Managing Categories in coreSTORE

A helpful way to organize your inventory is to use item categories. To add/edit item categories in your coreSTORE, go to the Inventory module and select the Categories sub-module. You can add either a main category (1) by clicking [Add root category] or a sub-category (2) by clicking [Add child category], or you can edit an existing category (3) by clicking [Edit] (for more information about the Categories sub-module, see Categories Sub-Module Overview). If you are adding a category, you will see the Add child category pop-up window [(1) and (2)], and if you are editing an existing category, you will see the Edit pop-up window (3).

For more information about each one of these windows, use the Jump to Section index below to go to the section about that window.

Add Root Category Window

Use the Add Root Category window to add a main category type. If you have an item that doesn't fall under any of the existing categories in the item categories tree, you would need to add a main category, otherwise known as a "root" category.

Because this category doesn't fall under an existing category, the only option on this screen you will not need to change is Parent Category (1). Leave this set as None, ensuring that this category will not be inserted underneath another category upon clicking the Save button (11). Use the rest of the options to customize the new category.

• Category Name (2): Input a name for the category.
• Category Type (3): Select from the drop-down list which item type is included in the category (if you add an item to this category, if the item is classified under a different item type than what you select here, the category type will overwrite/replace the item type) (for more information about item types, see Types Sub-Module Overview).
• Category Color (4): Use the color picker tool (shown below - A) to select a background color for the category in the item grid.
• Category Image (5): Click the Choose file button (B) to upload an image from your device for the category.
• Description (6): Here you can type and format a description for the category.
• Attributes (7): Scroll through the drop-down list or narrow down the drop-down list by typing in keywords into the field, then select the item attribute(s) that are included in the category (for more information about item attributes, see Attributes Sub-Module Overview).
• Default Markup % (8): If you want every item attached to this category to have a particular markup percentage applied to the cost price, input that percentage here.
• Default Margin % (9): If you want every item attached to this category to have a particular margin percentage applied to the cost price, input that percentage here.
• Rentals? (10): Check this box if the category is for rental items.
• Default Value For Is ECommerce? (11): Check this box if you want items added to the category to display on your website automatically (you can still change the item individually). If you do not want items included in the category to display on your website, uncheck this box. (Note: This checkbox only applies when adding a new item, or changing an existing item's category. It does not go back and remove all the items in the category from the website nor add all the items in the category to the website, because there might be a few items in the category that you want to or do not want to display on your website.)
• Ecommerce Category (12): Click the magnifying glass icon (C) to bring up the Select a category pop-up window (shown below - D). You can either click in the search bar (E) to select an ecommerce category from the drop-down list or narrow down the results as you type in which ecommerce category you are searching for, then click the OK button (F) to connect that ecommerce category with the category you are adding. The categories in this list are all of the categories that you have created in your ecommerce solution, NOT the categories you have created in coreSTORE.
• Save (13): Click the Save button to save the category.

Add Child Category Window

Use the Add Child Category window to add a sub-category type. If you have an item that falls under an existing category but you want to add a new and more specific category under that existing category, you would need to add a sub-category, otherwise known as a "child" category.

If you are adding a sub-category via clicking [Add child category] next to an existing category, the Parent Category field (1) will be auto-populated with the name of the existing category you are adding the sub-category under. In this case, you will probably not want to select a different parent category. However, if you are adding a sub-category by selecting the [Add child category] button at the top of the item categories tree, you will have to select which category you want to enter the sub-category under by selecting that category from the drop-down list in this field.

Use the rest of the options to customize the new category.

• Category Name (2): Input a name for the category.
• Category Type (3): Select from the drop-down list which item type is included in the category (if you add an item to this category, if the item is classified under a different item type than what you select here, the category type will overwrite/replace the item type) (for more information about item types, see Types Sub-Module Overview).
• Category Color (4): Use the color picker tool (shown below - A) to select a background color for the category in the item grid.
• Category Image (5): Click the Choose file button (B) to upload an image from your device for the category.
• Description (6): Here you can type and format a description for the category.
• Attributes (7): Scroll through the drop-down list or narrow down the drop-down list by typing in keywords into the field, then select the item attribute(s) that are included in the category (for more information about item attributes, see Attributes Sub-Module Overview).
• Default Markup % (8): If you want every item attached to this category to have a particular markup percentage applied to the cost price, input that percentage here.
• Default Margin % (9): If you want every item attached to this category to have a particular margin percentage applied to the cost price, input that percentage here.
• Rentals? (10): Check this box if the category is for rental items.
• Default Value For Is ECommerce? (11): Check this box if you want items added to the category to display on your website automatically (you can still change the item individually). If you do not want items included in the category to display on your website, uncheck this box. (Note: This checkbox only applies when adding a new item, or changing an existing item's category. It does not go back and remove all the items in the category from the website nor add all the items in the category to the website, because there might be a few items in the category that you want to or do not want to display on your website.)
• Ecommerce Category (12): Click the magnifying glass icon (C) to bring up the Select a category pop-up window (shown below - D). You can either click in the search bar (E) to select an ecommerce category from the drop-down list or narrow down the results as you type in which ecommerce category you are searching for, then click the OK button (F) to connect that ecommerce category with the category you are adding. The categories in this list are all of the categories that you have created in your ecommerce solution, NOT the categories you have created in coreSTORE.
• Save (13): Click the Save button to save the category.

Edit Window

Use the Edit window to edit an existing category. The only option that affects the item categories tree is Parent Category.

• If you select an existing category (1) from the drop-down list, coreSTORE will automatically move the category you are editing (2) under the category that you select (1) from the drop-down list, making it (2) a sub-category of that category (1). If the category you are editing (2) was originally a sub-category of a different parent category, it (2) will no longer be a sub-category of that original parent category.

• If the category you are editing (4) was a sub-category of another (parent) category and you select None (3) from the drop-down list, coreSTORE will automatically move the category you are editing (4) out from under its former parent category, making it a main category.