Organize the pricebook with categories

Overview#

Categories organize the pricebook in the office and on the phone. You can nest them, for example HVAC › Furnace repair, set their order, give each one an image, and hide a category from technicians. A category can also carry its own markup table, so parts in that category price differently from the rest of the book.

Before you start#

• You need pricebook.write. Only owners and admins have it. Other roles who open this page are sent to the home page.

• Plan your top level first. Most shops start with their trades (HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical), then break each one down.

Steps#

Open the categories page#

1. Go to Pricebook › Categories. You can also click the Categories tab on the pricebook page.

2. The left side lists your categories as a tree. Subcategories are indented under their parent. Each row shows the image, the name, a Hidden badge if technicians can't see it, and an Own markup badge if it has its own markup table.

Add a category#

1. In the New category panel on the right, fill in:

   • Name (required, up to 60 characters).

   • Inside: Top level, or the category this one sits under.

   • Order: a number. Lower numbers sort first.

   • Show to technicians: on by default.

   • Markup table for this category (optional): see below. Leave it empty to use the company table.

2. Click Add category.

Edit a category#

1. Click Edit on the category's row. The panel title changes to Edit [name].

2. Change what you need and click Save category.

3. To go back to adding a new one, click New category at the top of the list.

Add or replace a category image#

1. Click Edit on the category.

2. In the Image panel, choose a JPEG, PNG or WebP file up to 8 MB.

3. Click Upload image, or Replace image if it already has one. A category has one image.

Give a category its own markup table#

1. Edit the category and find Markup table for this category (optional).

2. Each row has Cost up to and a multiplier (×). Fill rows from the lowest cost range to the highest.

3. Leave Cost up to blank on the last row. That row covers everything above.

4. Click Save category. Cost-plus items in this category, and materials in this category used inside flat-rate services, now use this table instead of the company table, unless the item has its own Markup ×.

Move items into a category#

• One item: open it and pick a Category in the editor, then Save to draft.

• Many items: on the pricebook list, tick the items, choose Move to category under With selected, pick the category and click Stage changes. Both go into the working draft and take effect when you publish. See Bulk edit and drafts.

Settings that change this#

• Pricebook › Pricing Builder: the company markup table that categories without their own table use.

Tips#

• Keep the tree shallow. Two or three levels are easier to browse on a phone.

• Use Order in steps of 10 (10, 20, 30) so you can slot new categories in later.

• Clicking a category in the pricebook's left panel also shows items in its subcategories.

Troubleshooting#

• "A category can't sit inside itself." You picked the category itself, or one of its own subcategories, as Inside.

• "There's already a "X" category here." Two categories with the same name can't share a parent. Rename one or move it.

• "Cost ranges must go up, and the last one must have no upper limit." Make each Cost up to bigger than the row above, and leave the last one blank.

• Prices didn't change after I saved a category markup table. Category changes save right away, but prices are recalculated only when a draft is published. Open the working draft and publish it. If there's no working draft, saving your Pricing Builder rules or staging any item change creates one.

• A hidden category's items still show on the phone. Hiding a category hides the category, not its items. Active items still appear, just without that category. To remove items from the phone, make them inactive.

FAQ#

Q: Can I delete a category? There is no delete button. Rename it, move it, or turn off Show to technicians.

Q: Do category changes need a publish? Name, parent, order, visibility and image save immediately. The effect of a markup table on prices waits for the next publish.

Q: Where do imported categories go? Imported items keep their category as a text label, and show as Uncategorized in the category filter. Move them into your tree with bulk edit. See Import a pricebook.

Coming from ServiceTitan#

• Same idea as ServiceTitan's pricebook categories: a tree with images that drives browsing in the field.

• Different: a category can override the company markup table, and changes to prices still go through a draft before technicians see them.