Delirium wrote:

Stefan Sittler wrote:

...

I have been wondering about this, actually. (I'm newish to WP). Could somebody show me how exactly categories are helpful? A link would be fine. It's hard for me to see the usefulness. A link or three would be fine, maybe an old pertinent discussion. Thanks.

I see them as fulfilling a lot of the functions that would otherwise have to be fulfilled with lists, but in a more maintainable way, since they're maintained incrementally on the article side, not centrally on the list side (the "list" is then automatically generated). They don't completely replace lists, but they automate a lot of the more tedious sorts of lists that would otherwise have to be constructed and maintained.

[[WP:CSL]] is a guideline discussing the use of categories, article series templates and list articles. The three are complementary. WP:CSL mentions some advantages and disadvantages of each.

(Originally written by Snowspinner, heavily revised by me, now merrily instruction-creeping at the hands of the community. I didn't manage to get my passionate contempt and loathing for article series boxes in general made into a guideline, but have managed to point out the sort of problems that will get a series box sent to WP:TFD in short order ;-)

- d.