Handling unit types

A handling unit is a reusable carrier: a tote, a pallet, a cart. A handling unit type describes a kind of carrier: its size, whether it holds goods or other carriers, and whether it comes back. The list of types is common to all warehouses. Individual carriers of a type (the units, with their own codes) are registered later in the warehouse sidebar.

How to open it

1. Switch to Enterprise. See Enterprise sidebar.
2. Open Configuration > Handling Unit Types.

The menu item is handling_unit_type_menu. It opens the list handling_unit_type_list_form. The card is handling_unit_type_normal_form. The data object is handling_unit_type (table enterprise.handling_unit_type). The screens come from the migration 080_handling_unit_screens.sql.

The list

Label	Column	Type	Visible	What it shows
ID	id	Whole number	No	The type id.
Code	code	Text	Yes	The code of the type.
Name	name	Text	Yes	The name.
Active	active	Yes/No	Yes	Whether new units may be registered and used.
Inventory	holds_inventory	Yes/No	Yes	Whether the carrier holds goods.
Containers	holds_containers	Yes/No	Yes	Whether the carrier holds other carriers.
Returnable	returnable	Yes/No	Yes	Whether the carrier comes back.
Usage Policy	default_usage_policy	Text	Yes	OwnOnly, WarehouseShared, or empty.
Prefix	code_prefix	Text	Yes	The prefix of unit codes.

All columns are read only.

Button	What it does	Task page
New	Opens an empty card in place of the list (generic_new).	Creating a handling unit type
Refresh	Reads the list again (generic_refresh).

Click a row to open its card in place of the list.

The card

The card has one button, Save. It saves and goes back to the list (generic_save). There is no delete: the API has no delete method for types. To retire a type, switch Active off.

Label	Column	Type	Required	Allowed values and default	What it does
Code	code	Text, up to 30 characters. Unique.	Yes	Any text.	The stable key of the type. It cannot be changed after the first save.
Name	name	Text, up to 200 characters	Yes	Any text.	The name.
Active	active	Check box	No	On by default.	An inactive type is refused when registering units and when a unit is bound as a carrier or a box (crates/libs/wms-inventory/src/domain/handling_unit/aggregate.rs:40, crates/libs/wms-outbound/src/picking/carrier/select.rs:47, crates/libs/wms-outbound/src/picking/target/bind.rs:160).
Holds Inventory	holds_inventory	Check box	No	On by default.	A unit of a type that holds no inventory, or that holds containers, cannot take goods directly when binding a box (crates/libs/wms-outbound/src/picking/target/bind.rs:163).
Holds Containers	holds_containers	Check box	No	Off by default.	Makes the type a carrier of other units, such as a cart. Needed for Positions.
Positions	positions	Whole number	No	Empty, or 1 or more. Allowed only when Holds Containers is on.	The number of places on the carrier. A carrier is accepted for an assignment only when its type holds containers and has positions (select.rs:50).
Shippable	shippable	Check box	No	Off by default.	Stored only. It has no effect today.
Returnable	returnable	Check box	No	On by default.	A unit registered from a returnable type is marked reusable; otherwise it is marked disposable (aggregate.rs:55).
Inspect on Return	return_inspection	Check box	No	Off by default.	Stored only. It has no effect today.
Default Usage Policy	default_usage_policy	Drop-down	No	OwnOnly, WarehouseShared, or empty.	Who may use a unit by default. Empty means: decided by the owner of the unit. A unit owned by the warehouse is shared; a unit owned by a client is for that client only (aggregate.rs:65). A single unit can override it.
Inner Length	inner_length	Decimal	No	0 or more. 0 by default.	Inner size. Used to check that a planned box fits the carrier. 0 means "unknown" and skips the check (crates/libs/wms-lib-core/src/model/handling_unit/fit.rs:35).
Inner Width	inner_width	Decimal	No	0 or more. 0 by default.	As above.
Inner Height	inner_height	Decimal	No	0 or more. 0 by default.	As above.
Max Gross Weight	max_gross_weight	Decimal	No	0 or more. 0 by default.	The heaviest allowed load. Used in the same fit check. 0 means unknown.
Tare Weight	tare_weight	Decimal	No	0 or more. 0 by default.	Stored only. It has no effect today.
Code Prefix	code_prefix	Text, up to 10 characters	No	Capital letters A to Z and digits only, 1 to 10 of them.	The start of the code of each unit registered from this type. Empty gives the prefix HU.

The column tracking has no field. It is set to ByInstance, the only value: each unit is told apart by its own code, not counted as a quantity.

Rules the database enforces

Rule	Message when broken
Positions needs Holds Containers on, and must be at least 1	A check-constraint error naming ck_hut_positions.
The type must hold goods, containers, or both	ck_hut_holds_something.
Sizes and weights cannot be negative	ck_hut_physics_not_negative.
Code Prefix is 1 to 10 capital letters and digits	ck_hut_code_prefix.
Code is unique	Duplicate entry on handling_unit_type (constraint ...).

Source: crates/libs/wms-lib-sql/sql/wms-enterprise/migrations/012_handling_unit_type.sql.

Not confirmed by code: the units of Inner Length, Inner Width, Inner Height, Max Gross Weight and Tare Weight. The screen does not name them. The fit check compares them with the sizes of cartonization boxes. To verify: read the units of the cartonization policy boxes you use, and enter the type sizes in the same units.

Not confirmed by code: the exact text shown when a check constraint is broken on Save. To verify: save a type with Positions 6 and Holds Containers off.

What it affects

• Registering units. A unit is made from an active type, 1 to 500 at a time, with codes made from the prefix (aggregate.rs:7).
• Picking. A carrier or box must be of an active type that fits what the cartonization plan asks for.

Who can use it

The API methods create_handling_unit_type and update_handling_unit_type are open to the default roles ADMIN and MANAGER. list_handling_unit_type, get_handling_unit_type and count_handling_unit_type are open to ADMIN, MANAGER, SUPERVISOR, OPERATOR and VIEWER (crates/services/app-server/src/web/rpcs/handling_unit_type_rpc.rs:7). In Enterprise only ADMIN reaches the screen.

Related pages

• Creating a handling unit type
• Who can do what
• API: create_handling_unit_type, update_handling_unit_type, list_handling_unit_type. RF terminal: none for the types. Units are registered from the warehouse sidebar.