Product and Category Creation Wizard

Owned by Kelsey Nagel
Last updated: Mar 14, 2022
3 min read

The Product and Category Creation wizard helps users who are just starting a new instance of OpenBoxes to create a category tree and product list. To access the wizard, go to the Configuration menu and choose Categories and Products Configuration.

This will open a wizard that gives you several choices

On the first page, you can either choose a premade category tree or import your own category tree. The options for premade category trees are:

  1. OpenBoxes Default Category Tree - a simple category tree with partner categories Equipment, Medicines, Supplies, and Other

  2. UNSPSC Category List - A list of categories taken from the UNSPSC category list. This is an extremely thorough and detailed category tree used by many international organizations.

  3. WHO Category List - A list of categories associated with the WHO Essential Medicines List. If you wish to use the Essential Medicines List for your products list, then choose this category tree

Select which category tree you want to use, and then press “Import Categories.” If you would rather create a tree, then select Import from Excel and follow the instructions to create an excel spreadsheet.

Once you have imported a category tree, you will have the option to download a csv file of the categories. You should use this option so that you can use those categories if you choose to create a custom products list. You can also view the category list page. Choose this option if you want to edit the category tree you just imported. You can come back to the wizard at any time by reselecting it in the configuration menu.

If you are satisfied with your category tree, no need to go to the list page. Just press next to continue to the product configuration screen.

On this screen, you can either import a pre-determined list from the WHO, or you can import from you own excel file. To import the who list, simply choose that section and click “Import Products.” This will load a full list of products based on the WHO essential medicines list. Once your products are imported, go to the product list page to view and edit them.

If you choose import from excel file, the wizard will provide instructions and redirect you to the product upload page. Follow the product import instructions to build a custom import for your product list.