Item Creation and Editing Interface

Machine translates the item into one of the languages allocated to the organisation.

Appears only if several languages are linked to the organisation.

If a translation already exists, the item is opened in that language.

If translated, the header shows the translation and English.

Creates an item of the Type selected from the dropdown list. The options are:

• Materials
  • Standard (MAT): A flexible item for general inventory or services.
  • Substrate (Sheets) (SHT): An extension that includes Attributes and Units applicable to Substrate Sheets (e.g. printing on substrate sheets).
  • Substrate (Reels) (REL): Includes Attributes and Units applicable to Substrate Reels (e.g. printing on substrate sheets).
  • Substrate (Square Metres) (SQM): Includes a base unit of sq.m and Attributes for the Substrate.
  • Assembly (ASM): Includes a Costing tab on which Materials, Tasks and Outwork can be added. This type is often used for nested Bills of Materials.
• Tasks
  • Task (TSK): Services rendered and the labour component of a production or manufacturing process (e.g. finishing tasks).
  • Outwork (OWK): The parts of production that are outsourced.
  • Costing (CST): Includes a Costing tab containing Materials (excluding Assemblies), Tasks and Outwork. This type is mainly used for Estimating.

• Refresh Lookups: Refreshes all the lookup lists.
• Copy: Copies the item to create a new item.
• Delete Item: Deletes the item if it is not used in any transactions.

View Item Summary: Opens an item summary on the right.

Settings

• Edit User Access
• Edit Categories
• Edit Attributes
• Edit Statuses
• Edit Accounting (Accounts, VAT Types, Currencies, Credit Terms, Bank Profiles)
• Edit Price Lists/Promotions
• Edit Transaction Defaults: Lets you select the item’s defaults for each Transaction Type: Dr Account, Cr Account, Resolve and Location. See Items and General Ledger Transactions.

Layout

Status: Sets the item’s status. Defaults to the status selected for new items.

Only items with an Active status can be used in transactions.

• Description or Note: Enter a detailed description or note.
• Language: The current language. By default, items are created in English.

The code is for internal use (e.g. to help with searches or to give more information about the item).

If the code is blank, the description is copied to the code when you click Save.

If another item has the same code, the item edit view shows the message “Warning: Duplicate Code”. The check ignores spaces before and after the code and the difference between uppercase and lowercase, and does not count items in the Recycle Bin. It is a warning only: the item is still saved. Items without a code are not checked.

Enter a note.

If the General Setting General > Enable Rich-Text in Note fields is checked, a View/Edit Note button next to the note opens the HTML editor, which saves the note as HTML (for example, a first line in bold red). The box then shows the formatted note (read-only):

• Double-click the box to open the editor again.
• Right-click the box and select Clear Formatting to make the note plain text again.

When the item is added to a transaction, or a transaction item is copied, the note is copied as it was saved (formatted) when the setting is checked, and as plain text otherwise (no HTML tags in the note).

Translate sends the note as plain text, so the translated note is plain text. Set its formatting again with the editor on the language.

Plain text notes work as before.

Overrides the description if the description is provided by an extension.

Hidden if the description is freely editable.

The item’s Base Unit.

For Substrate (Sheets), the base unit is used in Estimating.

Adds a unit.

An item can have several units. It must have a base unit, and can have only one.

Enter the number by which the unit is multiplied to give the base unit.

Certain Attribute Sets include prefilled standard units.

A checkbox. One of the units must be the base unit with a conversion quantity (Convert Qty) of 1.

The base unit of prefilled units (added by the Extension Type) cannot be changed.

A checkbox. If checked, the unit is used for costing.

Applies only to Costings and Assemblies.

Only one unit can be the costing unit.

A menu with the following option (also available when you right-click the entry):

• Delete: Deletes the unit if it is not used in prices or transactions. Units created by an Extension Type cannot be deleted. BOS refuses the delete and shows a message if the unit:
  • Is the Base unit: “Delete Failed. The selected Unit is a Base Unit and cannot be removed from the system.”.
  • Is the Costing unit and the Costing tab has Materials or Routing entries: “Delete Failed. The selected Unit is a Costing Unit and cannot be removed from the system.”.
  • Was added by an Extension Type (for example, a substrate): “Delete Failed. This selected Unit is linked to Substrate.”.
  • Is used in the item’s prices: “Delete Failed. This Unit cannot be deleted because it is currently used in Item Prices.”.

Attributes (button) > Add

Attributes (button) > Remove

Adds or removes a set of attributes.

Custom Attributes are also added or removed as a set.

A tree view of the attributes, with the description of each attribute under its heading.

