Each library in your hosted Document Library Pro account can show your whole document collection or just a chosen slice of it. Instead of editing code or shortcode attributes, you decide which documents appear when you build the library in the visual Library Builder. This article explains how scoping works and the different ways you can narrow a library down to exactly the documents you want.
How scoping works in the Library Builder
When you create or edit a library from the Libraries screen, the Library Builder walks you through picking the documents that belong in it. You can keep a library wide open so it lists everything you have uploaded, or restrict it to specific categories and tags. Each library you build gets its own embed and its own page on your hosted site, so you can publish several focused libraries side by side, each scoped to different content.
Scope by category
The most common way to control a library is by category. In the Library Builder, choose the categories you want the library to include. Documents filed under those categories will appear, and everything else stays out. This is handy when you keep separate collections such as “Design”, “Print” or “Policies” and want a dedicated library for each one.
If you select more than one category, the library shows documents that belong to any of the chosen categories.
Scope by tag
You can also narrow a library by tag. Tags work alongside categories, so you can build a library that pulls in everything carrying a particular tag regardless of which category it sits in. Pick the tags you want in the Builder and the library will list the matching documents.
Combining categories and tags
Categories and tags can be used together to fine-tune a library. For example, you might scope a library to a “Reports” category and then further limit it to documents tagged “2025” so the library only shows that year’s reports. Adjust the selections in the Builder until the preview shows the documents you expect.
Separating content into folders
If you would rather keep everything in one place but still let visitors drill down, you can switch a library to folder view on its design settings. Folders group documents by category and sub-category so people can open one folder at a time instead of scrolling a single long list. This is a good alternative to building several separate libraries when all the content belongs together.
Building multiple focused libraries
Because each library is independent, the simplest way to show different sets of documents in different places is to build a separate library for each set and scope it accordingly. Every library you create from the Libraries screen produces its own embed code and its own page, so you can drop each one wherever you need it and be confident it only ever shows the documents you chose when you built it.