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Inventory Slips

This document explains the create, submit, and approve flow for inventory slips (bucket) in Antpocket.

An inventory slip is a tool for grouping multiple inbound/outbound actions into a single document, then having an admin with approval permission review it and perform them all at once.

Related menu paths

Permissions

Any regular member can create a slip itself. However, the actions placed inside a slip require the permission for that action type (Action: Inbound, Action: Outbound, Action: Transfer, Action: Adjustment), and approving/rejecting a submitted slip requires the Action approval (action.confirmable) permission. See the Members & Permissions guide for details.

1. When should I use an inventory slip?​

A single action performed on the Manage Inventory page in Inventory Management is reflected in warehouse quantities immediately. An inventory slip, by contrast, requires grouping multiple actions and putting them through an approval process.

It's useful in situations like:

  • When a manager or agency needs to compile inbound/outbound changes and have an approver (admin) confirm them
  • When you want to batch multiple inbound/outbound entries into a single approval (e.g. bundling a day's worth of sales-driven outbound into one approval)
  • Environments that need two-step approval, reviewing content before actions are executed
  • When you need to repeat the same inbound/outbound pattern often (copy an existing slip and reuse it)
  • When an inbound/outbound request drafted by an AI needs a person to review and approve it (see Connecting AI)

Regular actions vs. the inventory slip flow​

ItemRegular action (Inventory Management)Inventory slip
When appliedImmediatelyIn a batch, after approval
Approval processNoneDraft → Submit → Approve/Reject
Good fit forHandling inbound/outbound yourselfA manager/agency drafts it, an admin approves it

The four states of an inventory slip​

StateDescription
Drafting (making)Not yet submitted. The author can add/remove/edit actions freely
Pending Review (submitted)Submitted, awaiting review by someone with approval permission
Completed (confirmed)Approved, and every action in the slip has actually been performed
Rejected (rejected)Rejected by an approver. The author can revise it and resubmit

2. Creating and deleting inventory slips​

Page path: Actions > Create Inventory Slip

The top of this page lists the slips you're currently drafting or that were rejected (state making, rejected).

2.1 Creating a new slip​

  1. Click the Create New button at the top of the page.
  2. Enter a title in the dialog. (optional — if left blank, it's automatically shown as InventorySlip_{id})
  3. Click Create New to create an empty slip and immediately enter the edit screen.

2.2 Copying an existing slip​

If you have similar inbound/outbound activity repeatedly, the Copy an Existing Slip button is convenient.

  1. Click the Copy an Existing Slip button.
  2. The space's existing slips are shown in a list in the dialog.
  3. Click Select on the row you want, then click Copy at the bottom.
  4. A new slip (state: drafting) with the same action composition is created, titled {original name}_copied.

2.3 Reopening a slip in progress​

Click Continue Editing in the list table to reopen the edit screen for that slip.

2.4 Canceling / deleting a draft​

  • Canceling a slip in progress: click Cancel Draft in the list. Clicking Confirm in the confirmation dialog deletes both the slip and the actions it contained. This has no effect on actual warehouse quantities (since it hasn't been performed yet).
  • Deleting after submission or rejection: open the slip on the Inventory Slip History page and use the Delete button at the bottom of the dialog. Note that a slip that has already reached Completed (confirmed) state can't be deleted.

3. Adding actions to an inventory slip​

The editing screen is split into left and right areas.

  • Left: slip info (title, author, created at, processed at, note) and the list of included actions
  • Right: a warehouse panel for adding actions (the same interface as the Inventory Management screen)

3.1 Editing slip info​

You can edit the following fields with the pencil icon in the left panel:

  • Title: shown at the top of the slip. Click the pencil icon to edit.
  • Processed at: if left blank, it's automatically set to the time it's approved. To explicitly set a past date, click the pencil icon next to Processed at → pick a date → confirm.
  • Note: a message or reference info for the approver. Multi-line input supported.

3.2 Adding actions from a warehouse​

The warehouse panel on the right works the same way as the Manage Inventory page in Inventory Management.

  1. Select a warehouse at the top of the panel.
  2. In the product list, check the boxes for the products to act on, or enter the change amount (diff) with the +, -, = buttons on the right of each row.
  3. Click Inbound / Outbound / Adjustment / Transfer at the bottom of the panel to open the add dialog.
  4. In the dialog, specify the following and click Add {action}.
    • Inbound/outbound: you can optionally select a trading partner.
    • Transfer: you must select a destination warehouse.
  5. On success, a snackbar reading "Inbound added. / Outbound added. / …" appears, and the item is added to the slip list on the left.
Note

At this stage, the action is only added inside the slip. It has no effect on actual warehouse quantities yet. That only happens once the slip is approved.