Click the arrow next to a heading to collapse or expand it.

Enter or select the attribute’s value. Depending on the attribute, the field is:

• A dropdown or lookup list.
• A checkbox.
• A field in which you enter the data.

A menu with the following option (also available when you right-click the entry):

• Delete: Removes the category from the item.

Adds the type of price selected from the dropdown list. The options are:

• Supplier Price: An item can have several supplier prices.
• Cost Price: An item can have only one cost price per unit, in the local currency.
  • A cost price can be based on a Supplier Price or a Costing.
  • For Costings and Assemblies, the cost price is determined on the Costing tab.
  • The costs provided for the Materials and Tasks (Routing) are added together and converted to the base unit.
• Sell Price:
  • An item can have only one sell price per unit and per currency.
  • The price can be set manually or calculated by applying a markup to the cost price.
  • If the Price From field is blank, the Sell Price must be entered manually. In this case, the adjustment percentage is calculated from the linked Cost Unit Price if one exists. This calculation is for information only. It does not affect the entered prices.

Unavailable for supplier prices.

Select the pricing option for Cost and Sell Prices from the dropdown list.

If this field is blank, an adjustment cannot be entered.

If prices are edited manually (e.g. with Batch Update), this field is cleared.

A checkbox. If checked, the price includes VAT.

Applies only to Sell Prices.

Enter a markup (positive numbers) or discount (negative numbers) as follows:

• Supplier Prices: The adjustment percentage can be negative (discount) or zero.
• Cost Prices: The adjustment percentage can be positive (e.g. to account for currency fluctuations or landed costs) or zero.
• Sell Prices: Adjustments can be positive or negative. A negative adjustment makes the sell price lower than the cost price. If sell prices are entered manually, the adjustment is automatically calculated from the cost price (if a cost price is entered).

The Fixed Price charged by the supplier.

Applies only to Outwork and Assembly items.

Any adjustment is applied to both the Fixed and Unit prices.

The Total Price in local currency per base unit (Unit Price plus Adjustment %, converted to the local currency and the base unit).

The column heading shows the name of the item’s base unit (e.g. Total (Local / ea)).

A checkbox.

If checked, the price is rounded up to the nearest integer.

This rounding may result in a different Adjustment percentage, but the adjustment field is not updated.

Select the unit the price relates to from the dropdown list.

If the unit is changed, the Fixed Price and Unit Price are converted to the new unit.

A menu with the following option (also available when you right-click the entry):

• Delete: Deletes the price if it is not used in a costing or transaction. A price linked to an Estimating Attribute cannot be deleted. BOS shows the message “Delete Failed. This selected Price is linked to an Estimating Attribute.”.

Opens a list of the active locations (that is, locations with an Active status) not yet linked to the item, as for Categories.

Check one or more locations and click Select (button) to add them all at once.

A location can be added only once. If you add it again, BOS shows the message “The selected Inventory Location has already been added.”.

The item’s Cost Price in local currency per base unit, from the Prices tab.

Read-only.

The price used to value the inventory at this location.

This price is separate from the prices entered on the Prices tab and must be entered manually, unless the General Setting Inventory > Auto Update Stock Price (Weighted Average) is checked: the stock price is then kept up to date as a weighted average (see Item Prices Explained).

A stock price entered here counts as a revaluation from the start of that day.

If no stock price is entered, the cost price is used to calculate the value.

The quantity in stock multiplied by the stock price (or by the cost price if no stock price is entered).

It is the value of inventory for accounting.

A menu with the following option (also available when you right-click the entry):

• Delete: Deletes the inventory location if it is not used in transactions.

• Opens a list of Material items.
• The popup has radio buttons to add one of these (Material is selected automatically):
  • Material
  • Task
  • Outwork
• The selected items are added to their relevant sections (e.g. Materials to the Material section, Tasks to the Routing section).
• An item must have a status of Active and a Cost Price before it can be added to a Costing.
• To reorder the materials, right-click an entry and select Move Up or Move Down.
• A material added from the items list starts with Qty Type Job Qty, or Fixed Qty when the General Setting Item Qty Types hides Job Qty. A material with its own Qty Type (estimating attribute) and substrates (Sheets, Reels and sq.m) keep their own Qty Type.
• Material items can be of these types:
  • Material – Standard
  • Substrate
  • Assembly
• You cannot add the item itself, or an Assembly that already has the item in its materials at any level, because the item would be used in its own BOM (a BOM cycle). BOS shows the message “The Item can not be added, it would make a BOM cycle (the Item is used in its own BOM).” and stops adding the selected items.

