batch/bulk editing posts and changing categories

[fristopher]

When you mass/bulk edit a group of posts at once, and change the categories for all of the posts, when you select the categories you want changed, it just adds to the categories already selected for the posts.

example: posts have test1,test2

you want them to have test3 and test4.

when you select just test3 and test4 in the list of categories, it adds to the already current categories, not removing test1,test2.

[DD32]

I would somewhat claim this as a feature.

If you were to bulk edit and select a category, I would expect that category to be added to the posts, i would not expect it to remove any other categories attached.

[MichaelH]

Replying to DD32:

I would somewhat claim this as a feature.

If you were to bulk edit and select a category, I would expect that category to be added to the posts, i would not expect it to remove any other categories attached.

Interpretations (see link below) vary on this subject as to it being a feature or an oversight.

+1 to the idea that Bulk Action should delete the old categories (or tags) and assign the new ones.

1. ​http://wordpress.org/support/topic/22435

[mrmist]

Is that the right link? I'm not sure how it relates to this?

Anyway, +1 to making the bulk action have a uniform effect.

If I select 6 posts and stick them into cat1 + cat2, I don't want one of them staying in cat3. The defeats the point. (Or at least lessens it).

[MichaelH]

Sorry, cut off the last digit. Thanks mrmist.

​http://wordpress.org/support/topic/224353

[mrmist]

In the interests of fairness, someone who has the opposing view -

​http://wordpress.org/support/topic/223020?replies=9

Can't please everyone, it seems.

Maybe the behaviour could be a switchable option.

[janeforshort]

This is the behavior it is supposed to be. You have the ability to delete tags using the bulk edit, so the adding function should not overwrite what's already there unless it it's called "replace" instead of "add," which it's not.