GetCategoryInfo

Note: All calls in the Shopping API have been deprecated and will be decommissioned on February 5, 2025. An alternative to this API is the Browse API, which also has advanced search capabilities.

Note: Developers using Shopping API calls must authenticate with an OAuth application access token in the HTTP header X-EBAY-API-IAF-TOKEN and use OAuth application access tokens with a scope that includes https://api.ebay.com/oauth/api_scope. See the client credentials grant flow topic for more information on generating and managing OAuth application access tokens. See the Specifying OAuth scopes topic for more information on OAuth scopes.

This call is used to retrieve high-level data for a specified eBay category, including category Name, Category ID value, and full category path (category names and category IDs). There is also an option to retrieve all of the specified category's children categories (one category level down in eBay categorical hierarchy). To do this, the user includes the IncludeSelector field and sets its value to ChildCategories.

This call also retrieves the version number and last update of the eBay's site category hierarchy metadata. If the version hasn't changed since the last time you retrieved the eBay category data, then your application does not need to retrieve all of the category hierarchy data again. If the user has not retrieve category hierarchy data since the last update, the user may want to make one or more GetCategoryInfo calls and update locally stored category information as needed.

By using the IncludeSelector field, you can use this call to build a category browser like the ones you see on the eBay website. You can call GetCategoryInfo multiple times to build a full or partial category hierarchy. Use a category ID of -1 (the root category ID) on the first call to get all the level 1 categories, then use Level 1 category IDs on the subsequent calls to get the (Level 2) children of those specified categories, and so forth.

Input

Output

See also Samples.

The box below lists all fields that might be returned in the response. To learn more about an individual field or its type, click its name in the box (or scroll down to find it in the table below the box).

See also the Deprecated Objects link above. Fields presented in this color are deprecated, and fields presented in this color are not returned (or soon will not be returned) or are not operational (or soon will be non-operational).

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<GetCategoryInfoResponse xmlns="urn:ebay:apis:eBLBaseComponents">
  <!-- Call-specific Output Fields -->
  <CategoryArray> CategoryArrayType
    <Category> CategoryType
      <CategoryID> string </CategoryID>
      <CategoryIDPath> string </CategoryIDPath>
      <CategoryLevel> int </CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName> string </CategoryName>
      <CategoryNamePath> string </CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryParentID> string </CategoryParentID>
      <LeafCategory> boolean </LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <!-- ... more Category nodes allowed here ... -->
  </CategoryArray>
  <CategoryCount> int </CategoryCount>
  <CategoryVersion> string </CategoryVersion>
  <UpdateTime> dateTime </UpdateTime>
  <!-- Standard Output Fields -->
  <Ack> AckCodeType </Ack>
  <Build> string </Build>
  <CorrelationID> string </CorrelationID>
  <Errors> ErrorType
    <ErrorClassification> ErrorClassificationCodeType </ErrorClassification>
    <ErrorCode> token </ErrorCode>
    <ErrorParameters ParamID="string"> ErrorParameterType
      <Value> string </Value>
    </ErrorParameters>
    <!-- ... more ErrorParameters nodes allowed here ... -->
    <LongMessage> string </LongMessage>
    <SeverityCode> SeverityCodeType </SeverityCode>
    <ShortMessage> string </ShortMessage>
  </Errors>
  <!-- ... more Errors nodes allowed here ... -->
  <Timestamp> dateTime </Timestamp>
  <Version> string </Version>
</GetCategoryInfoResponse>

Return Value	Type	Occurrence	Meaning

Call-specific Output Fields [Jump to standard fields]

