Why do only some of my tags appear in the tag picker when creating a new wiki page?

Most wiki and CMS platforms scope tags by content type or section. Tags created in blog posts or forums may not appear in the wiki tag picker because each module maintains its own tag namespace. Check your platform's taxonomy settings to see if tags are scoped per-section or shared globally.

How do I make tags available across all sections of my CMS?

Look for a global taxonomy or shared tag setting in your platform's administration panel. In some platforms, you need to explicitly configure tags as 'global' or 'shared' rather than section-specific. In WordPress, tags are global by default. In Community Server and similar platforms, tags are scoped per application.

Can caching cause tags to not appear in the tag picker?

Yes. Many platforms aggressively cache tag lists for performance. After creating new tags, you may need to clear the application cache, restart the app pool, or wait for the cache to expire before the new tags appear in the picker UI.

How do I prevent tag proliferation and duplicates in my CMS?

Implement a controlled vocabulary by restricting tag creation to administrators, using tag suggestion/autocomplete from an approved list, and periodically auditing and merging duplicate tags. Most CMS platforms have plugins or built-in features for tag management and cleanup.

Troubleshooting Tag Management Issues in Wiki and CMS Platforms

When managing content in a wiki or CMS platform, you may encounter a frustrating issue: the tag picker does not show all the tags you expect. You know the tags exist because they appear on other pages or in other sections, but when you try to select them for a new wiki page, only a subset appears. This article covers the common causes of missing tags and provides systematic troubleshooting steps that apply across wiki and CMS platforms.

How Tags Work in Wiki and CMS Platforms

Before troubleshooting, it helps to understand the two fundamental ways platforms handle tags.

Global Tags vs. Scoped Tags

Global tags exist in a single, shared namespace. A tag created anywhere in the system is available everywhere. WordPress is the most well-known example of this approach — if you create a tag called “JavaScript” on one blog post, it appears as a selectable option on every other post, page, and custom post type.

Scoped tags (also called application-level or section-level tags) are isolated to a specific content area. Many enterprise wiki and community platforms use this model. For example, in Telligent Community (formerly Community Server), tags are scoped per application:

Tags created in the Blog application are only visible in the Blog tag picker
Tags created in the Forum application are only visible in Forum tag pickers
Tags created in the Wiki application are only visible in Wiki tag pickers

This scoping is the single most common reason tags “disappear” between sections. You might see all your tags at the site-wide tag cloud page (/tags/default.aspx) because that page aggregates across all applications, but the wiki’s tag picker only queries the wiki application’s tag store.

Tag Storage Architecture

Most CMS platforms store tags in one of these structures:

-- Flat tag table (global approach)
Tags
  - TagID (PK)
  - Name
  - Slug

ContentTags (junction table)
  - ContentID (FK)
  - TagID (FK)

-- Scoped tag table (per-application approach)
Tags
  - TagID (PK)
  - Name
  - Slug
  - ApplicationID (FK)    -- scoping field
  - ContentTypeID (FK)    -- additional scoping

ContentTags
  - ContentID (FK)
  - TagID (FK)

The presence of an ApplicationID or ContentTypeID column in the tags table is the telltale sign of a scoped tag system.

Common Causes of Missing Tags

1. Taxonomy Scoping by Content Type

Symptom: Tags created in forums or blog posts do not appear in the wiki tag picker, but they appear in the global tag list.

Cause: The platform scopes tags per content type or application. The wiki tag picker only queries tags associated with wiki content.

Fix: In most platforms, you need to either:

Create the tags directly within the wiki section by tagging at least one wiki page with them
Configure the platform to use global/shared taxonomy (if supported)
Use the platform’s admin tools to copy or link tags across applications

For Telligent Community / Community Server specifically, tags are scoped at the application level. The API call that populates the tag picker filters by ApplicationId. There is no built-in UI toggle to make tags global, but you can work around it by:

Creating a wiki page and manually applying all the tags you need
Using the platform’s API or direct database access to insert tags into the wiki application’s tag scope

2. Caching Issues

Symptom: Newly created tags do not appear in the tag picker, but older tags do. After some time (minutes to hours), the new tags eventually show up.

Cause: The tag picker’s data source is cached. Most platforms cache tag lists aggressively because the tag query can be expensive on large sites.

Fix: Clear the application cache:

ASP.NET-based platforms: Recycle the application pool in IIS Manager, or touch the web.config file (saving it without changes forces an app restart)
WordPress: Install and use a cache-clearing plugin, or delete the transient cache via WP-CLI:
```
wp transient delete --all
```
MediaWiki: Run the maintenance script:
```
php maintenance/rebuildall.php
```
Confluence: Go to Administration > Cache Management and flush the relevant caches

3. Permission Restrictions

Symptom: Some users see all tags, while others see only a subset. Administrators see the full list, but regular users do not.

Cause: The platform restricts tag visibility or tag creation based on user roles.

Fix: Check the permission settings for your user role:

Can your role view all content types? If you cannot see forum posts, you might also not see forum-originated tags (in global tag systems)
Can your role create tags, or only select from existing ones?
Are there specific tag-level permissions (some enterprise platforms allow this)?

