Tailoring: getting started and setup
LedgerLite Tailoring is a separate app inside LedgerLite for shops that make garments to order. This page explains what the app does, how it connects to your accounts, and how to set it up. Setting up Tailoring posts nothing to your accounts.
- Where
- Switch on: Settings › Apps. Then open Tailoring › Home and Tailoring › Setup
- Number
- None. Setup records have no document numbers
- Posts to
- Nothing. Setup changes only Tailoring’s own lists
- Who
- Administrators change Setup. Managers and cashiers can look
What it’s for
Section titled “What it’s for”What the Tailoring app is
Section titled “What the Tailoring app is”Tailoring has its own icon, menu and screens. It is made for tailoring a Kandura: the long robe that men wear in the UAE (also called a thobe). You take an order, measure the customer, follow each Kandura through the workshop, and hand it over. It is not a second set of books. It works on the same books as the rest of LedgerLite.
These words are used on all four Tailoring pages.
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Kandura | One garment. An order can hold many Kanduras, for one person or for a whole family |
| Order | What the customer asked for: the Kanduras, the price, the ready-by day. It is numbered when you confirm it |
| Model | A style you offer. Each model has its own tailoring fee and tailor pay |
| Option | An extra on a Kandura that can add to the price: collar, cuff, pocket, embroidery or tassel (a small hanging cord at the neck) |
| Fabric | Cloth that you sell by the yard. A customer can also bring Customer’s own fabric |
| Deposit | Money the customer pays toward an order before the Kanduras are ready. A later deposit is one taken after the order was confirmed |
| Tag | The printed label on each Kandura. Its code is the order number and the Kandura’s line, such as 1001-2. The Kandura’s own page opens when you press the tag |
| QC | The quality check at the end of the workshop |
| Hand-over | Giving finished Kanduras to the customer. This is when the sale is invoiced. The Deliver button on an order opens it |
| Tailor’s statement | A monthly list of what one tailor earned. It posts nothing |
How Tailoring connects to LedgerLite
Section titled “How Tailoring connects to LedgerLite”Tailoring uses what LedgerLite already holds.
| Tailoring uses | How it is connected |
|---|---|
| Users and roles | The same sign-in as LedgerLite. Tailoring has its own list of permissions, so a role can be allowed some Tailoring actions and not others. |
| Customers | The same customers as Sales. A customer you add in Tailoring is an ordinary LedgerLite customer. Tailoring adds the family members on the account and their measurements. It will not add a second customer with a mobile number that already belongs to one. |
| Stock | Fabrics are ordinary stock items counted in yards. Stock comes in through purchasing, and prices are changed on the stock item. |
| Employees | The people who work in the workshop are employees from Payroll. Tailoring never changes the employee. |
What reaches your accounts
Section titled “What reaches your accounts”Only two Tailoring steps post to your accounts. Everything else posts nothing.
| Step | What happens in your accounts | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Setup, Home and reports | Nothing | This page |
| Deposit, with the order or later | A customer payment into the cash or bank account you choose (a card deposit goes to Card and Payment Clearing). The money is kept as customer advance in 2300 Customer Deposits. There is no sale, no VAT and no stock movement | Orders and deposits |
| Workshop steps and tailor pay | Nothing. The cloth stays in stock and no cost is booked. A tailor’s statement is only a list: you enter its total in the pay run by hand | Production and workshop |
| Hand-over | One sales invoice for the Kanduras handed over. The deposit is used against it, the customer pays any balance, and the cloth leaves stock. This is the only step where fabric leaves stock | Collection and reports |
Documents that a hand-over makes are corrected from Tailoring, not from Sales. Sales refuses to edit them. Collection and reports explains this.
Switching Tailoring on or off
Section titled “Switching Tailoring on or off”- Tailoring is off until an administrator switches it on. Go to Settings › Apps, find LedgerLite Tailoring and use its switch. Switching on happens at once.
- Once it is on, the app’s card has an Open button.
- Switching off asks first. The window is titled Switch off Tailoring? and says the app, its icon and its pages disappear for everyone and nothing is deleted. You can switch it on again at any time.