CategoryArray	CategoryArrayType	Always	This container consists of an array of one or more Category nodes. The first Category node in the response is always the category that was specified in the CategoryID field in the request, and additional Category nodes are returned if the IncludeSelector field is included in the request and set to `ChildCategories`.
CategoryArray.Category	CategoryType	Always, repeatable: [1..*]	This container consists of high-level details of a category, including its category ID value, full category path (by name and by category ID), its level in the eBay site's category hierarchy, category ID of its parent category, and a boolean value to indicate if it is a listing (leaf) category. At least one Category container is returned (as long as the category is found based on the CategoryID value that is passed in to the request), and multiple Category containers are returned if the IncludeSelector field is included in the request, set to `ChildCategories`, and the category has child categories.
CategoryArray.Category .CategoryID	string	Always	The numeric identifier of a category on an eBay marketplace. For the root category of an eBay marketplace, the value will be `-1`. This field is always returned with each Category container.
CategoryArray.Category .CategoryIDPath	string	Always	The eBay category ID path for the eBay category, including the category ID for the corresponding category and the category IDs for all ancestor categories, all the way to the top-level (category Level 1) eBay category. Each eBay category ID is separated with a colon (:). An example is shown below: `<CategoryIDPath>11450:1059:185100:15687</CategoryIDPath>` This field is always returned for any eBay category, but is not returned for the root (Level 0) of an eBay marketplace.
CategoryArray.Category .CategoryLevel	int	Always	The level where the category fits in the eBay marketplace's category hierarchy. For example, if this field has a value of `2`, then the category is two levels below the root category. For the root category of an eBay marketplace, the value will be `0`. This field is always returned with each Category container.
CategoryArray.Category .CategoryName	string	Always	The display name of the category as it would appear on the eBay marketplace. For the root category of an eBay marketplace, the value will be `Root`. This field is always returned with each Category container.
CategoryArray.Category .CategoryNamePath	string	Conditionally	The fully-qualified category name path for the eBay category, including the display name for the category and the display name for all ancestor categories, all the way to the top-level (category Level 1) eBay category. Each eBay category name is separated with a colon (:). An example is shown below: `<CategoryNamePath>Clothing, Shoes & Accessories:Men's Clothing:Shirts:T-Shirts</CategoryNamePath>` This field is always returned for any eBay category, but is not returned for the root (Level 0) of an eBay marketplace.
CategoryArray.Category .CategoryParentID	string	Always	The unique identifier of the category's parent category. Note that `-1` is returned for Level 1 categories, and `0` is returned for the root category of an eBay marketplace. This field is always returned with each Category container.
CategoryArray.Category .LeafCategory	boolean	Always	This boolean field indicates if the corresponding category is a leaf category. eBay listings can only be created in leaf categories. If the value is `true`, the eBay category is a leaf category. This field is always returned with each Category container.
CategoryCount	int	Always	This value indicates the number of categories returned in the response. If child categories were not included in the request, this value should be '1', but if child categories were included in the request, this value is the cumulative amount of the specified category and all of its child categories.
CategoryVersion	string	Always	This string indicates the version number of the current category hierarchy on the specified eBay site.
UpdateTime	dateTime	Always	This timestamp indicates the last date and time that eBay modified the category hierarchy for the specified eBay site.

