# categoryChildren

query · in the family [Reading your records](/reference/reading-your-records/)

## What it does

One category’s direct children — browse your merchandise tree level by level.

ONE page of a Category's DIRECT children: the merchandise tree browses level by level, one bounded tree-children page per call. Doomed branches drop per page; a parentId outside YOUR tenant — or unknown, or childless — answers the honest empty page. STRUCTURED FILTER + SORT: `filter` = AND across clauses, OR within a clause's values; `sort` = one declared field, asc/desc. The declared Category roster: `caption` (text) · `status` (enum) · `treeParent` (ref) · `merchandiseDivisionId` (ref) · `code` (text) · `createdAt` (date) · `updatedAt` (date). An illegal filter/sort refuses VALIDATION/INVALID NAMING the exact problem (an unknown field teaches the roster). A filtered/sorted read evaluates the parent's WHOLE children set server-side, returns the EXACT `matchCount`, and its `nextToken` binds to THE ONE parent + filter + sort that minted it — replaying it elsewhere refuses. Absent both, the unfiltered lane is unchanged (`matchCount` null). Requires authentication.

## What happens

Reads your own organization’s categories, one bounded page at a time; a parent outside your workspace answers an empty page.

## Who may call it

Capability area: **Reading your records** — Looking up and listing the records of your organization.

- Owner
- System Administrator
- Manager
- Associate Manager
- Warehouse Associate
- Sales Associate
- An API key whose scope allows `api:categoryChildren`

## Arguments

| Name | Type | Required | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `parentId` | [ID](/types/#scalars) `ID!` | yes | No further notes. |
| `filter` | [FilterInput](/types/FilterInput/) | no | Which records to answer — clauses over the family’s filterable fields (the FilterInput type and the paging guide carry the grammar). |
| `sort` | [SortInput](/types/SortInput/) | no | The order to answer in — one declared field and a direction (the SortInput type carries the grammar). |
| `limit` | [Int](/types/#scalars) | no | How many records to answer at most; a page may hold fewer. |
| `nextToken` | [String](/types/#scalars) | no | The cursor from the previous page, passed back exactly as received. |

## Returns

[CategoryPage](/types/CategoryPage/) `CategoryPage!` — One page of the categories listing — the records + the opaque resume cursor.

This is a page: `items` holds the records and `nextToken` the cursor for the next page — pass it back verbatim until it is null. See [paging](/guides/paging-and-the-cursor-grammar/).

## Example request

```graphql
query ExampleCategoryChildren($parentId: ID!, $limit: Int) {
  categoryChildren(parentId: $parentId, limit: $limit) {
    items {
      id
      sysId
      type
      caption
      status
      parentId
      rootId
      createdAt
      updatedAt
      revisionNum
      revision
      treeParent
      merchandiseDivisionId
      code
    }
    nextToken
    matchCount
  }
}
```

Variables:

```json
{
  "parentId": "01900000-0000-7000-8000-065235280000",
  "limit": 1
}
```

## Example response

```json
{
  "data": {
    "categoryChildren": {
      "items": [
        {
          "id": "01900000-0000-7000-8000-37386ae00000",
          "sysId": "CT-EXMP-0000-000F",
          "type": "Category",
          "caption": "Blue jeans",
          "status": "active",
          "parentId": "01900000-0000-7000-8000-065235280000",
          "rootId": "01900000-0000-7000-8000-a093dd800000",
          "createdAt": "2027-01-31T00:00:00.000Z",
          "updatedAt": "2027-01-31T00:00:00.000Z",
          "revisionNum": 1,
          "revision": "01900000-0000-7000-8000-b7960e180000",
          "treeParent": "01900000-0000-7000-8000-e095a88d0000",
          "merchandiseDivisionId": "01900000-0000-7000-8000-7ab1ed960000",
          "code": "BJ-001"
        }
      ],
      "nextToken": "<the cursor from the previous page>",
      "matchCount": 1
    }
  },
  "extensions": {
    "at": {
      "callId": "01EXAMPLE-CALL-ID",
      "version": {
        "requested": null,
        "serviced": {
          "name": "genesis",
          "number": 0
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
```

## Errors this call can answer

- `VALIDATION/INVALID` — Something in the request is not valid. ([VALIDATION](/errors/VALIDATION/))
- `AUTHN/REQUIRED` — Sign in to do this. ([AUTHN](/errors/AUTHN/))
- `AUTHZ/FORBIDDEN` — Your role does not allow this action. ([AUTHZ](/errors/AUTHZ/))
- `RATE_LIMIT/THROTTLED` — Too many requests in a short time. ([RATE_LIMIT](/errors/RATE_LIMIT/))
- `NOT_FOUND/*` — That record could not be found. ([NOT_FOUND](/errors/NOT_FOUND/))