Inventory Types¶
An inventory type is a kind of thing you sell - Cars, Boats, Trailers, RVs. Each type is a separate world in DMS with its own listings, categories, badges, statuses, templates, and settings. A dealer selling both boats and trailers would have two types so the two never mix.
Manage them at Dealer.ms > Types.
Why types matter¶
Because each type is self-contained, setting up a type shapes everything under it:
- Its name (singular and plural) is used all over the site - "1 Boat", "8 Boats".
- Its URL slug appears in listing web addresses.
- It gets its own Categories, Badges, Statuses, Groups, Templates, and Settings in the menu.
Most sites need only one or two types. Add a new type only when you sell a genuinely different kind of thing that needs its own fields and filters.
Creating a type¶
Go to Dealer.ms > Types and add a new one. The General settings are:
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Singular | The singular label (e.g. "Car"). Used throughout the site. |
| Plural | The plural label (e.g. "Cars"). |
| Slug | Internal identifier used by WordPress. 1-15 characters. |
| URL Slug | The word used in a single listing's web address. |
| Menu Label | Optional custom name for the menu item (defaults to the plural). |
| Icon | The icon shown around the site for this type. |
Choose the slug carefully
Changing it later changes URLs and can affect existing links, so pick it right the first time.
Detail-page tabs¶
A type can define tabs that appear on its listings' detail pages (for example: "Features", "Specs", "Location"). Each tab has a title, a content type (text, table, map, checkboxes, and so on), and an optional "no data" message shown when a listing hasn't filled that tab in. Set these up on the type so every listing of that type gets a consistent detail layout.
Type settings¶
Each type also has its own Settings page ([Type] > Settings) covering things like:
- The Vehicle Details Page (VDP) template used for this type's detail pages (overrides the global default). See Templates & Pages.
- The active menu item to highlight when a shopper is viewing a detail page.
- Gallery and display options.
- This type's fees and discounts defaults. See Fees & Discounts.
See Settings for the full picture of global vs per-type settings.
Next: define the filterable attributes for a type in Categories, or design its pages in Templates & Pages.