Options are the questions a product can ask during configuration (“Glass Type”,
“Grid Type”, “Hardware”); choices are the answers a user can pick (“Clear”, “Low-E”,
“Tinted”). For each choice you define its identity, its pricing, its cost, and
how the resulting part is processed in production. Options are attached to series and
referenced by rules; the choices drive pricing and the bill of materials.

What, where, who, when, why

What	The create/edit screen for configuration options and their choices: each choice carries identity, pricing (flat or matrix), cost, and a production Process routing (None / External / Internal).
Where	Administration → OJ Setup → Product Setup → Options.
Who	Product setup staff, jointly with pricing (choices carry price/cost) and production (choices carry process routings).
When	Early in product setup — after series exist, before the rules that reference the options. New choices get added whenever a supplier offers a new glass package, grid pattern, or hardware finish.
Why it matters	Every quote line’s answers come from these choices: price added (or marked up) per answer, cost for margin checks, and — when the choice produces a part — the Process/Line/Station routing that lands it on the right production line. A choice with no price is a silent give-away.

Layout

Left: Search box, a type filter (“All Types” or one option type), and the options
list. Right: the option detail — ID (read-only) and Description, the
Option Details panel (Type, a grouping used for filtering and by rules; and
Forced — when ticked, an answer is required wherever the option applies), the master
action row (New / Edit / Save / Cancel / Delete), and the Option Choices panel
with the choices of the selected option and the choice form.

The choice form

Panel	Fields
Header	Option ID and Answer ID (read-only), Stock Code (inventory link).
Identity	Abbreviation (max 5 characters as you type), Description.
Format & Pricing	Format (unit of measure for pricing), Matrix Pricing checkbox + Matrix combo, Price, Price Group, Min Price.
Cost	Cost, Paint Labour Cost, Cost UOM, Thickness.
Processing	Process: None (no routing), External (subcontracted — enables Supplier), or Internal (produced in-house — enables Prod Line, and Station filtered by the chosen line).

Worked example — a “Glass Type” option with two choices

Every double-glazed product should answer one question — which glass — and
the answer must both price and route. One option, two choices:

Where	Value	Why
Option header	Description “Glass Type”, Type = Glass, Forced ticked	The Type groups it in the filter and gives rules something stable to match on; Forced means the item cannot be saved without an answer.
Choice “Clear”	Abbreviation CLR, Format = Per Each, Price 0.00, Process = None	Clear is the baseline: no upcharge and no extra routing — the sealed unit the rules already pick is clear.
Choice “Low-E Argon”	Abbreviation LEA, Format = Per Each, Price 48.00, Cost 31.50, Thickness 0.75, Process = Internal, Prod Line = Glass, Station = SU Assembly	The upcharge funds the upgrade; the cost keeps margin reports honest; and because the Low-E unit is assembled in-house, the Internal routing stamps the part with line + station so it shows on the station’s pick list at the right moment.

Attach the option to a series, and rules can now branch on the answer (add the Low-E
sealed-unit part, swap the grid tape) while order entry simply shows a two-item dropdown.
If Low-E pricing ever varies by dealer group, tick Matrix Pricing on the choice and
point it at a matrix (Matrix pricing tables) instead of the
flat Price.

Workflows

• Create an option: New (+) in the master row → type the
  Description, pick a Type, tick Forced if needed →
  Save.
• Add a choice: select the option → New (+) under the choices table → fill
  the form (focus starts at Stock Code) → Save. The Answer ID is assigned within
  that option.
• Copy a choice: select a choice → Copy — it is duplicated immediately
  under the same option (no confirmation); edit the copy afterwards.
• Edit / Delete: select the option or choice → Edit…Save, or
  Delete with a confirmation.

Cautions

• Description is required on both options and choices.
• Deleting an option is not blocked even if it has choices or is used by rules —
  check usage before deleting.
• Price/Cost numbers are not range-checked; invalid entries save as 0.
• Unticking Matrix Pricing saves the matrix as none — the flat Price is
  used.

Tables behind this screen

Table	Scope	Purpose	Where it surfaces
option_definition	tenant	Master list of design options	Left table + detail form (Description, Type, Forced)
option_answers	tenant	Choices (answers) of each option	Option Choices table + choice form
type_option	global	Dictionary of option types	Type combo and the master Type filter combo
system_uom	global	Dictionary of units of measure	Format combo on the choice
matrix_header	tenant	Pricing matrices	Matrix combo (when Matrix Pricing is ticked)
group_pricing	tenant	Pricing groups	Price Group combo
group_costing	tenant	Costing groups	Cost Group combo
partner / partner_type	tenant	Active partners flagged as suppliers	Supplier combo (Process = External)
production_line	tenant	Production lines	Prod Line combo (Process = Internal)
production_line_station	tenant	Stations within a production line	Station combo (cascades from Prod Line)

Option types — type_option

All 7 rows of the global dictionary behind the Type combo. The
wildcard character marks the option’s role when rules substitute it into BOM part
codes.

id	Description	Wildcard	Meaning
1	Answer	—	Answered by picking one of the Choices. The most common type.
2	Color	@	Choice option with color semantics; @ marks color parts in BOM/rules.
3	Quantity	—	Answer is a numeric quantity, typed directly — no Choices list.
4	Size	#	Answer is a numeric size/length; # feeds size substitution in rules.
5	Depth	^	Answer is a numeric depth.
6	Text	—	Answer is free text.
7	+/- Adjust	—	Answer is a numeric adjustment (add/subtract).

Practical note: only types 1–2 use the Choices pane — for types 3–7 the
end user types a number or text at order time, so choices entered there never surface.
Type id 22 still appears in legacy code as “Color”, but no such row exists in the
dictionary — treat it as legacy/unused.

Formats — system_uom

The global units-of-measure dictionary behind the choice’s Format combo — the
pricing basis of the choice (stored on the answer):

id	Format	id	Format
1	Unit	8	Vol/Liq
2	Length	9	Time
3	Area W×H	10	Angles
4	FaceIn	11	UI
5	FaceOut	12	Bar
6	Perimeter	13	FaceIn/Out
7	Weight

Most choices use 1 (Unit) = priced each. The global table is authoritative —
tenant copies of system_uom exist but are empty.

The lookup combos

Price Group (group_pricing, tenant): named pricing groups carrying
rounding rules, a taxable flag, a price category, and price/cost markups. When a choice is
priced, its group’s markup applies (falling back to the choice’s own markup when the
group’s is 0). Groups are shared by parts, glass, grids, and options — not specific to this
screen.

Cost UOM (costing_uom_id): the unit the choice’s Cost is per — Unit (each),
Length, Area, FaceIn, FaceOut, Perimeter, Weight… (the same list as Format). Unit charges the cost once
per piece; the size units multiply it by the measured size. FaceIn / FaceOut / Perimeter are for paint: the
choice’s Cost and Paint Labour Cost are multiplied by the painted profile’s Face In / Face Out /
Perimeter — see How to set up paint cost on colour answers. (Until 2026-10-27
this field was labelled “Cost Group” and listed cost groups by mistake; the stored value was always a unit of
measure.)

Supplier (tenant partner): the combo lists active partners
whose partner type is flagged issupplier (typically Supplier, Shipping,
Referring, Contractor — maintained on the partner/customer screens, not here).

Prod Line / Station (production_line /
production_line_station, tenant): the Station combo reloads whenever the Prod
Line changes. Line and station are saved only when Process = Internal; the supplier
only when External; all three are cleared for None.