# Section API

[Sections](https://doc.ibexa.co/en/latest/administration/content_organization/sections/index.md) enable you to divide content into groups which can later be used, for example, as basis for permissions.

You can manage sections by using the PHP API by using `SectionService`.

Section REST API

To learn how to manage sections using the REST API, see [REST API reference](https://doc.ibexa.co/en/latest/api/rest_api/rest_api_reference/rest_api_reference.html#tag/Section).

## Creating sections

To create a new section, you need to make use of the [`SectionCreateStruct`](https://doc.ibexa.co/en/latest/api/php_api/php_api_reference/classes/Ibexa-Contracts-Core-Repository-Values-Content-SectionCreateStruct.html) and pass it to the [`SectionService::createSection`](https://doc.ibexa.co/en/latest/api/php_api/php_api_reference/classes/Ibexa-Contracts-Core-Repository-SectionService.html#method_createSection) method:

```
        $sectionCreateStruct = $this->sectionService->newSectionCreateStruct();
        $sectionCreateStruct->name = $sectionName;
        $sectionCreateStruct->identifier = $sectionIdentifier;
        $this->sectionService->createSection($sectionCreateStruct);
```

## Getting section information

You can use `SectionService` to retrieve section information such as whether it's in use:

```
        $output->writeln((
            $this->sectionService->isSectionUsed($section)
            ? 'This section is in use.'
            : 'This section is not in use.'
        ));
```

## Listing content in a section

To list content items assigned to a section you need to make a [query](https://doc.ibexa.co/en/latest/search/search_api/index.md) for content belonging to this section, by applying the [`SearchService`](https://doc.ibexa.co/en/latest/api/php_api/php_api_reference/classes/Ibexa-Contracts-Core-Repository-SearchService.html). You can also use the query to get the total number of assigned content items:

```
        $query = new LocationQuery();
        $query->filter = new Criterion\SectionId([
            $section->id,
        ]);

        $result = $this->searchService->findContentInfo($query);

        foreach ($result->searchHits as $searchResult) {
            $output->writeln('* ' . $searchResult->valueObject->name);
        }
```

## Assigning section to content

To assign content to a section, use the [`SectionService::assignSection`](https://doc.ibexa.co/en/latest/api/php_api/php_api_reference/classes/Ibexa-Contracts-Core-Repository-SectionService.html#method_assignSection) method. You need to provide it with the `ContentInfo` object of the content item, and the [`Section`](https://doc.ibexa.co/en/latest/api/php_api/php_api_reference/classes/Ibexa-Contracts-Core-Repository-Values-Content-Section.html) object:

```
        $section = $this->sectionService->loadSectionByIdentifier($sectionIdentifier);
        $contentInfo = $this->contentService->loadContentInfo($contentId);
        $this->sectionService->assignSection($contentInfo, $section);
```

Assigning a section to content doesn't automatically assign it to the content item's children.