AutoCount Plugin: Item Scope Plugin
Control What Employees Can See and Sell
The AutoCount Item Scope Plugin empowers businesses to control which inventory items specific users can view and interact with in AutoCount. Instead of everyone seeing all products, administrators can define item scopes based on attributes like brand or category and assign them to roles or individual users — so sales, purchasing, warehouse, and reporting staff only see what’s relevant to their responsibilities. This capability is especially valuable for companies with multiple brands, product divisions, or specialist teams, ensuring employees work only within their authorized product range.
AutoCount Item Scope Plugin Video Guide
Watch this comprehensive video guide on how to use the AutoCount Item Scope Plugin to control item visibility and usage across different modules in AutoCount Accounting.
Core Features
Item Scope Definition
The core function of the plugin is to let administrators define item scopes — logical groupings of inventory products based on attributes such as:
Brand
Product
Item Attributes
Each scope represents a product subset that can be tailored to specific teams or roles within the organization.
Why it matters?
By restricting product visibility, you eliminate cross brand errors, reduce selection clutter, and help teams focus on what matters to their function.
User Level Item Access Control
Once item scopes are defined, they can be linked to individual users or user groups. Staff members then see only the products included in their assigned scopes across relevant AutoCount modules — including sales, stock, purchase, and reporting areas.
Outcome: Greater operational precision and reduced risk of accessing or selling the wrong products.
Flexible Scope Combinations
Users can be associated with multiple scopes. When this happens, the system combines the permissible product sets so the user can see all items from each of their assigned scopes.
Use case: A user handling both Brand A and Service Items can be given both scopes to see all necessary inventory without opening access to unrelated products.
Step-by-Step Guide to Define Item Scopes (Product Range) in AutoCount
1. Access Item Scope Maintenance
Click on “Item Scope” > “Item Scope Maintenance”. This will open the main configuration window where you can create and manage different product visibility rules (known as ‘Scopes’) for your organization.
2. Assign Brands or Products
Define your criteria. In the “Item Scope Maintenance” window, you can filter by Stock Item, Group, or Type. For example, select specific brands like “Nakia” and “Motorola” to create a scope that includes only these products.
3. Save and Apply Changes
Confirm your settings. Click OK to save this new Item Scope. The system will now recognize this rule, and it is ready to be assigned to a user.
Step-by-Step Guide to Assign Scopes to Users
1. Access User Item Scope Maintenance
Go to the Item Scope menu and select User Item Scope Maintenance. This is the control panel where you link your newly created scopes to specific employees.
2. Select the Employee
Identify the user. From the user list, highlight the specific employee ID (e.g., “USER”) whose access rights you wish to modify.
3. Assign Item Scope
Link the scope. In the “Scope Name” column, select the rule you created earlier (e.g., “Nakia + Motorola”). This tells the system that this user is now restricted to only seeing these specific items.
4. Save Permissions
Click the “OK” button at the bottom right of the window. This saves your configuration and immediately updates the user’s access rights, ensuring they can only view the items you have authorized.
Step-by-Step Guide to Test User Permissions
1. Log In as Restricted User
Log out of the Admin account and log back in using the restricted user’s ID. This is necessary to view the system exactly as they would see it.
2. Access Stock Maintenance
Check the inventory list. Navigate to Stock > Stock Item Maintenance. This is the best place to verify if the visibility filters are working correctly.
3. Verify Authorized Items
Review the item list. You should only see the products defined in the Scope (e.g., Nakia/Motorola). All other brands should be completely hidden from this view.
4. Confirm Hidden Items
Search for a brand that was NOT assigned (e.g., try searching for “samsong”). The search result should be empty. This step proves that the security filter is active and the user cannot access any unauthorized data.
Benefits & Business Value
The Item Scope Plugin adds intelligent access control to your AutoCount system:
Access Control
Only authorized users see designated products.
Operational Efficiency
Teams work within defined product boundaries, reducing selection errors and improving speed.
Reporting Accuracy
Sales and inventory reports reflect relevant product sets for each user.
Security & Compliance
Sensitive product data remains shielded from users without scope permission.
This functionality enhances internal process control and accountability — particularly in environments with multi‑brand portfolios or segmented business units.
Advanced Item Module Integration
1. Enable Advanced Item Module
Go to the top menu and select Tools > Program Control > Module Setting. Enable the feature. In the pop-up window, locate and check the box for “Advanced Item”, then click OK.
Why do this? This integration unlocks essential product details (like Brand, Category, and Class). Without this module enabled, you won’t be able to filter your Item Scopes by Brand, which limits the plugin’s effectiveness.
Core benefits of the Advanced Item Module include:
Advanced Item Categorization for precise inventory logic.
Flexible Filtering & Reporting across detailed item attributes.
Batch Processing for efficient updates.
Seamless Integration with core modules like stock, BOM, sales, and POS.
Custom Item Applications tailored to sales, purchasing, or point of sale workflows.
This module lays the foundation for more intelligent control of item visibility via scopes.
Tips & Best Practices
Plan Scopes by Role
Define scopes according to job functions or responsibilities for clarity and consistency.
Use Brand or Category Filters
Efficiently group items using metadata to reduce manual scope maintenance.
Preview Scope Definitions
Before assignment, confirm that scope criteria capture the intended item set.
Maintain Scopes
Review and update item scopes periodically as inventory evolves.
Note: New products do not automatically join existing scopes unless the scope criteria include their attributes.
Important Before You Start — Set Access Rights First
Before you start creating item scopes and assigning users, make sure the right employees have permission to use the Item Scope Plugin.
Reminder: If a user doesn’t have Item Scope access rights, they won’t even see the Item Scope functions in AutoCount, even if you’ve already configured scopes.
1. Open Access Right Maintenance
Go to General Maintenance > Access Right Maintenance. Navigate to the maintenance menu to ensure the right employees have permission to use the Item Scope Plugin.
2. Configure Group Access
Select users via “Set Group Access Rights”. In the pop-up window, find the specific user (e.g., “USER”) and change their permission status to “Add”. This explicitly grants them the right to use the plugin.
3. Save Access Settings
Click “OK” to save. Confirm your settings to ensure that the authorized users can successfully see and use the Item Scope functions in AutoCount.
Conclusion
The AutoCount Item Scope Plugin gives you powerful, role‑based inventory visibility control. By defining item scopes and linking them to users, you can streamline workflows, enforce access boundaries, and improve data accuracy across key business processes. This plugin helps you make your AutoCount system both efficient and secure, tailored to your organizational needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will this plugin affect existing data?
No — it applies visibility filters without altering underlying item or transaction data.
Does it work with core AutoCount modules?
Yes — it works with Sales, Purchase, Inventory, and Reporting modules. For specialized modules, consult your dealer.
Are there limits on how many scopes I can create?
No — you can define as many item scopes as required to align with your business structure.
Can one product be included in multiple scopes?
Yes — this allows flexible combinations of access across roles.
What happens if a scope is removed?
Users previously assigned to the deleted scope will no longer have access to the items defined by that scope. Reassign or adjust scopes as needed to maintain continuity.
Will performance be impacted?
The plugin operates at the database query level, so performance effects are minimal.
Can I export/import scope configurations?
Not currently — configuration is managed manually per company file.
What if a user has multiple scopes?
The visible item set is the combined union of all assigned scopes.
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