WorkshopFlow User Manual

🚀 Getting Started

Everything you need to go from zero to a running WorkshopFlow system in under 10 minutes.

Installation

WorkshopFlow ships as a single Windows installer (.exe). No separate runtime or database server is required for standalone use.

1. Download the latest installer from the GitHub Releases page or directly from the Download button above.
2. Run WorkshopFlow-Setup-vX.X.X.exe as Administrator.
3. On the Select Components screen choose the installation type:
   • Standalone — single PC, SQLite local database. Best for small workshops.
   • Full (MariaDB) — installs MariaDB Server on this PC so other PCs on the same network can connect.
   • Client — connects to an existing MariaDB server installed on another PC.
   • Update — upgrades an existing installation; your database and settings are preserved.
4. Follow the wizard and click Finish. A desktop shortcut is created automatically.

First Launch & Trial

When you open WorkshopFlow for the first time (or without a license), a 14-day free trial begins automatically. No registration or credit card is required. During the trial you have access to all Enterprise features so you can explore everything before choosing a plan.

Database Setup

WorkshopFlow supports two database backends:

• SQLite (Standalone) — zero configuration. The database file lives at Documents\WorkshopFlow\workshop.db. Perfect for single-machine use.
• MariaDB (Networked) — allows multiple PCs in the same workshop to share one database in real time. Go to Settings → Database Configuration to enter the server address, port, username, and password. Click Test Connection before saving.

Navigating the App

The WorkshopFlow interface has three main areas:

• Menu Bar (top) — File, Edit, Add-ons, Settings, Help.
• Sidebar (left) — collapsible list of all available sections, grouped by category (Operations, Management, Reports). Click any item to jump directly to that section.
• Content Area (right) — the active tab or page. All tabs are also accessible by clicking the tab strip above the content area.

Sections you have not enabled (via Add-ons) are hidden from the sidebar. Enable them under Add-ons in the menu bar.

📦 Stock Management All Plans

The stock module is the heart of WorkshopFlow. It tracks every item in your workshop store — quantities, costs, locations, and reorder thresholds.

Stock View

Open Stock View from the sidebar. The table shows all registered items with their current quantity, unit of measure, thresholds, bin location, and last-known cost.

Filtering and searching:

• Type in the Search box to filter by item name or code instantly as you type.
• Use the Type dropdown to filter by item category (Consumables, Parts, Filters, or custom types).
• Use the Bin dropdown to show only items in a specific storage location.
• Click Clear Filters to reset all filters at once.

Click any column heading to sort the list by that column. Click again to reverse the order.

Adding Items

1. Click the + Add New Item button (top-right of Stock View).
2. Fill in the Item Name and, optionally, an item code, description, and unit of measure.
3. Set the Current Quantity, Reorder Threshold (alert level), and Preferred Quantity (ideal stock level).
4. Enter the Unit Cost for financial tracking.
5. Select a Type (category) and, if bins are configured, a Bin location.
6. Assign a Supplier if this item is sourced from a specific supplier.
7. Click Save.

Editing & Deleting Items

• Edit: Double-click any row in the Stock View table to open the Edit Item dialog. Change any field and click Save.
• Adjust quantity: In the Edit dialog, use the quantity field to set the current on-hand amount.
• Delete: Select a row and press the Delete key, or right-click for options. Deletion is permanent — ensure the item has no open requisitions first.

Bins & Storage Locations

Bins let you record where an item is physically stored in the workshop (e.g., "Shelf A3", "Cold Room", "Tool Cage").

1. Go to Edit → Manage Bins in the menu bar.
2. Click Add Bin, enter the bin name, and click Save.
3. You can rename or delete bins from the same dialog.
4. Assign a bin to any item in the Add/Edit Item dialog.

Reorder List

The Reorder List tab automatically shows every item whose current quantity is at or below the reorder threshold. No manual work needed — just check this list before placing supplier orders.

• The list shows the item name, current quantity, threshold, preferred quantity, and assigned supplier.
• Click any row to jump to that item in Stock View.
• Use Export to generate a PDF order list you can email to your supplier.

Stock Reports

Go to Stock Reports in the sidebar. Available reports include:

• Current Stock Valuation — total value of all stock on hand, broken down by item.
• Issue History — all stock issued over a selected date range, with person and cost breakdown.
• Low Stock Report — a snapshot of all items below threshold at the time of printing.
• Stock Movement — inflows (received) vs outflows (issued) per item over a period.

Select the report type, set your date range, and click Generate PDF. The report saves to Documents\WorkshopFlow\reports\ and opens automatically.

📋 Issue / Requisition All Plans

Use the Requisition tab to issue stock items to individuals or machines and generate picking slips for authorisation and record-keeping.

