Create and edit catalog items

The catalog lists what your business sells and buys. A catalog item groups its variants: each variant is a sellable version of the item with its own SKU and price, such as the Jade single and the Jade six-pack of a Stone coaster.

Create a catalog item

1. Open Catalog, then select New item.
2. Enter the Item name and, if you like, a Description.
3. Select More fields to set the role or add options and variants. If the item comes in versions, add its options, such as Material and Packaging. See Set up options and classifications.
4. For the first variant, enter its SKU and variant name, then choose a currency before entering its online price. Select Add variant for each other version.
5. If the item has options, choose one value of every option for each variant.
6. Select Create catalog item, or press Command+Enter (Control+Enter on Windows).

Only the name is required. Optional details stay in your draft when you close More fields; the item, options and variants save together.

The item opens beside the list. To sell or buy it through orders, set each variant’s stock source next; see Set a SKU’s stock source.

For example, Stone coaster could have the variants COAST-JADE-1 (Jade, Single, 8.00 USD) and COAST-JADE-6 (Jade, Six-pack, 42.00 USD).

Find a catalog item

Type in Search items or SKUs… at the top of Catalog. The search matches item names and SKUs, ignoring capital letters.

Each row shows up to three SKUs and how many more there are, the number of variants, the price range in each currency, how many variants have a stock source, the item’s role and status, and when it last changed. The list shows 100 items at a time; Load more items at the bottom shows the next set.

Edit a catalog item

Open the item and select its name, description, role or status in the properties. Text saves when you leave the field; selecting a status or role saves that choice. A brief Saved check confirms the write. Escape cancels an unsaved edit. Errors keep your draft beside the affected field. Newer changes require loading and reviewing the latest record before retrying.

Open a variant to edit its SKU, name, currency and price through the same property controls. Currency and price save together; changing currency clears the entered price so you can enter a replacement in that currency.

Use Edit options to change option definitions and variant structure, then select Save item to submit those related changes together.

You can also change Role and Status directly in their Catalog table columns, using the same choices as the sidebar.

Change a price in place

1. Open the item, then select Expand to full page.
2. In the variants table, type the new amount in the variant’s Online price, such as 39.99.
3. Press Enter or move to another field to save it. Press Escape to put back the saved amount.

You can change a price the same way on a variant’s own view. If your business uses the Nursery module, At Nursery price and Nursery only appear in the same table. Edit money and yes/no values in place. Turn Nursery on in Configure → General → Modules; it starts off. Turning it off hides the fields without clearing saved values.

Open a variant

Select a variant’s SKU in the item’s Variants list. The variant opens inside its item, with its SKU, name, option values, online price, stock source and its own Activity. Use the back control at the top to return to the item.

Fix a duplicate item name

Catalog item names are unique in your business, ignoring capital letters and spaces at either end. If another item already has the name you enter, the editor shows An item with this name already exists in this business. Choose the existing item or enter a different name. beside the name.

• In Catalog, Open existing takes you to the item that has the name.
• When the editor opened from a selection field, such as an order line’s Variant, Select existing uses its only variant, or opens Choose a variant when it has several.

A matching name never combines two items. To combine duplicates, see Merge duplicate catalog items.

Create an item while adding an order line

1. In an order line’s Variant field, type the new item’s name.
2. When no item name or SKU matches, the list offers Create “Stone coaster” with the name you typed. Choose it to open the item editor with the name filled in.
3. Complete the item and select Create catalog item. More fields reveals the same optional details as creation from Catalog.

An item needs at least one variant for the line. If you create several, Choose a variant lets you pick the one to use. If there is only one, it is selected.

What to know

• An item can have up to 100 variants and 12 options, and each option up to 100 values. Item names can be up to 300 characters, descriptions up to 5,000 and SKUs up to 200.
• SKUs are unique in your business, ignoring capital letters.
• A price is optional; a variant without one shows as Not priced. Choose its currency explicitly. Changing currency clears the previous price for re-entry.
• If newer changes arrive while you edit, your draft stays visible. Load the latest record or price to review those changes before saving again.
• Order lines carry their own prices. Changing a catalog price never changes an existing order.
• Saved variants can’t be removed, and items can’t be deleted. Set Status to Archived when an item is no longer offered. Remove only clears a variant you haven’t saved yet. To combine two items, merge them.
• New items default to Finished good. Choose another Role under More fields, or change the item’s role and status inline after creating it.
• A merged item says This item was merged. and links to the surviving item. It can’t be edited.