ECE Inventory — User Guide

1. Getting started

Signing in

1. Open the app address given to you and you land on the Inventory Login screen.
2. Enter your Company Code (the short code for your business, e.g. TSI001), your Username and Password.
3. Press Login. You land on the Dashboard.

Your company code matters

Each business has its own separate data. The company code decides which business you sign in to, so the same username can exist in two businesses without clashing. Uploaded pictures, invoices and reports are all kept per business.

What you can see depends on your role

Your role decides which menus appear. An Admin sees everything. Other users see only the modules their role holds:

Admin only Settings and User Management are always Admin-only, whatever permissions a role holds.

Installing it like an app

ECE Inventory is a PWA. In Chrome or Edge, use the install icon in the address bar to keep it on your desktop or phone home screen; it then opens in its own window without browser tabs.

2. The screen layout

The Dashboard

The landing page shows today's and this month's trading figures, stock warnings (low stock and items nearing expiry, using the thresholds from Business Settings), dues owed to you and by you, and charts of sales over time. It is a read-only summary — use it to spot what needs attention, then click through to the page that fixes it.

Pick a From and To date at the top and everything below follows that range. Under the summary cards sit three charts:

3. Menu overview

The complete sidebar tree, with what each entry is for.

4. Product

Understanding products and items

A product is the thing you sell in general — “Cotton T-Shirt”. An item (variant) is the exact thing on the shelf — “Cotton T-Shirt / Red / Large”. Prices, barcodes, stock and serials all belong to the item. A product with no variations still has exactly one item behind it.

Finding a product in the list

Product → List has a Filter button beside the settings icon: filter by Category, by Type, or both, then Apply. Choosing a parent category includes everything filed beneath it, so “Electronics” also brings back the phones and laptops under it. A number on the button counts the filters in force and Clear removes them. Filters and the search box work together.

4.1 New / Edit product form

Product → New. The form has two parts: product details, then variants.

Details

Variants

Define the properties that vary (e.g. Color, Size) and their values (Red, Blue / S, M, L); the form offers the combinations. For each variant row you set:

• Item Code — generated if you leave it empty.
• Purchase Price — your cost. Kept up to date automatically by purchases if that setting is on.
• Sale Price and Wholesale Price — what you charge; the sale screen picks the right one from the customer's price tier.
• Min / Max Price — the band a seller may negotiate within.
• Manage Images — pictures for that variant (used on prints and the storefront).

4.2 Category

Name-only records. Deleting a category that products still use is blocked — move the products first.

4.3 Type

A product type carries rules that apply to every product under it:

• Requires Serial — every unit of this type is tracked as an individual serial number, and a sale cannot be saved until each unit on the line has a serial picked. The Serials button on the sale line shows Serials* in red until it is complete.
• Requires Expiry — each serial needs an expiry date. Those units then appear on the Expired page and in expiry alerts, and any that are still missing a date show up on Missing Expiry.
• Tax Class — the default tax rate for the whole type. A product can override it, a sale line can override that.
• Parent — optional nesting for tidier lists.

4.4 Unit

Code (PCS, KG), name, unit type, decimal places to display, and an optional Base Unit with a conversion (1 BOX = 12 PCS) so you can buy in boxes and sell in pieces.

4.5 Warranty

• Definitions — a named warranty with a duration in days, conditions text, and an active flag.
• Items — which items carry which warranty definition.
• Claims — a customer brings a unit back: record the claim against its serial, then move it through Claimed → Sent for warranty → Refunded/Returned with dates. Filter by status and date to see what is still with the supplier.

5. Inventory

5.1 Warehouse

Fields: Name, Location, Is Default, plus any additional fields your business has configured. The default warehouse is pre-selected on every purchase and sale line, so make it the one you trade from most. Every stock figure in the system is per warehouse — a warehouse you delete must be empty.

5.2 Stock

The live picture: one row per item per warehouse. Filter by warehouse, category, type, product, and by quantity (less than / equal to / more than) to find shortages or overstock. Each row offers:

Recording expiry dates

Expiry dates live on the individual serial, not on the batch, so a single delivery can hold several different dates — which is what actually happens when a distributor ships mixed batches. Manage Serials gives you three ways to fill them in, from fastest to most precise:

1. Whole delivery, one date. Put the date in the Expiry Date field at the top, then press Auto Generate Serials. Every serial it creates carries that date, so a hundred packets take one click.
2. Mixed batches. Tick the rows belonging to one batch, press Set Expiry, choose the date and Apply. Repeat for the next batch. Only the ticked rows change.
3. One unit. Click the Expiry Date cell on that row and pick a date.