- Only an administrator can change this. Everyone else sees Only an administrator can change apps.
- While the app is off, anyone who opens it sees only Tailoring is switched off. An administrator can switch it on in Settings → Apps.
What Setup covers
Section titled “What Setup covers”Setup is a group in the Tailoring menu. Work through it in this order.
- Measurements. What your tailor measures.
- Models and options. The styles you offer, and extras that add to a price.
- Fabrics. Which stock items are fabric, and how wide each cloth is.
- Price charts. Yards needed, tailoring fees and tailor pay by length, and the price basics.
- Workshop. The steps a Kandura goes through, when tailors earn pay, the Fabric store, and the people.
- Messages. The WhatsApp wording for “ready to collect”.
- Import. Bringing in customers, family members and measurements from a file.
Setup does not create opening stock. A fabric is a stock item that already exists in LedgerLite. Marking it as fabric only records its width and whether you offer it.
Fields
Section titled “Fields”Models and options
Section titled “Models and options”Tailoring › Setup › Models and options. Each model gets its own tailoring fee and tailor pay in the price charts.
| Field | What it means | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Code | 1 to 5 letters or numbers, for example K. It is made into capitals as you type | How the model is named on lists and charts |
| Name | The model’s name, up to 80 characters | The name shown when an order is taken |
| Note | Optional, up to 500 characters, for example collar, buttons, tassel | A reminder for staff |
| Position in lists | A whole number from 0 to 9999. Empty puts the model at the end | The order models are listed in |
| Offered for new orders | On or off | Off only stops new orders. Kanduras already ordered are not affected |
Options are listed by group.
| Field | What it means | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Group | Collar, Cuff, Pocket, Embroidery or Tassel | Where the option is listed |
| Name | The option’s name, up to 80 characters. A group cannot have the same name twice | The name shown at order time |
| Extra charge | In AED, up to 2 decimals. Enter 0 for no extra charge | The amount added to the Kandura’s price |
| Offered for new orders | On or off | Whether the option can be chosen on a new order |
Orders already confirmed keep the price they were confirmed at, so changing an extra charge only affects new orders.
Fabrics
Section titled “Fabrics”Tailoring › Setup › Fabrics. The list shows every stock item that is fabric, or could be. Price and stock are read from the stock list, so you never type them here.
A stock item can be fabric only if it is an active stock item (not a service) counted in yards (unit YD, YDS, YARD or YARDS).
The Fabric categories card at the top names the stock categories your fabric is kept in. Choose categories opens a list with a tick box for each. Items in those categories that are counted in yards appear in the list even before they have a width. If some items are not counted in yards, a note tells you how many. Change their unit to YD in the catalogue.
| Field | What it means | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Search | A name, SKU or barcode | Narrows the list |
| Category | One fabric category, or all | Narrows the list |
| Colour family | One colour family, or all | Narrows the list |
| Status | All, Needs width or Has width | Narrows the list |
The list shows each fabric’s name, SKU, roll barcode, colour family, category, Width (with its chart column in brackets), Price a yard, In stock and Status. A fabric with no width shows Needs width. Cost a yard shows only to people who may see costs. Status is Offered, Not offered, Stock item switched off, Not counted in yards, or a dash.
The width decides which column of the yards chart a fabric is read in. Under 44 inches reads the 36/38″ column. From 44 up to under 58 inches reads the 44″ column. From 58 inches up reads the 58/60″ column.
Add a fabric asks for four things.
| Field | What it means | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Stock item | Search by name, SKU or barcode, then choose one. An item that is already fabric, or is not counted in yards, is listed with the reason and cannot be chosen | Which stock item becomes fabric |
| Width of the cloth | In inches, for example 60. Above 0 and at most 200, up to 2 decimals | Which chart column the fabric reads |
| Barcode | Optional. A code on the roll. Another fabric cannot use the same code | How the fabric is found |
| Offered for new orders | On or off | Whether the fabric can be chosen on a new order |
Set width gives many fabrics one width at once. Tick the rows, then press Set width. You can also give each row its own roll barcode, or leave the box empty to keep the barcode it has. A stock item that is not fabric yet becomes fabric and is offered. A fabric that already exists keeps its offered state. The save is all or nothing: if one row is refused, none is saved and each wrong row says why. You can set at most 1,000 fabrics at a time.