Standard Output Fields

Ack	AckCodeType	Always	A token representing the application-level acknowledgement code that indicates the response status (e.g., success). The AckCodeType list specifies the possible values for the Ack field. Applicable values: CustomCode (out) Reserved for internal or future use. Failure (out) This value indicates that the call request processing failed. Success (out) This value indicates that the call request was processed successfully without any issues. Warning (out) This value indicates that the call request was successful, but processing was not without any issues. These issues can be checked in the Errors container, that will also be returned when one or more known issues occur with the call request. (Not all values in AckCodeType apply to this field.) Code so that your app gracefully handles any future changes to this list.
Build	string	Always	This refers to the particular software build that eBay used when processing the request and generating the response. This includes the version number plus additional information. eBay Developer Support may request the build information when helping you resolve technical issues.
CorrelationID	string	Conditionally	If you pass a value in MessageID in a request, we will return the same value in CorrelationID in the response. You can use this for tracking that a response is returned for every request and to match particular responses to particular requests. Only returned if MessageID was used.
Errors	ErrorType	Conditionally, repeatable: [0..*]	A list of application-level errors or warnings (if any) that were raised when eBay processed the request. Application-level errors occur due to problems with business-level data on the client side or on the eBay server side. For example, an error would occur if the request contains an invalid combination of fields, or it is missing a required field, or the value of the field is not recognized. An error could also occur if eBay encountered a problem in our internal business logic while processing the request. Only returned if there were warnings or errors.
Errors.ErrorClassification	ErrorClassificationCodeType	Conditionally	API errors are divided between two classes: system errors and request errors. Applicable values: CustomCode (out) Reserved for internal or future use. RequestError (out) An error has occurred either as a result of a problem in the sending application or because the application's end-user has attempted to submit invalid data (or missing data). In these cases, do not retry the request. The problem must be corrected before the request can be made again. If the problem is due to something in the application (such as a missing required field), the application must be changed. If the problem is a result of end-user data, the application must alert the end-user to the problem and provide the means for the end-user to correct the data. Once the problem in the application or data is resolved, resend the request to eBay with the corrected data. SystemError (out) Indicates that an error has occurred on the eBay system side, such as a database or server down. An application can retry the request as-is a reasonable number of times (eBay recommends twice). If the error persists, contact Developer Technical Support. Once the problem has been resolved, the request may be resent in its original form. Code so that your app gracefully handles any future changes to this list. See Errors by Number.
Errors.ErrorCode	token	Conditionally	A unique code that identifies the particular error condition that occurred. Your application can use error codes as identifiers in your customized error-handling algorithms. See Errors by Number.
Errors.ErrorParameters	ErrorParameterType	Conditionally, repeatable: [0..*]	Some warning and error messages return one or more variables that contain contextual information about the error. This is often the field or value that triggered the error. You can usually predict where these will occur by looking at the "replaceable_value" indicators in our Errors by Number page. See Errors by Number.
Errors.ErrorParameters [ attribute ParamID ]	string	Conditionally	Some warning and error messages return one or more variables that contain contextual information about the error. This is often the field or value that triggered the error. You can usually predict where these will occur by looking at the "replaceable_value" indicators in our Errors by Number page.
Errors.ErrorParameters.Value	string	Conditionally	This is the value of the request parameter noted in the ParamID attribute. So, if the ParamID value was ItemID, the value in this field would be the actual value of that ItemID.
Errors.LongMessage	string	Conditionally	A more detailed description of the condition that raised the error. See Errors by Number.
Errors.SeverityCode	SeverityCodeType	Conditionally	Indicates whether the error caused the request to fail. If the request fails and the source of the problem is within the application (such as a missing required element), please change the application before you retry the request. If the problem is due to end-user input data, please alert the end-user to the problem and provide the means for them to correct the data. Once the problem in the application or data is resolved, you can attempt to re-send the request to eBay. If the source of the problem is on eBay's side, you can retry the request as-is a reasonable number of times (eBay recommends twice). If the error persists, contact Developer Technical Support. Once the problem has been resolved, the request may be resent in its original form. When a warning occurs, the error is returned in addition to the business data. In this case, you do not need to retry the request (as the original request was successful). However, depending on the cause or nature of the warning, you might need to contact either the end user or eBay to effect a long term solution to the problem to prevent it from reoccurring in the future. Applicable values: CustomCode (out) Reserved for internal or future use. Error (out) The request that triggered the error was not processed successfully. When a serious application-level error occurs, the error is returned instead of the business data. Warning (out) The request was processed successfully, but something occurred that may affect your application or the user. For example, eBay may have changed a value the user sent in. In this case, eBay returns a normal, successful response and also returns the warning. Code so that your app gracefully handles any future changes to this list. See: Errors by Number Error Handling
Errors.ShortMessage	string	Conditionally	A brief description of the condition that raised the error. See Errors by Number.
Timestamp	dateTime	Always	This value represents the date and time when eBay processed the request. The time zone of this value is GMT and the format is the ISO 8601 date and time format (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.SSSZ). See the "dateTime" type for information about this time format and converting to and from the GMT time zone.
Version	string	Always	The version of the API call that eBay used to process the request. Note: Note that some calls are not always updated with each WSDL release, so it is possible that version numbers will differ by API call. If a field in the response returns the token "CustomCode", it usually means that the field is a code type (a token or enumeration), and that in your request URL (or HTTP header) you specified a version that is older than the version in which the token was added to the call. See Schema Versioning Strategy.

Detail Controls

DetailLevel

This call does not support varying Detail Levels. You do not need to pass DetailLevel in the request.

Samples

Note: Some item IDs, user IDs, or other data in these samples might no longer be active on eBay. If necessary, you can substitute current eBay data in your requests.

Available samples:

Basic Call ↓ - Retrieve high-level category information for a specified category.
Retrieve high-level category information for the specified category and children. ↓ - Retrieves high-level category information for the specified category and all of its children one level down.
Retrieve CategoryVersion and UpdateTime. ↓ - Retrieves the current category version and the date and time of the last category hierarchy update.

Sample: Basic Call

Retrieve high-level category information for a specified category.

Input

In this example, a CategoryID is specified, and high-level category information is returned, including the CategoryLevel, the CategoryName, and the CategoryParentID. The CategoryNamePath and the CategoryIDPath are also returned to show the category name and category ID hierarchies, respectively (these values are useful in assembling a navigable bread crumb). A true value for the LeafCategory field indicates that the specified category is a leaf category (a category in which an item may be listed). You can determine other CategoryID values from responses pertaining to a specific item (retrieved from another call like findItemsAdvanced (Finding API) or GetSingleItem), or from the eBay website.