In WordPress, check if a plugin like “Simple Tags” or “Tag Groups” is enforcing role-based tag restrictions:

// Example: check if current user can manage tags
if (current_user_can('manage_categories')) {
    // User can see all tags
} else {
    // User may see a restricted set
}

4. Tag Picker UI Limitations

Symptom: Tags exist in the system, but the tag picker dropdown/modal only shows a limited number.

Cause: The tag picker UI loads a fixed number of tags (often 50 or 100) or uses search-based loading rather than showing the full list.

Fix:

Try typing in the tag picker — many pickers are search-based and only show results matching your input. If you do not type anything, they may show only “popular” or “recent” tags

Check the picker’s configuration for maximum result limits:

<!-- Example: Community Server tag picker config -->
<tagCloud maximumTags="100" sortOrder="Alphabetical" />

Look for a “Show All” or “Load More” option in the tag picker UI

5. Database Inconsistency

Symptom: Tags appear in the site’s tag cloud or tag listing page but are absent from the picker, even after clearing caches.

Cause: The tag records exist in the database but have inconsistent metadata (wrong application ID, orphaned references, or corrupted index).

Fix: Depending on your platform, run maintenance routines:

-- Example: Find tags with no associated content (orphaned tags)
SELECT t.TagID, t.Name
FROM Tags t
LEFT JOIN ContentTags ct ON t.TagID = ct.TagID
WHERE ct.ContentID IS NULL;

-- Example: Find tags scoped to a specific application
SELECT t.TagID, t.Name, t.ApplicationID
FROM Tags t
WHERE t.ApplicationID = @WikiApplicationID;

Use the platform’s built-in repair tools if available, or consult the platform’s database schema documentation before running manual queries.

6. Tag Picker JavaScript Errors

Symptom: The tag picker appears but is empty or partially loaded. Other dynamic elements on the page may also be broken.

Cause: A JavaScript error is preventing the tag picker from loading its data.

Fix:

Open browser developer tools (F12)
Check the Console tab for JavaScript errors
Check the Network tab — look for failed AJAX requests that would load tag data
Common causes include:
- A conflicting script from a plugin or theme
- A Content Sicherheit Policy (CSP) header blocking inline scripts or API calls
- An expired or invalid authentication token (the tag API requires an authenticated session)

Systematic Fehlerbehebung Schritts

When tags are missing from your picker, work through this sequence:

Schritt 1: Confirm the tags exist. Visit your site’s global tag listing page. If the tags appear there, the issue is scoping or the picker, not missing data.

Schritt 2: Check if tags are scoped. Create a test tag directly within the wiki (or whatever section has the problem). If that tag appears in the picker but tags from other sections do not, you have a scoping issue.

Schritt 3: Clear all caches. Restart the application or clear the cache layer. If the tags appear after the cache flush, the issue was stale cache data.

Schritt 4: Test with an administrator account. If an admin sees all tags but a regular user does not, the issue is permissions.

Schritt 5: Inspect the network request. Open developer tools, trigger the tag picker, and examine the API response. Look at the URL being called, the parameters (especially any applicationId or contentType filters), and the response payload.

GET /api/tags?applicationId=wiki-123&maxResults=50&query=

If the applicationId parameter is present, the picker is scoped to that application.

Schritt 6: Check the database directly. If you have database access, query the tag tables to see what tags exist for the relevant scope.

Bewährte Methoden for Tag Taxonomy Management

To avoid tag-related problems, follow these practices:

Use a Controlled Vocabulary

Rather than allowing free-form tag creation, define an approved set of tags:

Create a master tag list that is reviewed and updated periodically
Restrict tag creation to administrators or content managers
Allow regular users to select from existing tags but not create new ones

Enforce Consistent Naming

Tags like “JavaScript,” “javascript,” “Java Script,” and “JS” are all different tags in most systems. Establish naming conventions:

Use lowercase for all tags
Prefer full names over abbreviations
Use hyphens for multi-word tags (e.g., “source-control” rather than “source control” or “sourcecontrol”)
Document the conventions and make them accessible to all content creators

Audit and Merge Regularly

Schedule periodic tag cleanup:

Export the full tag list
Identify duplicates and near-duplicates
Merge them using the platform’s tag management tools or database updates
Remove orphaned tags that are not associated with any content

In WordPress, you can merge tags using the built-in bulk edit feature or a plugin like “Term Management Tools”:

# WP-CLI example: merge "JS" tag into "JavaScript" tag
wp term merge js javascript --taxonomy=post_tag

Plan for Scale

If your site has hundreds or thousands of tags, the flat list approach breaks down. Consider:

Hierarchical taxonomies (categories with subcategories) for broad classification
Flat tags for specific, fine-grained descriptors
Tag groups to organize tags into manageable clusters
Search-based tag pickers instead of dropdown lists for large tag sets

Zusammenfassung

Missing tags in wiki and CMS tag pickers are almost always caused by one of four things: taxonomy scoping (the platform isolates tags per content type), caching (new tags have not propagated yet), permissions (the user’s role cannot see certain tags), or UI limitations (the picker shows a capped number of results). Start by confirming whether tags are scoped per section, clear your caches, test with elevated permissions, and inspect the picker’s network requests. For long-term health, implement a controlled vocabulary and regular tag auditing.