You can also set a width on the stock item’s own form. A Tailoring card with the field Width (Tailoring) shows on stock items that are fabric, or that are counted in yards in one of your fabric categories.
Price charts
Section titled “Price charts”Tailoring › Setup › Price charts. Price charts decide what a Kandura costs. A length is read in whole inches, at the next row up. A measured length of 58.5 uses the 59 row. A length past the longest row uses the last row.
There are four tabs.
| Tab | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Yards needed | How many yards of cloth a Kandura needs, by length and by fabric width (36/38″, 44″, 58/60″) |
| Tailoring fees | What you charge for the stitching, by length, for all models or one model |
| Tailor pay | What a tailor is paid, by length, for all models or one model. Only people who may see costs see this tab |
| Price basics | The longest chart length, the rush charge and the minimum deposit |
A rule is a length band, a value and a start date. A fee or pay rule for All models is used for any model that has no rule of its own.
A rule is never changed. To change a price, add a rule with a later start date. The older rule stays as history, and orders keep the price they were confirmed at. Each rule has a status.
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| In force | It prices at least one row today |
| Starts ‹date› | It has not started yet |
| Replaced | A newer rule prices every row it covers |
To add a rule, fill in this form and press Add rule.
| Field | What it means | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric width (yards) or Applies to (fees and pay) | The cloth width column, or All models or one model | Which orders the rule prices |
| From length (″) | The first chart row, in whole inches | The start of the band |
| To length (″) | The last chart row. This row is included | The end of the band |
| Yards needed, Tailoring fee or Tailor pay | Yards (up to 4 decimals), or an amount in AED above zero | What the rule charges |
| Size name | Fees and pay only. Optional, for example Big | A label on the price |
| Effective from | The first day the rule applies. It starts as today | When the rule starts to price orders |
Two rules for the same width or model, with overlapping lengths and the same start date, are refused.
Import from a file loads a whole chart from a CSV file in two steps. You choose the file, the app shows what it would add (or lists every problem with its row and column), and then you press Import ‹N› rules. The whole file is saved, or none of it. Download an empty file to fill in gives you a template. Rules already in the chart are not changed.
Remove rule works only for a rule that has not started.
Test a length is a card beside each chart. Choose a model, a fabric (or Customer’s own fabric), a length and a day. It shows the yards and the prices an order would get. Nothing is saved.
Price basics has three fields and one read-only note.
| Field | What it means | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Longest chart length (″) | A longer Kandura is priced from this row. Empty means no limit. A company that never saved its basics uses 60 | Prices of long Kanduras |
| Rush charge | In AED, added to a rush Kandura. A company that never saved its basics uses 30.00 | The price of a rush Kandura |
| Minimum deposit (%) | The least deposit that confirms an order, as a share of its total. A company that never saved its basics uses 30. A manager may accept less | The deposit asked when an order is confirmed |
| VAT (read only) | Follows the company’s tax settings. It says whether prices include VAT, and at what rate | Nothing. Change VAT in Business settings |
Workshop
Section titled “Workshop”Tailoring › Setup › Workshop. The first part, Workshop steps and pay, is for administrators only.
| Field | What it means | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Cutting | A cutter cuts the cloth and records the yards used | Whether Kanduras go through the cutting step |
| Finishing | Buttons, pressing and trims after stitching | Whether Kanduras go through finishing |
| Quality check | A checker passes or fails each Kandura before it is ready | Whether Kanduras go through QC |
| A tailor earns the pay | When stitching is done, or When the garment passes QC | The moment a Kandura counts as earned on the tailor’s statement |
| Fabric store | A store or warehouse that is switched on in LedgerLite | Where the cloth leaves stock at hand-over |
Below the switches, the screen shows the order every Kandura follows, such as To cut → Cutting → To assign → Stitching → Finishing → QC → Ready. A Kandura already in a step you switch off moves on to the next step in use. The pay a tailor gets is frozen when the Kandura is given to them. This setting only decides when it counts as earned. Production and workshop explains the steps.