If you are unfamiliar with the ID for a specific category, you can use the Trading API to optain a list of CategoryID values for a specific site.

URL format. See also the non-wrapped version of this URL. For results in a format other than XML, 
specify a different value for responseencoding.

https://open.api.ebay.com/Shopping?
   callname=GetCategoryInfo&
   version=967&
   siteid=0&
   CategoryID=279

Here is the same input in XML format. Note that this does not include standard values.

XML format.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<GetCategoryInfoRequest xmlns="urn:ebay:apis:eBLBaseComponents">
  <CategoryID>279</CategoryID>
</GetCategoryInfoRequest>

Output

This example shows the default output that you can obtain using this call.

XML format.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<GetCategoryInfoResponse xmlns="urn:ebay:apis:eBLBaseComponents">
  <Timestamp>2016-05-20T01:19:28.101Z</Timestamp>
  <Ack>Success</Ack>
  <Build>E967_CORE_BUNDLED_11578566_R1</Build>
  <Version>967</Version>
  <CategoryArray>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>279</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>2</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Children & Young Adults</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>267</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Books:Children & Young Adults</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>267:279</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>true</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
  </CategoryArray>
  <CategoryCount>1</CategoryCount>
  <UpdateTime>2016-05-14T01:56:46.000Z</UpdateTime>
  <CategoryVersion>95</CategoryVersion>
</GetCategoryInfoResponse>

Back to list of samples

Sample: Retrieve high-level category information for the specified category and children.

Retrieves high-level category information for the specified category and all of its children one level down.

Input

By using a CategoryID of -1, and including the ChildCategories IncludeSelector, this sample shows the top- level (Level 1) categories for the eBay US site. To build a complete or partial local category hierarchy, the developer should systematically iterate through each non- leaf category (LeafCategory = false), using the category ID of each non-leaf category and including the ChildCategories IncludeSelector for each successive call.

URL format. See also the non-wrapped version of this URL. For results in a format other than XML, 
specify a different value for responseencoding.

https://open.api.ebay.com/Shopping?
   callname=GetCategoryInfo&
   version=967&
   siteid=0&
   CategoryID=-1&
   IncludeSelector=ChildCategories

Here is the same input in XML format. Note that this does not include standard values.

XML format.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<GetCategoryInfoRequest xmlns="urn:ebay:apis:eBLBaseComponents">
   <CategoryID>-1</CategoryID>
   <IncludeSelector>ChildCategories</IncludeSelector>
</GetCategoryInfoRequest>

Output

This example shows the default output that you can obtain using this call.

XML format.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<GetCategoryInfoResponse xmlns="urn:ebay:apis:eBLBaseComponents">
  <Timestamp>2016-05-20T01:27:48.273Z</Timestamp>
  <Ack>Success</Ack>
  <Build>E967_CORE_BUNDLED_11481347_R1</Build>
  <Version>967</Version>
  <CategoryArray>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>-1</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>0</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Root</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>0</CategoryParentID>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>20081</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Antiques</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Antiques</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>20081</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>550</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Art</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Art</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>550</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>2984</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Baby</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Baby</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>2984</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>267</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Books</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Books</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>267</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>12576</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Business & Industrial</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Business & Industrial</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>12576</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>625</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Cameras & Photo</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Cameras & Photo</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>625</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>15032</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Cell Phones & PDAs</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Cell Phones & PDAs</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>15032</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>11450</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Clothing, Shoes & Accessories</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Clothing, Shoes & Accessories</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>11450</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>11116</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Coins & Paper Money</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Coins & Paper Money</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>11116</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>1</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Collectibles</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Collectibles</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>1</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>58058</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Computers & Networking</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Computers & Networking</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>58058</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>14339</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Crafts</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Crafts</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>14339</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>237</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Dolls & Bears</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Dolls & Bears</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>237</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>11232</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>DVDs & Movies</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>DVDs & Movies</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>11232</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>293</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Electronics</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Electronics</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>293</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>45100</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Entertainment Memorabilia</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Entertainment Memorabilia</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>45100</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>31411</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Gift Certificates</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Gift Certificates</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>31411</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>true</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>26395</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Health & Beauty</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Health & Beauty</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>26395</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>11700</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Home & Garden</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Home & Garden</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>11700</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>281</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Jewelry & Watches</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Jewelry & Watches</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>281</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>11233</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Music</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Music</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>11233</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>619</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Musical Instruments</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Musical Instruments</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>619</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>1281</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Pet Supplies</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Pet Supplies</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>1281</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>870</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Pottery & Glass</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Pottery & Glass</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>870</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>10542</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Real Estate</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Real Estate</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>10542</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>316</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Specialty Services</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Specialty Services</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>316</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>382</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Sporting Goods</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Sporting Goods</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>382</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>64482</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Sports Mem, Cards & Fan Shop</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Sports Mem, Cards & Fan Shop</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>64482</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>260</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Stamps</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Stamps</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>260</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>1305</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Tickets</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Tickets</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>1305</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>220</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Toys & Hobbies</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Toys & Hobbies</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>220</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>3252</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Travel</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Travel</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>3252</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>1249</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Video Games</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Video Games</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>1249</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>99</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Everything Else</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Everything Else</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>99</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>2038</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Live Auctions</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Live Auctions</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>2038</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>10159</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>1</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Partner</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>-1</CategoryParentID>
      <CategoryNamePath>Partner</CategoryNamePath>
      <CategoryIDPath>10159</CategoryIDPath>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
  </CategoryArray>
  <CategoryCount>37</CategoryCount>
  <UpdateTime>2016-05-14T01:56:46.000Z</UpdateTime>
  <CategoryVersion>95</CategoryVersion>
</GetCategoryInfoResponse>

