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Setting up and managing tool categories

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Tool categories help organize equipment in your space into logical groups, making it easier for users to find and select tool instances.

Overview​

Tool categories are:

  • Space-specific: Categories you create are unique to your space
  • Visual organizers: Help users find equipment when checking in
  • Flexible: Can be customized to match your space's needs
  • Independent: Not related to tool instance permissions or Parchment Digital Badges

This guide will cover setting up and editing tool categories in your space. Please check out our guide on editing tool instances for how to modify the tool categories on a given tool instance.

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Looking to assign tool categories to tool instances? Check our guide on editing tool instances.

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Tool categories organize instances within a space. Tools define equipment and its training requirements across spaces. Learn more about tools.

Example organization​

For example, the Terrapin Works Instructional Fabrication space uses these configured category names:

  • CNC Machines: For computer-controlled equipment
  • Manual Machining: For manually operated equipment

Best practices​

  • Create broad, intuitive categories
  • Avoid categories with very few tool instances
  • Use names that make sense to your users
  • Group similar equipment together
  • Consider how users search for equipment

Adding or editing tool categories​

  1. Sign in to Pinpoint, select the space you want to manage, and select Tool categories.

  2. To add a new tool category, click the plus icon on the top right. To edit an existing tool category, click the pencil icon next to an existing tool category. Enter the category name, then select the check (✓) icon to save or the X icon to cancel.

Tool categories with Active and Archived tabs and row actions

Archiving and restoring tool categories​

  1. In the active categories table, select Archive tool category for the category you want to hide.
  2. Review the confirmation dialog and its list of affected tool instances. Archiving a category hides its assigned instances from users during equipment selection.
  3. Select Archive to confirm or Cancel to leave the category active.

To restore a category, find it in the Archived tool categories table and select Unarchive tool category. The category becomes active again; individual archived instances remain unavailable until they are restored separately.