Every hand-over takes all its cloth from the Fabric store. Until you choose one, the oldest store that is switched on is used (a store is picked before a warehouse). If there is no store or warehouse yet, the screen says so, and a hand-over that needs cloth cannot be made.
The second part is the list of people. It is shown to everyone who may look.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Name | The employee’s name and code |
| Role | Tailor, Cutter, Finisher or QC inspector |
| Grade | Optional, up to 10 characters, for example A |
| Status | Works here, Switched off, or Left the company |
Add person (administrators only) asks you to find an employee from the payroll by name or code, then choose a Role and, if you want, a Grade. Change lets you edit only the grade and the Works in the workshop switch. A person who stops is switched off, not deleted, so what they did stays on record. A person can have one profile for each role.
Measurements, Messages and Import
Section titled “Measurements, Messages and Import”- Measurements. Add or change what your tailor measures. Each measurement has an English name, an optional Arabic name, a usual shortest and longest length in inches, a position, Must be filled in and Asked for on new measurements. Nothing is deleted. A retired measurement is no longer asked for, and old measurements keep their values.
- Messages. The wording of the WhatsApp message for “ready to collect”. LedgerLite sends nothing. A person opens WhatsApp from the order and presses send.
- Import. Brings in customers, family members and measurements from a CSV file. You see what it would do before anything is saved. Customers who are not in LedgerLite yet are created first, and they stay even if the rest cannot be saved. The people and measurements are then saved all or nothing. Open orders with deposits are not imported. They need opening advances in LedgerLite.
Tailoring › Home. Home is where Tailoring opens. Everyone sees a greeting and four buttons.
| Button | Who sees it | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| New order | People who may take orders | A new order |
| Price calculator | Everyone | The price calculator |
| Workshop scan | People who may see production | The workshop scan |
| Ready to collect | Everyone | The Kanduras ready to hand over |
People who may read Tailoring reports (managers and administrators) also see the day’s figures. Everyone else sees only The day’s figures are for managers and administrators. Use the buttons above to start an order, scan a Kandura or hand one over.
| Tile or card | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Due today | Orders promised for today. A plus means there are more than the list holds |
| Overdue | Orders past their promised date |
| Ready to collect | Orders with Ready Kanduras, and how many Kanduras wait |
| In production | Kanduras in the workshop |
| Deposits held | Customer deposits for Kanduras not yet handed over |
| Waiting for measurements | Orders still waiting for measurements. Only people who may see orders |
| Workshop now | How many Kanduras are in each step. Open board goes to the board for people who may see production |
| Overdue and due today | Up to eight orders, longest late first, with where their Kanduras are |
| Waiting longest to be collected | Up to eight orders with Ready Kanduras, how long they have waited, and the balance the customer would pay |
| Latest activity | A preview only. It carries the badge Preview – sample data and shows made-up entries, not your orders |
A figure that could not be read shows a dash, never a zero, and one message says why, with Try again.
Buttons
Section titled “Buttons”None of these buttons changes your accounts. Each saves a Tailoring setting. Buttons for changing things show only to people who may change Setup.
| Button | When you see it | What happens | Accounts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add model, Save model, Add option, Save option | Models and options | Adds or saves a model, or an option and its extra charge | No change |
| Change (the ⋯ menu of a row), Add measurement | Models, options, fabrics, measurements, people | Opens the row to edit, or adds a measurement | No change |
| Choose categories, Save categories, Add fabric, Save fabric, Set width, Save width | Fabrics | Saves the fabric categories, marks a stock item as fabric, or gives rows a width (all or nothing) | No change |
| Clear, Clear filters, Try again | Fabrics and lists | Removes ticks or filters, or loads a list again | No change |
| Add rule, Import from a file, Import ‹N› rules, Save price basics | Price charts | Adds rules, or saves the longest length, rush charge and minimum deposit | No change |
| Remove rule | A rule that has not started | Asks first, then removes it | No change |
| Save workshop settings, Add person, Save person | Workshop | Saves the steps, the pay point and the Fabric store, or a person in the workshop | No change |
The statuses you see are on the rows: Offered or Not offered for models, options and fabrics, In force, Replaced or Starts ‹date› for chart rules, and Works here, Switched off or Left the company for people.
