> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.jingjaiops.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Inventory Categories

> Custom categories for organizing inventory, with prefixes, Thai names, and reorder.

Categories group inventory items by type — Camera, Lighting, Audio, Grip, etc. They control the asset ID prefix, the filter dropdown in the inventory list, and the grouping on PDFs.

## Default categories

JingjaiOps starts with these categories:

| Category     | Prefix | Thai          |
| ------------ | ------ | ------------- |
| Camera       | CAM    | กล้อง         |
| Lens         | LEN    | เลนส์         |
| Audio        | AUD    | ระบบเสียง     |
| Lighting     | LIT    | แสง           |
| Grip         | GRP    | กริป          |
| Power        | PWR    | ไฟฟ้า         |
| Cases & Bags | CASE   | กระเป๋าและเคส |
| Accessories  | ACC    | อุปกรณ์เสริม  |

You can edit, add, or deactivate any of these in **Settings → Categories**.

## Why categories matter

Categories are not just organization — they affect:

* **Asset ID prefix** — Each item's Asset ID starts with the category prefix.
* **Bulk filtering** — The category filter on the inventory list.
* **Quote PDF grouping** — Line items can be grouped by category for clarity.
* **Thai display** — Each category has a Thai name shown to Thai customers.
* **Reports** — Revenue and utilization reports break down by category.

## Adding a new category

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings → Categories">
    Sidebar → Settings → Categories tab.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click 'New Category'">
    A form opens.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the name (English)">
    The display name in EN.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the name (Thai)">
    Optional but strongly recommended.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the prefix">
    3–5 uppercase letters. Used for Asset IDs in this category.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Category is active. New items can be assigned to it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Editing a category

You can edit a category's name and Thai name at any time:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings → Categories">
    The categories list shows every category.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click the pencil icon">
    Edit name or Thai name.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Changes apply immediately. All items in the category show the new name.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  You **cannot** change the prefix of a category that already has items assigned. The prefix is part of every existing Asset ID. To change a prefix, archive the category and create a new one.
</Warning>

## Reordering categories

Drag categories up and down to set the display order. The order applies everywhere:

* The category filter dropdown
* The inventory list grouping (when grouped by category)
* Quote PDF order (if grouped by category)

Most businesses put their most-used categories at the top.

## Deactivating vs deleting

You can't delete a category that has any items. Instead, **deactivate** it:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the category">
    Click the category in Settings.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click 'Deactivate'">
    The category disappears from new-item creation but existing items retain their assignment.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Deactivated categories still show in reports and historical PDFs. They just can't be picked for new items.

To fully delete a category, first reassign every item out of it (or archive every item), then click **Delete**. This is rarely needed — deactivation is usually enough.

## Thai name field

Every category has a **Thai name** field in addition to the English name. This Thai name is what Thai customers see:

* On bilingual quote and invoice PDFs (Thai-first if the customer is Thai)
* In the customer portal when language is set to TH
* In the AI Job Report's Thai version

If you don't set a Thai name, the English name is shown in both languages — which works but isn't ideal for Thai customers.

<Tip>
  Use category prefixes consistently with industry conventions when you can. CAM/LEN/AUD/LIT are widely understood by film and broadcast crews; novel prefixes work but cost a beat of recognition during scans.
</Tip>