The Items tab is your reusable item library. Instead of typing the same service or product details every time you create an invoice, save them once in the Items library and they’ll appear as smart suggestions whenever you add a line item to a new invoice or estimate. This guide covers the Items list, the item editor, and how suggestions work.
Opening the Items Tab
Tap the Items icon (the box icon, third tab in the bottom tab bar) to open your item library. This is a flat list of all your saved template items, sorted alphabetically by default.
The Toolbar
Four icons sit in the top-right corner:
| Icon | Action |
|---|---|
| Three horizontal lines | Sort — opens a bottom sheet with sort options |
| Magnifying glass | Search — toggles an inline search bar |
| Checkmark circle | Multi-select — enables selection mode for bulk delete |
| Plus (+) | New item — opens the item editor to create a new template item |
Reading an Item Row
Each item in the list displays:
- Tag icon (blue/purple tag) — on the left
- Description (bold) — the name of the item or service, limited to 2 lines
- Calculation — below the description, showing quantity, unit, and unit cost (e.g., “1.00 Hours x $25.00” or “3 x $10.00 per Pieces”)
- Total (bold, green) — on the right, calculated as (Quantity × Unit Cost) minus any discount
Sort Options
Tap the sort icon (three horizontal lines) to open the sort sheet. You can sort by:
| Sort By | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Description | Alphabetical by item name (default) |
| Unit Cost | By price per unit |
| Quantity | By the default quantity |
| Total | By the calculated total |
Each option can be toggled between Ascending and Descending order. Your sort preference is saved and persists between sessions. Tap Apply to confirm or Cancel to dismiss.
Search
Tap the magnifying glass to open the search bar. Type to filter items instantly — the search checks:
- Item description
- Unit cost (including currency symbol)
- Quantity
- Total (including currency symbol)
Tap the X inside the search bar to clear the text, or the X button on the right to close search entirely.
Multi-Select & Bulk Delete
Tap the checkmark circle icon to enter multi-select mode:
- Each row shows a circular checkbox (filled blue when selected)
- A header bar appears with the selection count, plus “Select All” / “Deselect All” toggle
- Tap the trash icon to delete all selected items (a confirmation dialog appears)
- Tap X to exit multi-select mode
You can also swipe left on any individual row to reveal the Delete button — swipe all the way for a quick delete.
Creating a New Template Item
Tap the + button in the toolbar. The item editor opens with the title “Template Item” and five sections organized as cards.
1. Description Card
Enter the name or description of your item or service. The field supports up to 600 characters. If you type enough text, an “Improve with AI” button appears to refine your description into more professional language.
2. Pricing Card
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Unit Cost | The price per unit. Tap the displayed amount to edit it. Shown with your currency symbol (e.g., $50.00). |
| Unit Type | Choose from three pill buttons: Hours, Days, or Pieces. This sets how quantity is measured. |
| Quantity | The default number of units. Use the + and – stepper buttons or tap to type directly. Hours allow decimal values (e.g., 1.50); Days and Pieces use whole numbers. |
3. Options Card
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Taxable | Toggle whether this item is subject to tax. Only appears if your business has a tax type configured (not “None”). |
| Discount | Toggle to enable a discount for this item. |
| Discount Type | When discount is on, choose Percentage or Flat Amount using a segmented control. |
| Discount Amount | Enter the discount value. For percentages, enter 0–100 (capped at 100). Shows “%” or currency symbol based on type. |
4. Notes Card
Optional comments or notes about this item. These notes carry over when the item is used as a suggestion on an invoice. Also supports “Improve with AI”.
5. Summary Card
A live calculation summary at the bottom:
| Row | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Subtotal | Unit Cost × Quantity |
| Discount | Discount amount (shown in red, only if discount is active). Shows the type indicator (e.g., “10.0%”) |
| Total | Subtotal minus discount — displayed in large bold text with your theme color |
Saving the Item
Tap Save in the top-right corner. The following fields are required:
- Description (cannot be blank)
- Unit Cost (cannot be $0.00)
- Unit Type (must be selected)
- Quantity (must be greater than 0)
If any required field is missing, an alert titled “Incomplete Item” lists what needs to be filled out.