5.3 Transfer

New Transfer form: Item, Source Warehouse, Destination Warehouse, Quantity, Transfer Date, Note — and, for serial-tracked items, the exact serials to move (only unsold ones, and no more than the quantity). Saving deducts from the source, adds to the destination, moves the chosen serials, and writes two history rows. The list below shows recent transfers, filterable by source and destination; click one for its details.

5.4 Expired

A read-only view of serial-tracked units at or near expiry, filtered by warehouse, category, type, product and date range. “Near” is the Expiry Alert Threshold from Business Settings. Use it to pull stock off the shelf and then write it off through Wasted.

5.5 Missing Expiry

The to-do list for expiry dates: every serial whose product type requires an expiry date but has none recorded yet. It exists because goods arrive faster than paperwork — a purchase or an auto-generate can create serials before anyone has read the date off the carton, and those units would otherwise sit in stock unnoticed and never trigger an expiry alert.

Unlike the other inventory screens this one defaults to All Warehouses, since it is a shop-wide backlog rather than a stock view. Filter by warehouse, product, category or type, or search by serial or item name.

To clear entries: tick the rows for one batch, press Set Expiry, choose the date and Apply. They disappear from the list as soon as they have a date. Repeat per batch when a delivery held more than one.

5.6 Wasted

Add Wasted Entry form: Item, Warehouse, Quantity, Wasted Date, Note, and the serials to write off. Saving marks those serials Wasted, deducts the quantity from stock, and writes a history row.

6. Sales

6.1 New Sale

Sales → New is the main selling screen.

Header

• Customer — search an existing customer, create one on the spot, or leave empty for a walk-in. A named customer is required for credit and for loyalty points.
• Sale Date — defaults to today. Reports and the ledger file the sale under this date, so backdating puts it in that earlier period.
• Delivery Address and Delivery Cost — optional; the cost is added to the total.

Line items

For each line: Item (type to search by name or code), Warehouse, Quantity, Unit Price, Discount, VAT %, Basis and Serials.

• The unit price is filled from the item, adjusted for the customer's price tier; you can change it within the item's min/max band.
• VAT % is pre-filled from the resolved tax rate — you may override it on the line.
• Basis says whether that line's price includes tax. The line shows its Taxable Value and tax so you can see the split.
• For serial-tracked items, scan or type into Scan / enter serial, or pick from the list. The quantity follows the number of serials.
• Whether a line must carry serials is decided by its product type's Requires Serial flag — not by whether serials happen to exist in stock. Lines that need them show Serials* in red until every unit is assigned, and the sale will not save while any are short. Items whose type does not require serials are never asked for one, even if some serials exist against them.
• Selling more than you have is blocked unless Allow Negative Stock is on.

Totals and payment

• Overall Discount — a discount on the whole invoice; it is spread across the lines before tax, so the VAT figures stay correct.
• Total Tax / Total VAT — calculated per line, with a breakdown per rate. It is read-only when auto-calculation covers sales.
• Payment Methods — one or more payment lines (cash, bank, card, mobile banking…), each with an account and amount. Pay full amount fills the balance.
• Customer Advance Available / Advance Applied — money the customer paid earlier can be used here.
• Redeem Points / Points Redeemed / Points to Earn — apply the customer's loyalty balance as part payment (Redeem maximum usable points takes as much as the rules allow) and preview what this sale will earn.
• Paid Amount and Due Amount — anything left unpaid becomes a due and shows up on Due Sales. Whether a fully-unpaid sale is allowed is a Sale setting.

Saving deducts stock, marks the chosen serials sold, records which purchase batches were consumed (that is what makes purchase-wise profit possible), awards or redeems points, and posts the accounting entry.

6.2 Sales list

Search and filter by date, customer, warehouse and payment status. Row actions: View (full detail with payments and lines), Print (using your default invoice template), and Void. Voiding returns the stock, releases the serials, reverses the points, and posts a reversing accounting entry — the original entry is never edited. Voiding can be switched off in Sale settings.

