Cost Item Types

Cost Item Types allow you to categorize and organize costs in your products and resources. This feature helps you maintain consistent cost categorization across your organization and provides visual indicators for better cost management.

Overview

Cost Item Types are configurable categories that you can assign to:

  • Product Cost Items: Individual cost components within your products/services
  • Resource Primary Types: The main cost category for each resource

Each cost item type includes:

  • Name: Descriptive name for the category
  • Description: Optional detailed explanation
  • Color: Visual color indicator for UI display
  • Icon: Emoji icon for easy recognition
  • Sort Order: Custom ordering in lists
  • Active Status: Enable/disable the type

Accessing Cost Item Types

  1. Navigate to Settings in the main sidebar
  2. Click on Cost Item Types
  3. You'll see the Cost Item Types management page

Default Cost Item Types

When you first access Cost Item Types, you'll find these pre-configured types:

Type Description Color Icon Use Case
Labor Direct labor costs including salaries, wages, and contractor fees Blue (#3B82F6) 👥 Employee time, contractor work
Materials Direct materials and supplies costs Green (#10B981) 📦 Physical materials, supplies
Overhead Indirect costs including rent, utilities, and administrative expenses Amber (#F59E0B) 🏢 Office costs, utilities
Travel Travel and transportation costs Purple (#8B5CF6) ✈️ Business trips, transportation
Software Software licenses, tools, and technology costs Red (#EF4444) 💻 Software subscriptions, tools

Managing Cost Item Types

Creating a New Cost Item Type

  1. On the Cost Item Types page, click "Add Cost Item Type"
  2. Fill in the required information:
    • Name*: Enter a descriptive name (required)
    • Description: Optional detailed description
    • Color: Click the color picker to choose a visual color
    • Icon: Click the icon button to select from 60+ categorized icons
    • Sort Order: Set the display order (0 = first)
    • Active: Toggle to enable/disable the type
  3. Click "Create" to save

Editing a Cost Item Type

You can edit cost item types in two ways:

Method 1: Click on Table Row

  1. Click anywhere on a cost item type row in the table
  2. The edit dialog will open with pre-filled data
  3. Make your changes
  4. Click "Update" to save

Method 2: Use Dropdown Menu

  1. Click the three dots (⋮) menu on any row
  2. Select "Edit" from the dropdown
  3. Make your changes in the dialog
  4. Click "Update" to save

Deleting a Cost Item Type

  1. Click the three dots (⋮) menu on the row
  2. Select "Delete" from the dropdown
  3. Review the confirmation dialog:
    • Shows how many items are using this type
    • Explains what will happen to related items
  4. Click "Delete" to confirm

Important: Deleting a cost item type will:

  • Set all related cost items to "None" type
  • Set all resources using this as primary type to "None"
  • Not delete the actual cost items or resources

Icon Selection

The icon selector provides 60+ icons organized into categories:

Labor Icons

  • 👥 Users/Team, 👤 User, 💼 Briefcase, 🎓 Education, 🏆 Award, ⭐ Star, ❤️ Heart, 🤝 Handshake, 💡 Lightbulb, 🧠 Brain

Materials Icons

  • 📦 Package/Box, 🛒 Shopping Cart, 🚚 Truck, 🏭 Factory, 🔨 Hammer, 🔧 Wrench, 🪛 Screwdriver, ⚙️ Gear, 🛠️ Tools

Overhead Icons

  • 🏢 Building/Office, 🏠 Home, ⚡ Lightning, 📶 WiFi, 📞 Phone, 💻 Computer, 🖨️ Printer, ☕ Coffee, 🔌 Utilities

Travel Icons

  • 📍 Map Pin, ✈️ Plane, 🚗 Car, 🚆 Train, 🚌 Bus, 🚕 Taxi, 🚲 Bike, 🚶 Walking, 🧭 Compass, 🌍 Globe

Software Icons

  • 🖥️ Monitor, 💻 Laptop, 📱 Smartphone/Tablet, ☁️ Cloud, 🗄️ Database, 🐛 Bug, 🛡️ Shield, 🔑 Key

Finance Icons

  • 💰 Dollar Sign, 💶 Euro, 💳 Credit Card, 🏦 Bank, 📊 Chart, 🧮 Calculator, 🧾 Receipt, 📄 Invoice

Using Cost Item Types

In Products

When adding cost items to products:

  1. Go to a product's Cost Items tab
  2. Click "Add Cost Item"
  3. Select a Cost Item Type from the dropdown
  4. The type's color and icon will display in the cost items table

In Resources

When creating or editing resources:

  1. In the resource form, find the "Cost Item Type" field
  2. Select the primary cost item type for this resource
  3. The type's color and icon will display in the resources table

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

  • Use clear, descriptive names
  • Keep names consistent across your organization
  • Avoid abbreviations unless widely understood

Color Usage

  • Use distinct colors for easy visual identification
  • Consider color accessibility for team members
  • Maintain consistency with your brand colors

Icon Selection

  • Choose icons that clearly represent the cost category
  • Use consistent icon styles across similar types
  • Consider cultural context for international teams

Organization

  • Use sort order to group related types together
  • Keep active types at the top of the list
  • Archive unused types instead of deleting them

Troubleshooting

Can't Delete a Cost Item Type

If you see a warning about the type being "in use":

  • The dialog shows exactly how many items are affected
  • You can still delete it - related items will be set to "None"
  • This is a safety feature to inform you of the impact

Icon Not Displaying

  • Ensure the icon field is not empty
  • Check that the icon ID matches one from the icon selector
  • Try selecting a different icon and saving

Color Not Showing

  • Verify the color field contains a valid hex code (e.g., #3B82F6)
  • Check that the color picker is working properly
  • Try selecting a different color and saving

Type Not Appearing in Dropdowns

  • Ensure the cost item type is marked as "Active"
  • Check that you're in the correct customer/organization context
  • Verify the type hasn't been soft-deleted

Related Features

  • Products: Assign cost item types to individual cost components
  • Resources: Set primary cost item types for resource categorization
  • Reports: Filter and group by cost item types in financial reports
  • Analytics: Track cost distribution across different types

Permissions

Cost Item Types management requires appropriate permissions:

  • View: See existing cost item types
  • Create: Add new cost item types
  • Edit: Modify existing cost item types
  • Delete: Remove cost item types (with safety checks)

Contact your system administrator if you need access to these features.