Item attributes: model, colour and size
Clothing, shoe and electronics stores need more than a name: model, colour and size. This article shows how to define attributes yourself and use them in filters, search and labels.
On this page
What is an attribute?
A fact about an item that neither its name nor its group covers: the model of a phone, the colour and size of clothing and shoes, the volume of a bottle, the material of furniture. Sahl ships with four ready attributes (model, colour, size, volume) and you can edit them or add your own without a developer.
Defining attributes
Open Items, then Catalog settings and go to "Item attributes". For each attribute:
- Label: what your team sees in the item window and in the filters.
- Key: a fixed Latin word derived from the label. Saved values on items are tied to the key, so rename labels freely but never change a key once in use.
- Type: free text, typed as you like, or a select list with fixed options you write here (red, blue, black…).
Make the common ones lists, not text
Colour and size deserve a select list: without it one employee writes "red", another "Red" and a third "RED", and filters and reports fall apart. Free text is for facts that do not repeat, like a model number.
Entering values on an item
The item window shows an Attributes tab with one field per defined attribute: a dropdown for lists, a text box for free text. Leave what does not apply empty; empty values are not saved and never show anywhere. Save the item as usual.
Attributes are stored on the item itself. If you sell one shirt in several colours and sizes with separate stock, each combination is its own item (cotton shirt red 42, cotton shirt blue 42…) with its own barcode, balance and attributes; CSV import makes creating them in bulk easy.
Filtering and searching
- Filtering: above the items list there is a dropdown for every select-type attribute. Pick "red" to see only red items, and combine filters (colour and size together).
- Search: the general search box also searches attribute values; type "red 42" or a model number and the item is found.
- Register: searches by name, barcode and SKU as before. Put colour and size in the name if the cashier should see them on screen and on the receipt.
On the label
In the barcode label designer any attribute can be inserted as a text element: {{attr.color}} prints the colour and {{attr.size}} the size, so the label carries what the customer and the seller need. See Printing barcode labels.
Limits to know before you start
- Attributes are not yet part of the CSV import and export; they are entered from the item window.
- Sorting by an attribute or a numeric range (size between 38 and 42) is not available; filtering is one value per attribute.
- Deleting an attribute from settings hides it from the windows but does not erase saved values; add it back with the same key and the values return.
To define an item from the start see Creating a new item.
Frequently asked questions
Do attributes show on the receipt or at the register?
No. They show in the item window, the filters, the search and on labels. Anything the customer must see on the receipt belongs in the item name.
I renamed "Colour" to "Fabric colour". Are the values lost?
No, labels are free to change. Values are tied to the Latin key, which did not change.
How do I turn a free-text attribute into a select list?
Change its type and write the options. Old values stay saved; a value that matches no option is shown on the item until you pick a replacement.