Article families

Purpose

Article families organise the catalogue on two levels: a family groups articles of the same nature, and each family is divided into sub-families.

This classification then appears on every article record, where it is used to sort, find and group references. A hardware catalogue might, for example, be organised like this:

Fasteners
   ├─ Wood screws
   ├─ Metal screws
   └─ Bolts
Tools
   ├─ Hand tools
   └─ Power tools
Consumables
   └─ Abrasives

Who can access this module?

The module is visible to accounts holding the Technical data right, and to every account flagged as an administrator.

Access

• Menu: Technical data → Article families
• Address: /familles-articles
• Screen title: Familles d'articles

The screen

Unlike the other screens in this chapter, this one does not show a table but a collapsible tree. The top bar therefore has no search field: it only holds the ☰ side menu, 🏠 home, the name of the signed-in account, the language selector and the account menu.

Each top-level row is a family. Click it to expand it and reveal its sub-families, indented to the right. Clicking again collapses it.

Two buttons let you extend the tree:

Button	Location	Effect
Blue ➕	Top left of the screen	Adds a family.
+	To the right of each family row	Adds a sub-family to that family.

No search, no pagination

The screen shows the first 50 families in the workspace, with no filter field and no pagination controls. Beyond that, the remaining families are not visible.

Creating a family

1. Click the ➕ button at the top left. The Ajouter famille window opens.
2. Enter the Nom de la famille.
3. Click Enregistrer.

The green message « Famille créée avec succès » confirms the save, the window closes and the tree reloads.

Creating a sub-family

1. On the row of the family concerned, click the + button on the right. The Ajouter sous-famille window opens.
2. The Nom de la famille field recalls the parent family.
3. Enter the Nom de la sous famille.
4. Click Enregistrer.

The green message « Sous-famille créée avec succès » confirms the save.

The "Nom de la famille" field is only a reminder

It shows the family you clicked on. The text can be edited on screen, but that change is never saved: it does not rename the family and does not change the parent. To create a sub-family elsewhere, close the window and click the + of the right family.

Once created, a family or sub-family can never be renamed or deleted

The screen offers no edit or delete action, at either level. A mistyped name will stay as it is in every dropdown of the application.

Plan the tree before entering it, and check the spelling of each name before saving. Correcting a mistake will require going through support.

Where are families used?

On the article record

The article creation and editing form has two cascading dropdowns:

1. Famille — the list of families in the workspace;
2. Sous famille — the sub-families of the chosen family, loaded automatically as soon as a family is selected.

Changing the family refreshes the sub-family list: remember to re-select the sub-family after changing the family.

In the article list

The Articles list has a Famille column, which lets you see the classification of each reference at a glance.

Good practice

Design the tree on paper first

Since nothing can be corrected afterwards, write down the list of families and sub-families before entering it. A structure of 5 to 15 families, each with a few sub-families, stays readable in a dropdown.

Name for the dropdown

Names appear as-is on the article record. Prefer short, unambiguous labels, and avoid repeating the family name inside the sub-family name: the hierarchy is already visible on screen.

Plan for a "Miscellaneous" family

Since nothing can be renamed or deleted, a catch-all family for poorly classified articles avoids creating permanent families in a hurry.

Messages and troubleshooting

Situation	Message	What to do
Family saved	Famille créée avec succès	—
Sub-family saved	Sous-famille créée avec succès	—
The name is empty	No message; clicking Enregistrer does nothing	Enter a name, then try again.
Saving fails on the server	No message; the window stays open	Close the window with ✕, reload the screen and check whether the family was created; contact support if it keeps failing.
The session has expired	Automatic return to the sign-in screen	Sign in again and re-enter the data.
A sub-family is missing from the article record	—	Check that it is attached to the family selected on the record.

Known limitations in this version

• A family or sub-family can neither be renamed nor deleted.
• The tree is limited to two levels: a sub-family cannot be divided further.
• The screen has no search field and no pagination, and is limited to the first 50 families.
• If saving fails, no error message is shown: the window simply stays open. A duplicate name therefore goes unnoticed.
• In the Ajouter sous-famille window, the Nom de la famille field can be edited even though it is only a reminder.

See also

• Brands — the other classification axis of the article record.
• Sales management → Articles — the article record and its Famille column.
• Sites — the stock locations that physically hold the articles.