Use Category Setup to organize your products into groups — like "Beverages", "Snacks", or "Electronics". When your products are neatly categorized, your staff can find items faster at the POS, and your reports become easier to read.

When to use this: When you need to create or manage product categories (e.g., Food, Beverages, Accessories).

Prerequisites

• Department Setup completed (categories belong to departments)
• GST Setup completed if tax rules apply to categories

Category List

📝 General Description

The Category list displays all product categories in a data grid. Each category has a unique code, a display name, and an optional image. Categories are used throughout EQuipWeb for filtering products, reporting, and POS display organization.

⚙️ UI Elements

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2.3.1 Column Visibility Filter Panel

Click the 🔽 funnel icon (top-right of the toolbar) to open the Column Visibility Panel. This panel lets you control which columns are displayed in the data grid. Each toggle switches a column ON (visible, blue) or OFF (hidden, grey).

[!NOTE] After toggling columns, click Save to persist your column preferences. Click Clear Filter to reset all columns to default, or Search to apply filter criteria.

Default Visible Columns (🔵 ON by default)

Hidden Columns (⚪ OFF by default)

These columns are available but hidden by default. Toggle them ON to see additional data:

[!TIP] The userfld, userflag, userfloat, and userint columns are custom fields — they are reserved for client-specific data that varies per implementation. If your business uses custom fields (e.g., "userflag3" = "Halal Certified"), enable the relevant toggle to see them in the grid.

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2.3.2 Data Grid Columns (Default View)

The data grid shows the following columns by default. Additional columns can be enabled via the Column Visibility Filter Panel above.

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2.3.3 Add / Edit Category

Main Card (Left)

Organization Card (Right)

GST Card

POS Display

Restriction Card

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How to Edit a category

1. In the Category Setup page, find the category you want to change.

2. Click the blue category name link. The edit form opens — it looks the same as the "Add New" form, but all fields are already filled in with the current values.

3. Change the fields you need to update.

4. Click Save to apply your changes.

✅ Expected Result: The category is saved and available for product assignment.

[!TIP] To make changes, just click the name of any category in the list — the same form opens with everything already filled in. Change what you need and click Save.

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2.3.3 Category Hierarchy

Categories in EQuip are flat (single-level). There is no parent-child nesting. For hierarchical classification, use the combination of:

• Department → Broad grouping (e.g., "Food & Beverage")
• Category → Specific group within department (e.g., "Hot Drinks", "Cold Drinks")

💡 Example

Scenario: A café needs to organize its menu.

1. Create 4 categories: Hot Drinks, Cold Drinks, Pastries, Merchandise

2. Assign each product to its category during product creation 3. On POS, the cashier sees products organized by these categories

[!TIP] Keep category names short and clear — they appear on POS buttons. Use 1-2 words maximum (e.g., "Hot Drinks" instead of "Hot Beverages and Coffee Products").

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Access & Permissions

[!NOTE] Exact permissions depend on the Privileges Setup configured for each role. Contact your administrator if you cannot access this page.

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How to Delete a Category

1. Navigate to Category Setup from the sidebar menu.

2. Click the name or code link (blue text) of the record you want to delete. 3. In the edit form, scroll down to the bottom.

4. Click the Delete button (red button). 5. A confirmation dialog appears — click Yes to confirm deletion.

Expected Result: The record is soft-deleted — it is hidden from the active list and POS terminals but can be restored later using the "Show Deleted" filter.

[!WARNING] Records linked to active transactions or other modules cannot be deleted. The system will display an error if deletion is not allowed.

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How to Add a New Category

1. Navigate to Category Setup from the sidebar menu.

2. Click the + Add New button (green button).

3. Fill in the required fields in the form.

4. Fill in any optional fields as needed.

5. Click Save to create the new category.

✅ Expected Result: The new category appears in the list and is available for use across the system.

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FAQ

Q: Why is my product not showing on the POS? A: The POS needs to sync first. Check Terminal Status to see the last sync time. Also verify the product is not deleted and is assigned to the correct outlet.

Q: Can I delete a product that has sales history? A: You can soft-delete it (it will be hidden from active lists and POS), but it cannot be permanently removed because it is linked to transaction records.

Q: How do I update prices for multiple products at once? A: Use the Data Importer > Product Importer to bulk update. Export the current list, modify prices in the spreadsheet, then re-import.

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Troubleshooting

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Related Menus

• Category Setup — product categorization
• Department Setup — reporting hierarchy
• Sales Setup > GST Setup — tax rates for products
• Data Importer > Product Importer — bulk product upload
• Sales Setup > Payment Mode — payment methods at POS

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Open Questions / Confirmation Needed

[!NOTE] The following items may vary depending on your system version and configuration:

• Exact permission settings depend on your Privileges Setup configuration
• Sync timing to POS terminals depends on network conditions and sync schedule
• Some features may require additional licensing or module activation
• Field behavior may differ between EQuip versions

If you encounter behavior not described in this manual, contact your system administrator or EQuip support team.