category. Navigating down the tree refines the search for items from the general to the specific. Going
up the tree generalizes the search from the child browse node toward the root node.
Browse Node Properties
Browse nodes properties include:
• Name—Describes the items associated with the browse node, such as "Mystery & Thrillers"
• ID—A positive integer, for example, Literature & Fiction: (17), Medicine: (13996), Mystery & Thrillers:
(18), Nonfiction: (53), Outdoors & Nature (290060)
• Child nodes—Nodes that are subsets of the current node
• Parent nodes—Nodes that are supersets of the current node
For example, the following XML response shows a browse node whose ID is 163357 and name is
"Comedy."
<BrowseNode>
<BrowseNodeId>163357</BrowseNodeId>
<Name>Comedy</Name>
<Children>
<BrowseNode>
<BrowseNodeId>599826</BrowseNodeId>
<Name>Boxed Sets</Name>
</BrowseNode>
<BrowseNode>
<BrowseNodeId>538712</BrowseNodeId>
<Name>African American Comedy</Name>
</BrowseNode>
</Children>
<Item>
<Ancestors>
<BrowseNode>
<BrowseNodeId>549726</BrowseNodeId>
<Name>Performing Arts</Name>
</BrowseNode>
</Ancestors>
</Item>
In this example, the Comedy browse node has two child browse nodes, "Boxed Sets" and "African
American Comedy," and one parent node, "Performing Arts."
Root Category
Search results can return with items listed under multiple browse nodes. Some nodes, however, are more
relevant that others. The
IsCategoryRoot
response tag identifies which browse node is the most relevant
for an item in a specific marketplace. This functionality helps vendors classify items for sale.
The element applies to the marketplace specified in the request. So, it is possible for the
IsCategoryRoot
value to be different across marketplaces.
Note
The
IsCategoryRoot
value is not useful in the Books search index.
API Version 2011-08-01
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Product Advertising API Developer Guide
Browse Nodes