What gets posted
Section titled “What gets posted”Nothing is posted from Setup or Home. Each Setup save changes only Tailoring’s own lists, and each is kept in the company’s audit history. Setup never moves stock. Choosing a fabric records its width. The stock itself, and its price, stay on the stock item in LedgerLite.
What you set up here does affect later postings, on other pages.
| Setting | What it affects later |
|---|---|
| Fees, yards and extras | The price quoted when an order is taken, and so the invoice at hand-over |
| Minimum deposit | The deposit asked when an order is confirmed |
| Fabric store | The store the cloth leaves when Kanduras are handed over |
| Tailor pay | The pay frozen when a Kandura is given to a tailor, and the tailor’s statement |
Cash and bank accounts for deposits
Section titled “Cash and bank accounts for deposits”There is no Tailoring setup screen for cash accounts. When a deposit or a balance is received, the Received in list shows your LedgerLite cash and bank accounts. Cash accounts come first.
An account is left out when it is switched off, when it is not a cash or bank account, or when it is the cash drawer of a register that is open. Only the till posts to an open register’s drawer. If your only cash account is a till drawer, cash deposits have no account to go into while the register is open. Add a separate cash account in Accounts, for example a counter cash box. A cash account must be used for cash, and a bank account for bank transfers. A card payment names no account.
Where it shows up
Section titled “Where it shows up”| Place | What changes |
|---|---|
| New order and the Price calculator | The models, options, fabrics, charts, rush charge and minimum deposit you set |
| Production | The steps in use, the people you can give work to, and tailor pay |
| Collection and reports | The Fabric store the cloth leaves, and the report figures that Home shows |
| Stock item form in the catalogue | A Tailoring card with Width (Tailoring) for fabric |
| Customers | The customers Tailoring adds are normal customers. Measurements follow your Measurements list |
| Settings › Apps | Whether the Tailoring icon and pages exist for your company |
What the app blocks
Section titled “What the app blocks”| Situation | What you see |
|---|---|
| Tailoring is off | Tailoring is switched off. An administrator can switch it on in Settings → Apps. |
| Someone who cannot change Setup opens a Setup screen | Only an administrator can change this. You can look at it, but not change it. The change buttons are not shown |
| A model code is already used | Another model already uses this code. Choose a different code. |
| A model name is already used | Another model already has this name. Choose a different name. |
| A code with more than 5 characters, or odd characters | Use 1 to 5 letters or numbers, for example K. |
| Switching off your only model | Keep at least one model on, or no order can be taken. |
| An option name repeated in its group | This group already has an option with this name. Choose a different name. |
| Someone else saved first | Someone else changed this while it was open. Reload it and try again. |
| A stock item that is not counted in yards | This stock item is not counted in yards. Choose an item whose unit is YD, or add a unit called YD in the catalogue first. |
| A stock item that is already fabric | This stock item is already set up as fabric. |
| A barcode another fabric uses | Another fabric already uses this barcode., or in Set width Another fabric has this barcode now. Give that fabric a new barcode first, then try again. |
| A width that is missing or wrong | Enter the fabric width in inches, for example 60., Enter a width above zero., Enter a width of 200 inches or less. or Use at most 2 decimals. |
| A fabric changed since you loaded the list | This fabric changed since the list was loaded. Reload the list. |
| Set width while an order holds a fabric | Some of these fabrics are being used by an order right now. Try again in a moment. |
| More matches than Set width allows | There are ‹N› matches. Narrow the list to 1,000 or fewer to set them together. |
| The answer to Set width was lost | We could not tell whether the widths were saved. Try again: the same request is sent, so nothing is saved twice. |
| Fabric categories changed meanwhile | The fabric categories changed since you opened them. Reload and try again. |
| A rule overlaps another that starts the same day | A rule for these lengths already starts on that date. To change a price, give the new rule a later start date. |
