Product Lists can be created using several different programs in [i] Merchant, and can then be used as input in searches or report templates. You can create a Product List using the following programs: Buying Manager, PO Product Detail Find, the Inventory (Product) Report, the Product Sales Report, and via the right-click Product-sensitive menu for the selected product. You can also create a Product List from an external file, via File-Imports-Product List from File. Once a Product List has been created and named, you can use this list as a search parameter when trying to Find products. This enables you to run specific searches based on specific Product Lists you have created.
For the sake of simplicity in this document, let's look at creating a Product List via PO Product Detail Find.
As you normally would, simply run the search criteria, and a list of products will appear in the grid at the bottom of the PO Product Detail Find screen. It is at this point that you can create a new Product List or add to an existing one.
In the grid, select the products you want to put into the Product List you will be creating or adding to.
With the desired products selected, click on the Product List toolbar icon at the top of the PO Product Detail Find screen. A Product List Find window appears. From here, you can create a new Product List or add to an existing one.
Please note, as well, that in the upper right corner of this Find window, there will be two choices under a "Choose Selection Criteria" heading. The two choices are: "All Items" and :"Selected Items Only". These choices refer back to the products listed in the grid back at the PO Product Detail Find screen. If you select "All Items", all items in the grid will be used as input for this Product List. If "Selected Items Only" is chosen, only those products you had highlighted will be used as input for the Product List.
Note:
The "Choose Selection Criteria" portion of the Product List Find window will not always appear. It depends on which program you accessed the Product List Find window from. It will not always be applicable.
Once you have set the "Choose Selection Criteria" portion of the Find window, you now must decide whether to add the products to an existing Product List, or to use them as input to create a new Product List. Let's first look at how to add them to an already-existing List.
At the bottom of the Product List Find window, a list of already-existing Product Lists will display. The easiest way to add the products to one of these lists is simply to highlight whichever list you want to add the products to, and either double-click on it or, with the appropriate list highlighted, click on the Select toolbar icon. As soon as you do this, a message appears, telling you that the products have been added to the list you just highlighted. Simple as that.
If you do, for whatever reason, want to search for a specific Product List, you can, using standard Search techniques. Once the search is run, matching Product Lists will display at the bottom of the Product List Find window. At that point, highlight the list you want, and the products will be added to it.
At the Product Find window, click on the New toolbar icon. The Create New Product List window will appear. There are three fields in this window. Enter the Product List Code and Name in the appropriate fields, and you can enter a comment in the Comment field, if you wish--it is optional.
Once you have the fields defined the way you want them, click on the Apply button at the top left of the window. A message appears telling you that the new Product List has been created.