product appear in the feed?
Yes. In Include mode, the module checks all categories a product belongs to, not just its main category. If any of the product's categories is checked, the product is included.
Will changing the category restriction method delete my existing Google taxonomy assignments?
No. The Google taxonomy, age group, and gender assignments stored in the same database table are separate columns. Saving the inclusion/exclusion tree only updates the excluded flag and does not touch your taxonomy or attribute assignments.
The panel says "Category restriction method to apply" — what happens if I never touch this setting?
The default is Exclude mode with no categories checked, which means the entire catalogue is included in the feed. No products are filtered out until you explicitly check a category and save.