6.3 Due Sales

Invoices with an outstanding amount, filterable by customer, warehouse and date. Open one and record a collection: amount, payment account, date, reference and note. The due drops, a receipt number is issued, and the ledger is updated. Partial collections are fine — repeat until it clears.

6.4 Sale Return

Sales → Return → New: pick the original sale (search by sale number or customer), then tick the lines coming back. Each line shows Sold Qty, Already Returned and Max Returnable — you cannot return more than was sold. Enter Return Qty, the warehouse the goods go back into, the return date and a note.

The return puts stock back, refunds the exact tax and discount originally charged on those lines (partial returns included), and posts the reversing entry.

7. Sales orders

Use an order when the customer commits before you invoice — advance bookings, deliveries, storefront orders.

New Sales Order fields: Customer (or name/mobile/address for a non-registered buyer), Order Date, Expected Delivery, Delivery Area, Delivery Address, Delivery Cost, Note, and the item lines (Item, Warehouse, Quantity, Unit Price). Picking a delivery area fills the cost from your Delivery Settings.

An order's status moves Draft → Confirmed → Partially Fulfilled → Fulfilled, or Cancelled. Fulfilment is tracked per line, so a partly delivered order stays visible. From the list you convert an order into an invoice, which pre-fills the sale form with the remaining quantities.

Reserved Items lists quantities held for confirmed orders so they are not sold twice, when reservation is enabled in Sale settings.

8. Purchase

8.1 New Purchase

Header: Supplier, Purchase Date, Note, and the Opening Stock switch. Lines: Item, Warehouse, Quantity, Unit Cost, Discount, VAT %, Basis, Serials. Footer: Overall Discount, Total Tax, Total Amount, payment method and account, Paid Amount, Due Amount, and any Supplier Advance to apply.

Saving adds stock, creates a cost batch per line (used later to work out profit), records serials as New, updates the item's purchase price according to your cost settings, and posts the accounting entry. Anything unpaid becomes a due on Due Purchases.

8.2 Purchase list, Due Purchases, Purchase Return

These mirror the sales side: the list prints and voids (voiding reverses stock and posts a reversing entry, and can be disabled in Business Settings); Due Purchases records what you pay suppliers; Purchase Return picks a purchase, ticks the lines going back, and limits the quantity to what was received and not already returned.

9. Customers & suppliers

Customer form

The list shows each customer's outstanding balance and loyalty Points. Open a customer for their detail view, and their point history (every earn and redeem with the running balance).

Supplier form

The same shape without loyalty: Name, Phone, Email, Address, BIN, Photo, Priority and additional fields. The list shows what you owe each supplier.

10. Accounting

Every money document you save writes a balanced double-entry posting automatically. You do not have to know accounting to sell — but the module lets your accountant see and correct everything.

10.1 Chart of Accounts

Form: Account Code, Name, Account Type (Asset, Liability, Equity, Revenue, Expense), Description, Opening Balance, and Available as Payment Method.

System accounts (Cash in Hand, Inventory, Accounts Receivable/Payable, Sales Revenue, COGS, Tax Payable and so on) are created for you and cannot be deleted.

10.2 Inventory Adjustments

Records a stock correction with its value. Fields: Item, Warehouse, quantity before/after (the change), Unit Cost, adjustment date and note. Increases are posted as inventory surplus; decreases as an inventory-adjustment expense. Unit cost has to be typed — the system does not guess it. You reach this page directly, or via the prompt after adjusting stock on the Stock page.

10.3 Customer / Supplier Advances

Form: party, Amount, Date, Payment Account, Reference No, Note. The list shows how much of each advance is Used and Remaining; the remainder is offered on the sale or purchase screen for that party. Deleting an advance reverses its posting.

10.4 Payments

General money in or out: Payment Type (Received / Paid), Party Type (Customer / Supplier) and party, Amount, Payment Method (cash, bank transfer, card, mobile banking, other), Payment Account, Date, Reference No, Note. Use it for settlements that are not tied to one specific invoice; use Due Sales / Due Purchases when they are.