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Sample: Retrieve CategoryVersion and UpdateTime.

Retrieves the current category version and the date and time of the last category hierarchy update.

Input

This sample is useful for developers who maintain a local version of all or part of the eBay category structure, and only want to make sure that they are using the latest category version. The only call-specific input field you need to specify in the input is CategoryID. The root category (-1) is used, since it is not subject to change.

URL format. See also the non-wrapped version of this URL. For results in a format other than XML, 
specify a different value for responseencoding.

https://open.api.ebay.com/Shopping?
   callname=GetCategoryInfo&
   version=967&
   siteid=0&
   CategoryID=-1

Here is the same input in XML format. Note that this does not include standard values.

XML format.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<GetCategoryInfoRequest xmlns="urn:ebay:apis:eBLBaseComponents">
  <CategoryID>-1</CategoryID>
</GetCategoryInfoRequest>

Output

This example shows the default output that you can obtain using this call.

XML format.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<GetCategoryInfoResponse xmlns="urn:ebay:apis:eBLBaseComponents">
  <Timestamp>2010-07-20T01:30:59.045Z</Timestamp>
  <Ack>Success</Ack>
  <Build>E677_CORE_BUNDLED_11578566_R1</Build>
  <Version>677</Version>
  <CategoryArray>
    <Category>
      <CategoryID>-1</CategoryID>
      <CategoryLevel>0</CategoryLevel>
      <CategoryName>Root</CategoryName>
      <CategoryParentID>0</CategoryParentID>
      <LeafCategory>false</LeafCategory>
    </Category>
  </CategoryArray>
  <CategoryCount>1</CategoryCount>
  <UpdateTime>2010-06-14T01:56:46.000Z</UpdateTime>
  <CategoryVersion>95</CategoryVersion>
</GetCategoryInfoResponse>

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Change History

Change Date	Description
1119 2019-08-02	GetCategoryInfo (modified): Shopping API endpoint updated to support 'https' protocol. So, the following production endpoint should be used for all Shopping API calls: https://open.api.ebay.com/shopping. The http://open.api.ebay.com/shopping endpoint will still be supported for the time being, but is subject to be wired off.
0679 2010-07-21	(doc change) Added two new call samples and revised the existing call sample. The three call samples address three different use cases.
0535 2007-10-17	(doc change) Added more detailed usage information, revised sample, and updated Include Selector information in CategoryType.
0533 2007-10-03	(added) New call

CategoryID	string	Required	In this required field, the user specifies the unique identifier of an eBay category. Detailed information is returned for this category. If a user wanted to see all Level 1 (L1) categories for an eBay site, a value of `-1` is passed into this field, and the user also includes the IncludeSelector field and sets its value to `ChildCategories`.
IncludeSelector	string	Optional	This field is included and its value is set to `ChildCategories` if the user wishes to retrieve all of the specified category's children categories (one category level down in eBay categorical hierarchy). If the specified category is a leaf category (and has no children), this filter has no effect on the output.