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Retail Topics

Product Category

Managing Product Categories

The Categories module allows you to organize your products efficiently. You can create parent and sub-categories, define their display order on your Point of Sale (POS) system, and easily control which categories are visible to your cashiers. This guide will walk you through navigating the category dashboard and managing your product categories.

1. Navigating the Categories Dashboard

To access the Categories module, look at the main navigation menu on the left side of your screen:

  1. Click on Products to expand the dropdown menu.
  2. Select Category.
**[Image: Left navigation menu showing Products expanded and Category selected]**

Once you are on the Categories page, you will see a dashboard displaying all your current categories. The dashboard includes several helpful tools:

  • Category Filter: At the top left, a dropdown menu allows you to filter the list by specific categories (e.g., Beverages, Dairy Products). Leave it as "All" to view the entire list.
  • Search Bar: Located at the top right, this allows you to quickly find a specific category by typing its name.
  • Display Entries: Use the "Show entries" dropdown (top left of the table) to choose how many categories to display per page (10, 25, 50, or 100).
  • Pagination: At the bottom right of the table, use the "Previous", "Next", and page number buttons to navigate through your list of categories.

Understanding the Category Table Columns

  • Order No: This determines the exact sequence in which categories appear on your POS screen. Order No "1" appears first, "2" appears second, and so on.
  • Show on POS: A green toggle switch indicates the category will be visible on the POS terminal. If toggled off (gray), the category is hidden from the POS, even if its general Status is active.
  • Status: Represents the overall active/inactive state of the category in the system backend.
**[Image: Categories dashboard overview showing the data table, search bar, and toggle switches]**

2. How to Add a New Category

Follow these steps to create a new product category:

  1. Click the blue Add New Category + button located at the top right corner of the dashboard. This will open a new pop-up window.
  2. Category Name: Enter the primary name for your category (e.g., "Baby").
  3. Category name2: Enter a secondary name if required by your business, or simply repeat the primary category name here.
  4. Parent Category:
    • If this is a main category, leave this field as is.
    • If this is a sub-category that belongs inside another category, click the dropdown and select the appropriate Parent Category.
  5. Order No: Enter a number to define its display position on the POS. The system may auto-generate the next available number, but you can override it manually.
  6. Icon: Click on the icon field to open the symbol library. Select a visual icon that represents your category.
  7. Background color: Click to select a specific background color for the category button on the POS, or enter a hex code (e.g., #ffffff for white).
  8. Category Image: Click Choose File to browse your computer and upload a thumbnail image for the category.
  9. Click the blue Save button at the bottom of the window. A green "Updated Successfully" message will briefly appear.
**[Image: Add New Category pop-up window showing all filled fields]**
Important Note on Visibility: Once you save a new category, the "Show on POS" toggle is enabled (green) by default. If you are still setting up the category and do not want cashiers to see it yet, immediately click the toggle to turn it off (gray).

3. How to Edit an Existing Category

If you need to change a category's name, image, or order number:

  1. Locate the category you want to modify in the table (use the search bar if necessary).
  2. In the Action column on the far right, click the yellow Edit button (pencil icon).
  3. The "Edit Category" window will appear. Make your desired changes to the fields.
  4. Click the blue Update button to save your modifications.
**[Image: Action column highlighting the yellow Edit button]**

4. How to Delete a Category

To permanently remove a category from the system:

  1. Locate the category you wish to remove.
  2. In the Action column, click the red Delete button (trash can icon).
  3. A confirmation window will appear asking "Are You Sure?".
  4. Click CONFIRM to permanently delete the category, or click CANCEL if you change your mind.
**[Image: Delete confirmation warning pop-up]**
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