| A to length smaller than the from length | The to length must be the same as or more than the from length. |
| Removing a rule that has started | This rule has already started, so it stays as history. Add a new rule with a later start date to change the price. |
| A chart file with the wrong columns | This is not a yard chart file. Use the columns: ‹columns›. (or tailoring fee chart, or tailor pay chart). A problem in a row is shown with its row number and nothing is imported |
| Pay at QC while QC is off | Pay cannot be earned when a garment passes QC while QC is switched off. Choose “When stitching is done”, or switch QC on. |
| A store that is not switched on | Choose a store or warehouse that is switched on in LedgerLite. |
| Someone else saved the workshop settings | The production settings were changed by someone else. Reload them and try again. |
| A person who already works in that role | This person already works in that role. Change their profile instead of adding another. |
| An employee who has left the payroll | This employee is not on the payroll list any more, or has already left. Choose someone else. |
| Changing the role of a profile | A worker profile keeps its person and role. Add a new profile for another role. |
| No account can take a cash deposit | No cash account can take this now. An open register’s drawer takes only the till’s own sales. Choose card or bank transfer, or ask a manager to add a cash account for Tailoring. |
Messages about giving work to a tailor are in Production and workshop. Messages about a hand-over are in Collection and reports.
Notices that do not stop you
Section titled “Notices that do not stop you”- Fabrics. The Fabrics screen says: Fabrics are LedgerLite stock items counted in yards. Stock comes in through purchasing, and prices are changed on the stock item.
- Latest activity. The card on Home with the badge Preview – sample data is not connected to your orders. Its entries are made up.
- A change to a price. Saving a rule, an option or a price basic never changes an order already confirmed.
Who can do it
Section titled “Who can do it”| Action | Admin | Manager | Cashier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switch Tailoring on or off | Yes | No | No |
| Open Tailoring and look at Setup pages, models, fabrics and chart rules | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Change anything in Setup (models, fabrics, charts, price basics, workshop, people, measurements, messages, import) | Yes | No | No |
| See the Workshop steps and pay settings | Yes | No | No |
| See the list of people in the workshop | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| See the Tailor pay chart and Cost a yard | Yes | Yes | No |
| See the day’s figures on Home | Yes | Yes | No |
Who can move work, see tailor pay or send a tailor’s statement is on Production and workshop.
These are the standard roles. Your administrator can give a custom role each Tailoring action separately in Settings › Users & access. Changing Setup needs one permission, and seeing costs needs another.
Fixing a mistake
Section titled “Fixing a mistake”- Tailoring is off, or on by mistake. An administrator uses the switch in Settings › Apps. Nothing is deleted when it goes off.
- A model or option has the wrong code, name, note or charge. Use Change in its row. An order already confirmed keeps its price.
- A model should not be offered any more. Switch off Offered for new orders. Kanduras already ordered are not affected. You must keep at least one model on.
- A chart rule has a wrong price and has not started. Use Remove rule, then add the right one.
- A chart rule has a wrong price and has started. It stays as history. Add a new rule for the same lengths with a later start date. Orders already confirmed keep their price, and tailor pay already frozen for a Kandura does not change.
- A fabric has the wrong width or barcode. Use Change in its row, or tick it and use Set width. If an order is using the fabric, wait and try again.
- A fabric is missing from the list. Check that the stock item is active, counted in yards (YD), and in one of your fabric categories, or use Add fabric to choose it.
- A fabric’s price or stock is wrong. Change it on the stock item, or through purchasing. It is not changed in Tailoring.
- The wrong person, or a person who left. A profile keeps its person and role. To change the role, add a new profile. To stop a person, switch off Works in the workshop. Their past work stays on record.
- A cash deposit has no account to go into. Add a separate cash account for Tailoring in Accounts. The till drawer cannot be used while its register is open.