3.3 Bulk adding via Excel​

To add multiple products to a slip at once, use the Create via Excel button at the bottom left.

  1. Click Create via Excel → a dialog opens.
  2. Specify the action type, warehouse (and destination warehouse for transfers), and trading partner (optional).
  3. Download the template file, fill in the Product, Product Code, and Quantity columns, then upload it.
  4. Review it as a table on screen, then proceed to add — many actions are added to the slip at once.

3.4 Removing an included action​

Check the box on the right of an item in the slip list on the left, then click Remove Selected at the bottom to take it out of the slip. Use this when an item was added by mistake.

4. Submitting an inventory slip​

Once you're done filling in the slip, request review from an approver.

  1. Click the Submit button at the bottom of the left panel. (only shown when the state is Drafting or Rejected.)
  2. Click Confirm in the "Do you want to submit this inventory slip covering N action(s)?" confirmation dialog.
  3. Once submission completes, you're automatically taken to the Inventory Slip History page, and the slip's state changes to Pending Review (submitted).

Resubmitting a rejected slip​

A rejected slip reappears in the list on the create page. Open it via Continue Editing, make the necessary revisions, then click Submit the same way to resubmit it.

5. Approving / rejecting an inventory slip​

Page path: Actions > Inventory Slip History

This page lets you search and browse every slip in the space.

5.1 Searching slips​

Search using the following filters at the top:

  • State: All / Drafting / Pending Review / Completed / Rejected
  • Keyword: partial match on title
  • Show only slips I authored: limit to slips where you're the author

5.2 Viewing slip details​

Click View in the list to open the slip detail dialog.

  • Shows title, author, processed by, processed at, note, action composition, and more.
  • Use the Print button at the bottom to print it.

5.3 Approve / reject (approvers only)​

This action is only shown to users with the Action approval (action.confirmable) permission.

When a slip's state is Pending Review (submitted), two buttons appear at the bottom of the dialog.

ButtonAction
ApproveConfirm "Do you want to approve this inventory slip and perform its actions?" → every action in the slip is performed immediately, updating warehouse quantities. The state becomes Completed (confirmed).
RejectConfirm "Do you want to reject this inventory slip?" → the state becomes Rejected (rejected), and the author can revise it and resubmit.

If the slip's processed at field is empty at the time of approval, it's automatically set to the current time at that moment. To record a past time instead, set the processed-at date beforehand on the edit screen before approving.

5.4 Editing a submitted slip (approvers)​

If an approver needs to directly revise a submitted slip's contents, they can enter the edit screen via the Edit button on the right of the row. (only for slips in Pending Review or Drafting state.)

5.5 Deleting a slip​

Use the Delete button at the bottom of the detail dialog to delete a slip.

  • Only possible while in Drafting, Pending Review, or Rejected state.
  • A slip in Completed state can't be deleted, since its actions have already been executed. To undo an incorrectly approved action, use the Action History > Go Back in Time feature in Inventory Management.

6. FAQ​

Q. Do warehouse quantities change as soon as I create or submit a slip?

No. A slip causes no quantity changes of any kind until it's approved. At the moment of approval, every action inside the slip is performed in a batch, and only then are warehouse quantities updated.

Q. I made a mistake in a slip that's already been approved. Can I undo it?

The slip itself can't be deleted. However, you can undo the resulting actions via Go Back in Time in Inventory Management's Action History, by clicking the order of the relevant action.

Q. I need to create the same slip every day. Is there a simpler way?

Use Copy an Existing Slip. It creates a new slip with the same action composition as a previous one, so you only need to revise a small part before submitting.

Q. I found a mistake after submitting.

  • If you're an approver yourself, you can revise it directly via Edit on the Inventory Slip History page.
  • Otherwise, ask an approver to reject it, then revise it on the create page and resubmit once it's rejected.

Q. Are slips created by an AI approved the same way?

Yes. Slips submitted through an AI connection arrive as Pending Review exactly as described here, and warehouse quantities don't change until they're approved. See Connecting AI for details.

Appendix: Glossary​

TermDescription
Inventory slip (bucket)A document for grouping multiple actions for approval and execution.
Action (action)Inbound/outbound/transfer/adjustment. See Inventory Management for details.
Drafting (making)Not yet submitted. Freely editable.
Pending Review (submitted)Submitted, awaiting review by an approver.
Completed (confirmed)Approved, with all actions reflected in warehouses.
Rejected (rejected)Denied by an approver. Can be revised and resubmitted.
Action approval (action.confirmable)The permission code that lets someone approve/reject a submitted slip.