Products

Product Categories

Organize your products with categories for better management and filtering.

Quick Start

Product categories help you organize your products into logical groups. Access categories from the Products page or create them on-the-fly when adding products.

Products page showing category filtering

Category Fields

FieldRequiredDescriptionMax LengthNotes
NameYesCategory name displayed in lists and filters50 charsMust be unique within your organization
DescriptionNoAdditional information about the category200 charsFor internal reference only
ColorNoHex color code for visual identification-Defaults to #000000. Must be valid hex format (e.g. #FF5733)
ActiveYesWhether category is available for use-Inactive categories hidden from product selection

Creating Categories

Method 1: From Products Page

  1. Navigate to Products page
  2. Click the category filter dropdown
  3. Select "Manage Categories" option
  4. Click "Create Category" button
  5. Fill in category details
  6. Click "Create Category" to save
Products page showing category filtering

Method 2: During Product Creation

  1. Open the product creation dialog
  2. In the Category field, click "Create New"
  3. Fill in the quick category form
  4. Category is created and automatically selected for your product

Managing Categories

Viewing Categories

Categories appear in:

  • Product list filters (dropdown at top of products page)
  • Product creation/edit forms (category selector)
  • Product table rows (colored badge next to product name)

Editing Categories

  1. Navigate to Products page → Category filter → "Manage Categories"
  2. Find the category in the list
  3. Click the edit icon
  4. Update category details
  5. Click "Save Changes"

Editable fields:

  • Name
  • Description
  • Color
  • Active status

Deactivating Categories

Deactivating a category:

  • Hides it from product selection dropdowns
  • Does NOT remove it from existing products
  • Products with inactive categories still display the category badge
  • Can be reactivated anytime

To deactivate:

  1. Edit the category
  2. Uncheck "Active Category"
  3. Save changes

Deleting Categories

Categories can only be deleted if:

  • No products are currently assigned to the category
  • The category is not used in any invoices

To delete:

  1. Remove the category from all assigned products first
  2. Navigate to category management
  3. Click delete icon
  4. Confirm deletion

Product Categories | PineBill Documentation