Help:Gadget-CategoryBatchManager

This tool is still under active testing. Some features may behave unexpectedly or change without notice. Use with caution and prefer small batches.

Category Batch Manager is a maintenance tool for Wikimedia Commons that allows users to add and/or remove categories from multiple files in bulk. It is primarily intended for large-scale cleanup tasks, importer maintenance, and category reorganization. It reduces repetitive manual edits and ensures consistent categorization by:

Adding one or more categories to many files at once
Removing incorrect or obsolete categories
Selecting files using categories, title patterns, or advanced search queries

Installation

To install this tool on Wikimedia Commons:

Open your personal JavaScript page: Special:MyPage/common.js

Add the following lines:

importScript("User:Mr._Ibrahem/Gadget-CategoryBatchManager.js");
importStylesheet("User:Mr._Ibrahem/Gadget-CategoryBatchManager.css");

Save the page.
Refresh the browser cache (Ctrl+F5).

After installation, the tool is accessible from the Tools menu on any category page (Tools → Batch Manager), or directly in User:Mr._Ibrahem/Gadget-CategoryBatchManager.

Interface Overview

The interface is divided into two main areas:

Main tab — contains a search & configuration panel (left) and a search status and results panel (right).
Reports tab — displays batch operation details and edit logs.

The search results panel provides real-time feedback during the search process. Possible states include: No files found and Searching for files... (XXXX found so far). This helps monitor progress before applying changes.

Input Methods

Source Category

Use this field to select all files from a specific Commons category. Example: Category:Our World in Data graphs of Austria

Title Pattern

An optional filter to narrow source category results by filename. Example: _BLR.svg

Search Pattern

An alternative to Source Category that uses Commons advanced search keywords.

Example: intitle:/Death-rate-smoking,/ -incategory:"Uploaded by OWID importer tool"

For more details, including fuzzy search, Boolean operators, and keywords intitle:, incategory: and prefix:, see Help:Searching.

Limit

An optional filter to cap the number of results returned by either input method.

Add Categories

Used to add one or more categories to all matched files. Example: Category:Uploaded by OWID importer tool

Start typing a category name and select from the autocomplete list. Multiple categories can be added.

Remove Categories

Used to remove one or more categories from all matched files. Enter the category name; it will be removed only if it exists on the file.

Preview Changes

Strongly recommended before executing changes. Clicking Preview Changes shows the list of affected files and the categories to be added or removed, without making any actual edits. This step helps prevent unintended mass changes.

Executing Changes

Clicking GO starts the batch operation. Files are processed sequentially, categories are added and/or removed as configured, and all edits are recorded in each file's history.

Recommended Workflow

Select files using Source Category or Search Pattern
Narrow results with Title Pattern if needed
Wait for the search to complete
Define categories to add and/or remove
Click Preview Changes and review carefully
Click GO to apply the changes

Important Notes

The tool does not create new categories — all categories must already exist on Commons
Batch edits cannot be reverted automatically; always preview before proceeding
Work in small batches to reduce the risk of widespread errors

Common Use Cases

Cleaning up importer-generated categories
Moving files to more specific categories
Removing deprecated or incorrect categories
Maintaining datasets such as Our World in Data

Tool Links

User:Mr. Ibrahem/Gadget-CategoryBatchManager.js — script source page
User:Mr. Ibrahem/Gadget-CategoryBatchManager.css
Source code on GitHub