• Opens a list of items.
• The popup has radio buttons to add one of these (Task is selected automatically):
  • Material
  • Task
  • Outwork
• The selected items are added to their relevant sections (e.g. Materials to the Material section, Tasks to the Routing section).
• An item must have a status of Active and a Cost Price before it can be added to a Costing.

• Add Custom Task – TSK (C): Adds a row at the bottom of the table for you to complete (e.g. for tasks that are not set up as items).
• Add Custom Task that uses Constraints – TSK (CNSTR): Adds a row at the bottom of the table for you to fill in. Only one Task that uses Constraints is allowed per Costing.

• Opens a list of items.
• The popup has radio buttons to add one of these (Outwork is selected automatically):
  • Material
  • Task
  • Outwork
• The selected items are added to their relevant sections (e.g. Materials to the Material section, Tasks or Outwork to the Routing section).
• An item must have a status of Active, a Cost Price and Estimating attributes before it can be added to a Costing.

Materials (ea)

(where ea is the Default Unit)

The Quantity Type determines how the Quantity field is used in calculating the unit cost.

A material added from the items list starts as Job Qty (see the Materials button above).

The percentage that is wasted during production.

It is applied as a direct percentage to the Unit Quantity, not to the Fixed Quantity.

The calculated Total Fixed Cost (the cost for the Fixed Quantity, including any adjustment).

For information only. Rounded to two decimal places in this view.

The calculated Total Unit Cost (the cost for the Unit Quantity, including any adjustment).

For information only. Rounded to two decimal places in this view.

A menu with the following options (also available when you right-click the entry):

• Move Up: Moves the entry one line higher.
• Move Down: Moves the entry one line lower.
• Delete: Deletes the entry.
• Open Linked Item: Opens the linked item (that is, the item that appears in the Description column).

Routing (ea)

(where ea is the Default Unit)

The Type of item that was added:

• TSK: Task.
• TSK (C): Custom Task.
• TSK(CNSTR): Custom Task that uses constraints.
  • Available only for Costings, not Assemblies.
  • Only one of these can be added to a costing’s routing section.
• OWK: Outwork that is looked up from the linked Task.
• OWK (C): Custom Outwork.

The Quantity Type determines how the Quantity field is used in calculating the unit cost.

Routing lines (services, outwork and custom lines) start as Fixed Qty. A service or outwork line linked to an item shows the item’s Qty Type, or Fixed Qty when the item has none (or Fixed).

The quantity of the item. Editable when Fixed Qty is chosen as the quantity type.

A line linked to a task or outwork item (not custom) shows the quantity of the item’s Estimating attributes, or 1 when it is not set.

The number of hours it takes to set up production for that item.

Used for tasks.

The quantity that can be produced in an hour.

Used for tasks.

This field is the default. When you click Save, it updates Speed (Hrs) and Speed (Min).

The number of hours it takes to complete one unit.

If you enter this field, the Speed (Qty/hr) and Speed (Min) fields are updated when you click Save.

The number of minutes it takes to complete one unit.

If you enter this field, the Speed (Qty/hr) and Speed (Hrs) fields are updated when you click Save.

A menu with the following options (also available when you right-click the entry):

• Move Up: Moves the entry one line higher.
• Move Down: Moves the entry one line lower.
• Copy: Copies the entry. A task that uses constraints is copied as a custom task (without constraints).
• Delete: Deletes the entry.
• Open Linked Item: Opens the item that appears in the Item From column. A custom task, a custom task that uses constraints or a custom outwork entry has no linked item, so BOS shows the message “Item not found.”.

A menu with the following option (also available when you right-click the entry):

• Open Linked Item: Opens the linked item.

A checkbox. If checked, each note appears in full.

If unchecked, only the first part appears: the first 255 characters on one line or, for formatted notes (General Setting Enable Rich-Text in Note fields), the first three lines.

The note line: the note’s reference, the user and the date, in bold.

The note’s name works as an ID in Proposals and Templates. Select it from a lookup of common names or enter it in the Edit Note window.

A context menu with the following options:

• View/Edit Note: Opens the note for editing or viewing in the Edit Note window.
• Delete: Deletes only the clicked note, after you confirm.

The attachment’s name.

The name works as an ID in Proposals and Templates.

Select it from a lookup of common names or enter it.

A context menu with the following options:

• Copy Link
• Edit
• Delete

Select a Transaction Type from the dropdown list.

Add each Transaction Type only once. If the selected row’s Transaction Type is also on another row, the warning bar shows the message “Duplicate Transaction Type”.

The default ledger account to debit.

Leave blank if the default debit account is a customer or supplier account.

The default ledger account to credit.

Leave blank if the default credit account is a customer or supplier account.