# Add a product and its parts list

> Add your first product and its parts list, by hand or by importing a CSV.

The **Add a product** flow creates a product, its first revision and its parts list in one go. You do not need to learn the data model first. You can change anything later.

## Start the flow

Use either of these:

- Open **Parts & BOMs** and select **Add a product**.
- Select **Add product** on the "Set up your workspace" checklist.

Both open `/products/new`. Nothing is saved until the last step.

## The four steps

1. **Name it.** Enter a product name. You can also set a short code, used on labels (leave it empty to use the suggestion), and the unit it is counted in: Each, Sets or Kits.
2. **What goes into it.** List the parts. For each part, enter a name and how many go into one product. Then say how you track it.
3. **Import (optional).** Paste or upload a CSV parts list instead of typing every part. Skip this step if you listed the parts by hand.
4. **Finish.** Review the product and its parts, then select **Create product**.

### How you track each part

For each part, choose one of three options. The choice sets the part's kind:

| You choose | You mean | Part kind |
|---|---|---|
| By quantity | You count how many you have, like screws or capacitors. | `RAW` |
| By serial number | Each one is unique and traceable, like radios or sensors. | `COMPONENT` |
| We build it | Something you put together yourselves first. | `ASSEMBLY` |

Parts you track by quantity are stocked in bulk, by lot. Parts you track by serial number are received one serial at a time. A part you build is built with its own build order.

## Import a parts list from a CSV

On step 3, either paste the text into the **Parts list** box or select **Upload a CSV file**. The CSV can be at most 5 MiB.

- The first row holds the column headings. BuildTrace matches them case-insensitively and suggests which heading is which. You can change the match with the drop-downs.
- Only the **Part name** column is required. These are optional: **Quantity**, **Part number**, **Manufacturer part #** and **How it is tracked**.
- Headings such as `name`, `qty`, `part number`, `mpn` and `tracking` are matched for you.

Select **Preview** to read the file. BuildTrace shows each line as New or "Already in your parts", along with any warnings.

The import follows these rules:

- A blank or invalid quantity becomes 1, with a warning.
- A row with a blank name is skipped, with a warning.
- The part code comes from the Part number first, then the Manufacturer part #, then the name.
- A line is marked as matched when a part with that code already exists. Otherwise it is new.

Select **Use these parts** to copy the preview into your parts list and go to the last step. The previewed parts are added to any you typed by hand.

## Create the product

On the last step, review the list. Turn on **Lock for production** if the product is final and ready to build. Leave it off to keep editing freely.

Select **Create product**. BuildTrace then does all of this in one transaction, so a failure leaves nothing half-made:

- creates the product part, as an assembly;
- creates its v1 revision;
- creates a single-level BOM with your parts as the lines.

Parts you track by quantity or by serial number are released when they are created. If you turned on **Lock for production**, the product's v1 revision is released too. A released revision cannot be edited. See [Parts and revisions](https://buildtrace.eu/docs/concepts/parts-and-revisions.md).

When it is done, select **Open product** to see it in **Parts & BOMs**, or **Add another**.

## Do the same from a script

You can run the same steps through the API. Call `previewProductImport` to check a CSV, then `commitProductImport` to create the product. Both need the `parts:write` scope. Send the `csv` field as raw text or as base64. Use a service-account token. You create service accounts in **Settings**.

## Next

[Create your first build order](https://buildtrace.eu/docs/getting-started/first-build-order.md).