About Components

Learn how Components work in Craftybase.

A component is a way to create a new material from other raw materials. This component material can then be used in other products. This is also commonly known in manufacturing situations as a sub-assembly.


Inside this article:


When you create a component, a material will automatically be created and linked directly to the component. This is called a component material.


Components can have recipes of other materials in exactly the same way as products. When a manufacture is created for a component, the quantity of the component material is increased. The component itself doesn't hold stock and acts much like a "factory" to produce more component materials.

Example: For a baker, a component could be Buttercream Icing, as a single batch could be prepared for use on all the cakes made that day. For a jeweler a component could be clasps that are prepared in advance and used in a variety of different products.

Unlike materials, components can not be increased in stock by creating expenses as they cannot be directly purchased. The only way to increase stock of a component is to create a manufacture for it or set a starting adjustment (if you are bringing forward stock from a previous tracking system).

For a detailed tutorial on Components, please see our  Introduction to Components

To find a component detail page:

1. Click on the Component tab in the top menu bar

2. Click on the name of the component you wish to view.

Components are available for STUDIO and above plans.


Component materials

A Component Material tracks the amount of a material you have manufactured from your component. When a component is first created, a linked material is also created. Unlike materials, Component Materials cannot be increased in quantity through expenses. Instead, whenever a Manufacture is created for a component, the quantity of the component material will be increased.


Multi-level components

The Multi-level component feature allows the creation of more than one level deep of components. This means that your component can have a recipe that uses another component.

Multi-level components are useful if your workflow involves several steps to create your final product, or if you would like to use both components and product bundling at the same time.

You can automate the manufactures for components via the Auto Manufacture Components feature if necessary ( How do I set a component to auto-manufacture itself?).

Some examples of multi-level components using bundling are:

1. You make buttercream which is used in a cupcake product, which can then be combined into different cupcake bundles.

2. You make felt, which is then used to create a pincushion, which is then combined into different product bundles.

Some examples of multi-level components that do not use bundling are:

2. You make your own butter, which is then included in buttercream and then used to ultimately create a cake.

3. You make chocolate. Your raw cocoa beans are processed into roasted cocoa beans, crushed into nibs, and then combined with milk and sugar. These sub-processes can be tracked via multi-level components.

This feature is available in our INDIE and above plans.


Automanufacturing components

Components can be configured to automanufacture themselves when included in a product manufacture. This is particularly useful for bundling and kitting situations.

This can be done either on any recipe that includes the component or alternatively on each manufacture that consumes the component.

Directly underneath the material on the recipe form, a small wizard wand icon will appear with a checkbox. Check the box if you would like each manufacture to automatically set the component to auto-manufacture.

On the Manufacture form, for each component in the material list a similar icon will appear:

If the auto manufacture checkbox remains as selected and the manufacture is saved, the quantity of the component required will automatically be manufactured and will be assigned to the manufacture as the Lot Number. 

This feature is available on INDIE+ plans.


Componentizing a product

It is possible to create a component directly from a product using the Componentize feature. This is useful if you need to restructure your existing products so that they can be used in product bundles.

To  componentize a product:

1. Navigate to the product you wish to copy ( How do I find my product details page?)

2. Hover your mouse over the vertical ellipsis (⋮) to the left of the product name

3. Select the Componentize option that appears in the menu.

This will instantly create a component with the same name as your product. It will also move the existing recipe (if one exists) to the component and then replace your product's recipe with a reference to the component.

This feature is available on INDIE+ plans.


Productize a component

Due to the complexities around how components and products differ, it is unfortunately not possible to convert a component into a product at this time.

Did this answer your question? Thanks for the feedback There was a problem submitting your feedback. Please try again later.