10.5 Vouchers

Voucher Type Income or Expense, the income/expense account, the payment account the money moved through, Amount, Date, Description, Reference No. This is how rent, salaries, utilities and miscellaneous income get into the books.

10.6 Fund Transfer

From Account → To Account, Amount, Date, Reference, Note. Both must be payment accounts. Use it for a cash deposit into the bank, or a transfer between bank accounts. It never changes your profit — only where the money sits.

10.7 Cheques

Register a cheque: Cheque Type (Receivable / Payable), Cheque No, Bank Account, Pay To, Amount, Issue Date, Clearance Date, Note. Then mark it Cleared (money actually moved), Bounced, or Cancelled. This keeps cheques out of your cash figure until they clear.

10.8 Journal Entries

Read-only. Every posting with its date, reference, description, source module, and the debit/credit lines with totals. Filter by date, module or account when you need to trace how a figure arose.

10.9 Opening Balances

Set the starting balance of each account as of a date, entered as debit or credit. The running Difference is offset to Owner's Capital so the books balance. Do this once, when you go live.

How tax is calculated

Tax is worked out line by line on the server, so what you see is what is charged and reported.

1. Which rate? The line's own VAT % if you typed one, else the product's tax rate, else the product type's tax class, else your default rate, else none.
2. Included or added on? The line's Basis if set, else the product's Price Basis, else the document's default, else the Tax Calculation Method in Business Settings.
3. Discounts first. An overall discount is spread across the lines before tax is worked out, so the tax matches the amount actually charged.
4. Mixed documents are allowed. One invoice can carry MRP goods (tax included) and net-priced goods (tax added). When it does, the form warns you that “this document mixes both bases” and drops any single “incl./+VAT” label that would be wrong for half the lines.

The rate that applied is stored on each line, so re-printing an old invoice or running an old report always shows what was actually charged, even if you later retire that tax rate.

11. Reports

Every report takes a date range (and usually warehouse, category or party filters), shows totals on screen, and exports to Excel and PDF. Amounts use the currency symbol and decimal places from General Settings; the header and colours come from Report Settings — every report uses them now, the accounting ones included, so a Trial Balance or Ledger PDF carries the same company name, logo and BIN as a Sales Register.

12. Settings Admin only

Settings apply to the whole business, not just to you. The tables below say where each one takes effect.

12.1 General Settings

12.2 Business Settings

Four tabs.

Numbering

Stock & Purchase

Tax

The tab also links to Settings → Tax Rates, where the actual rate list lives.

Invoice & Print

12.3 Membership & Points

12.4 Sale Settings

12.5 Tax Rates

Your rate master. Fields: Code, Name, Rate, Type (Standard, Reduced, Zero-rated, Exempt), Applies To, Default Rate, Active, Display Order, Effective From / To, Description. The Bangladesh set (15%, 10%, 7.5%, 5%, 2%, zero, exempt) is pre-loaded.

Where a rate applies is decided by the resolution order in How tax is calculated.

12.6 Quick Menu

Tick the pages you want as top-bar shortcuts and drag them into the order you like. It is a per-business list, so the shortcuts match how your shop works. Nothing else changes — it is purely navigation.

12.7 Report Settings

12.8 Delivery Settings

• Delivery Areas — a name (e.g. “Dhaka — Mirpur”) and a Cost. Choosing an area on a sales order fills the delivery charge automatically. The same list drives the storefront's delivery charge.
• Item Delivery Cost — a per-item delivery cost, for goods whose carriage does not follow the area rate (heavy or bulky lines). Narrow the list with the search box and the Product, Type and Category filters above the grid (Clear filters resets them), then type the cost straight into the row — it saves when you leave the box or press Enter. Numbered pages at the bottom let you jump through a long catalogue instead of clicking Next over and over.

13. Users & roles Admin only

Roles

A role is a name plus a set of ticked Permissions — Inventory, Sales, Reports, Contacts, Ecommerce. Those ticks decide which menus a holder sees and which API calls the server accepts, so a hidden menu is genuinely closed, not just invisible. The built-in Admin role holds everything and cannot be limited.

Users

Form: name, username, email, phone, password, Role and Is Active. Deactivating is the right way to remove a leaver — their name stays attached to the documents they created, which deleting would break. Open a user for their details, and reset a password from there.

14. Common questions