Editing an Existing Item
Tap any item in the list to open it in the same editor. Make your changes and tap Save. The updated values will carry forward to future suggestions but won’t change items already on existing invoices — template items and invoice line items are independent.
How Suggested Items Work
This is the most powerful reason to build your Items library. When you add a line item to an invoice or estimate, your saved items appear as smart suggestions — saving you time and ensuring consistency.
The Flow
- Open an invoice or estimate and tap “Add Item”
- Start typing in the Description field (at least 2 characters)
- A Suggestions section appears below the description with a 💡 lightbulb icon, showing matching items from your library
- Up to 5 matching suggestions are shown at a time
- Tap a suggestion to auto-fill all fields instantly
What Gets Matched
Suggestions are filtered by matching what you type against the description of items in your library. The matching is case-insensitive. For example, typing “con” would match “Concrete”, “Consultation”, and “Concrete Polishing”.
Items that are already on the current invoice are automatically excluded from suggestions, so you won’t see duplicates.
What a Suggestion Shows
Each suggestion in the list displays:
- Description — the item name
- Price per unit — e.g., “$25.00 / Hours”
- Quantity badge — the saved default quantity
- Discount tag (red) — if the item has a discount, e.g., “10.0% off”
- Taxable tag (green) — if the item is taxable
What Happens When You Tap a Suggestion
Tapping a suggestion copies every field from the template into your invoice line item:
- Description
- Unit Cost
- Unit Type (Hours, Days, or Pieces)
- Quantity
- Discount Amount and Discount Type
- Taxable setting
- Comments/Notes
You’ll feel a haptic tap confirming the selection. All fields update instantly and the suggestions list closes. You can still edit any field after selecting a suggestion — the values are copied, not locked.
Important: Each invoice line item gets its own unique ID, even when created from a suggestion. Changing the template item later won’t affect items already on existing invoices, and editing the invoice line item won’t change the template.
When Suggestions Don’t Appear
- When editing a template item in the Items library (suggestions only appear when adding items to invoices/estimates)
- When you’ve typed fewer than 2 characters
- When no items in your library match what you’ve typed
- You can dismiss the suggestions section by tapping the X button on the header
Template Items vs. Invoice Line Items
| Feature | Template Item (Items Library) | Invoice Line Item |
|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | Items tab | On a specific invoice or estimate |
| Purpose | Reusable preset / suggestion source | Actual billed item on a document |
| Created from | Items tab → + button | Invoice editor → Add Item |
| Linked to invoice | No | Yes (has an invoice/estimate ID) |
| Editable independently | Yes | Yes (changes don’t affect the template) |
| Shows in suggestions | Yes | No |
Sync & Offline Behavior
- Items sync between your device and the cloud automatically
- Pull down on the Items list to force a refresh from the server
- The list refreshes in the background every 60 seconds
- When offline, you can browse your locally cached items but cannot create or edit items — an alert will let you know
- Suggestions still work offline using your locally cached library
Tips & Best Practices
| Tip | Details |
|---|---|
| Build your library early | Add your most common services and products first. The more items you save, the faster invoicing becomes. |
| Set accurate defaults | Save items with the unit cost, quantity, discount, and tax settings you use most often. Suggestions copy everything. |
| Use descriptive names | Clear descriptions make suggestions more useful. “Concrete Polishing — Standard” is better than “Service”. |
| Adjust after selecting | Suggestions are a starting point. After tapping a suggestion, adjust the quantity or unit cost for the specific job. |
| Keep templates updated | If your rates change, update the template in the Items library. New invoices will get the updated price, but existing invoices stay unchanged. |
| Use different units | Hours for time-based services, Days for daily rates, Pieces for product quantities. |
| Add notes to templates | Item notes carry over to invoices. Use them for scope details or terms that should appear on every invoice for that service. |
