A section type is the heading a section belongs under, such as "Research" or "Practice Areas." When members choose sections while joining or renewing, Rhythm groups those sections under the section type heading. Use section types to organize a long list of sections, give members context for each group, and, when needed, limit a whole group to certain kinds of members.
What This Controls
A section type controls:
- The heading, and optional description, members see above its sections in the online application.
- The order those headings appear in, relative to each other.
- Whether every section under the type is limited to certain membership types, in addition to any restriction on the section itself.
- Whether the type, and everything under it, is offered at all.
A section type does not set pricing. Prices belong to the individual sections and their dues products; see Sections.
Where to Find It
Go to Setup › Sections › Types to see every section type defined in your Rhythm account. From there, you can create a type, open one to edit it, clone it, reorder the list, or delete a type.
Prerequisites
- Permission to manage section types.
- At least one section type must exist before you can create a section, so start here if you are setting up sections for the first time.
Create or Edit a Section Type
- Go to Setup › Sections › Types and select Create Section Type, or open an existing type to edit it.
- Enter a Name. Rhythm suggests an ID from the name; you can change the ID while creating the type, but not after you save it.
- Leave Status set to Active, or switch it to Inactive to stop offering the type (see Withdraw a Type below).
- Optionally, write a Portal Description in the rich-text editor. Members see this text under the type's heading when choosing sections.
- Optionally, fill in Show in Portal As to use different wording for members without renaming the type in Setup.
- To limit the type to certain kinds of members, check Only certain types of members can join sections of this type, then choose one or more membership types from the list that appears.
- Select Save Changes, or use Save & Add Another to save this type and immediately start another one.
Result
The section type is saved. A new type is active by default and appears on the Portal's section-choosing screen, with its own sections grouped underneath it.
Settings
| Setting | Options | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Free text | — | The type's name in Setup. Required. |
| ID | Generated from the name; editable only while creating | Generated | The permanent identifier. You cannot change it after saving. |
| Status | Active / Inactive | Active | An inactive type, and every section under it, stops being offered — see below. |
| Portal Description | Rich text | Empty | Members see this under the type's heading when choosing sections. |
| Show in Portal As | Free text | Empty | Replaces the type's name as the Portal heading, without changing the type's name in Setup. |
| Restriction checkbox | On / off | Off | When on, shows the membership-type chooser and limits the whole type to the chosen membership types. |
| Membership-type chooser | One or more active membership types | Empty | Sets which membership types may join sections of this type. This is only offered while the restriction checkbox is on. |
You do not set the section type order on this form. Go back to the list at Setup › Sections › Types and drag a type's row to a new position; the Portal shows types in the order you set there.
Restricting a Type to Certain Membership Types
When you check Only certain types of members can join sections of this type and choose one or more membership types, every section under that type is limited to those membership types. This restriction is added to any restriction on an individual section. Only active membership types appear in the chooser.
Warning
If a membership type used in a restriction is later deactivated, it stays in the list, but the form only offers active types for new choices. If that membership type is later deleted, the restriction still names it, but nobody qualifies through that entry because deleted membership types are not removed from the list automatically.
Turning the restriction off hides the membership-type chooser, but it does not clear the types you already chose; Rhythm keeps and saves them. Adding or changing a restriction does not affect members who already hold a section of that type, so they keep it.
Withdraw a Whole Section Type
Switching a type's Status to Inactive stops every section under it from being offered, even when an individual section is still marked active. Use this to retire a whole group of sections at once without deleting the type or its sections.
Members who already hold a section under the type keep it. A renewal that Rhythm builds through the normal section offering drops sections whose type has gone inactive; a renewal or membership change made by hand can still carry one.
Reorder Section Types
On the section types list, drag a row's grip handle to a new position. The Portal presents section headings in the order you set here. Dragging saves the new order immediately; there is no separate save step and no confirmation.
Warning
Reordering while the list is filtered, or while inactive types are hidden, can move a different type than the one you dropped. This happens because the drag uses the type's position in the full list, even though the table on screen shows only some rows. Clear any filter and show inactive types before reordering to avoid this.
Delete a Section Type
You can delete a section type only when no section belongs to it. Move or delete every section filed under the type first, then delete the type from Setup › Sections › Types.
If any section still belongs to the type, Setup shows a generic failure message instead of listing which sections are blocking the delete. If you get this message, search for sections of that type (see Sections) and reassign or delete them before trying again.
Deleting a type asks you to confirm first, and warns that the operation cannot be undone.
Related
- Sections
- Section Dues Products
- Chapters, Sections, and Add-Ons