Issuing Stock

1. Open Issue / Requisition from the sidebar.
2. In the Person field, start typing a name — an autocomplete list will appear. Select the person requesting the items.
3. Optionally link the requisition to a Fleet Number (machine or vehicle).
4. In the item search box, start typing an item name or code. Select it from the autocomplete list.
5. Enter the quantity to issue. The running total and cost are shown at the bottom.
6. Add as many line items as needed.
7. When ready, click Issue & Print to deduct the items from stock and generate a picking slip, or Issue (no slip) to deduct without printing.

Picking Slips

Every issued requisition can generate a PDF picking slip — a printable document showing:

• Document number and date/time
• Person name and linked fleet/machine
• List of items, quantities, and unit costs
• Total cost of the requisition
• Signature lines for the person and storekeeper

Picking slips are saved to Documents\WorkshopFlow\picking_slips\ and can be reprinted at any time from Document History.

Document History

Go to File → Document History to view, search, and reprint any past picking slip. You can filter by date range or person name.

⛽ Fuel Module Pro & Enterprise

Track diesel and petrol stocks, fuel issues per machine, purchasing, and efficiency — all in one place.

Enable the Fuel module via Add-ons → Fuel Module. Once enabled, Fuel Issues, Fuel Management, and Fuel Reports appear in the sidebar.

Tank Management

The Fuel Management tab is your central view of all fuel tanks and their current stock levels.

• Add Tank: Click Add Tank, enter the tank name, fuel type (Diesel/Petrol), and capacity in litres. Set a low-level alert threshold.
• Edit Tank: Double-click a tank row to edit its details.
• Receive Fuel: Click Receive Fuel on a tank row to log a delivery. Enter the litres delivered, price per litre (used to calculate cost per issue), and supplier.
• The Current Stock column updates in real time after each issue or receipt.

Issuing Fuel

1. Open Fuel Issues from the sidebar.
2. Select the Fleet Number (machine or vehicle) being fuelled.
3. Select the Tank from which fuel is drawn.
4. Enter the litres issued and optionally the odometer or hour meter reading.
5. Assign the person doing the fuelling (optional but recommended for accountability).
6. Click Issue Fuel. The tank level decreases immediately.
7. Use Bulk Fuel Issue to issue fuel to multiple machines at once from a batch — useful for end-of-day fleet fuelling.

Fuel Reports

Open Fuel Reports from the sidebar. Available reports:

• Fuel Issue Report — all issues in a date range, grouped by machine or tank.
• Cost Report — fuel cost per machine over a period.
• Fuel Efficiency — litres per hour (or km/L) per machine where odometer/hours are recorded. Click Preview Efficiency for a quick chart.
• Tank Movement — receipts vs issues per tank over a date range.

🛢️ Lubricants Module Pro & Enterprise

Manage motor oils, greases, and hydraulic fluids separately from general stock — with container tracking and service records per machine.

Enable via Add-ons → Lubricants Module. This adds the Lubricants tab, Oil Containers, and Lubricant Reports to the sidebar.

Oil Stock

The Lubricants tab lists all oil types and their current stock in litres. You can:

• Add oil stock — click Receive Oil, select the oil type, and enter the litres received and cost per litre.
• Issue oil — select a machine and oil type, enter the litres issued and hour meter reading. The system automatically links oil changes to the machine's service record.
• Manage Oil Types — go to Edit → Manage Oil Types to add, rename, or remove oil grades (e.g., SAE 15W-40, Hydraulic Oil).

Grease Services

Log grease applications per machine from the Lubricants tab. Select the machine, grease type, quantity, and date. Grease services feed into the Machine Reports for maintenance scheduling.

Manage grease types via Edit → Manage Grease Types.

Oil Containers Pro & Enterprise

Enable Add-ons → Serialized Oil Containers to track individual oil containers (drums, IBCs) by serial number or label. This gives precise traceability — which container was used on which machine and when.

• Register a Container — click Register Container, enter the container label, oil type, and initial volume.
• When issuing oil, select the specific container to draw from. The system tracks the remaining volume per container.
• Containers are automatically marked Empty when their volume reaches zero.
• PDF issue documents can be generated per container issue.

Filling Multiple Containers

Select two or more containers in the list (hold Ctrl or Shift to multi-select) and click Fill Selected. The fill dialog presents three options:

• Fill All (entered amount) — adds the typed quantity to every selected container. If the entered amount would leave some containers below capacity, a per-container breakdown is shown for confirmation before proceeding.
• Fill Each to Capacity — ignores the quantity field and fills every container up to its registered capacity, each with its own exact amount. Use this when containers have different current levels.
• Cancel — returns without making any changes.

Lubricant Reports

Open Lubricant Reports from the sidebar. Available reports:

• Oil Issue Report — all oil issues in a date range with machine and cost breakdown.
• Grease Service Report — grease applications per machine.
• Stock Valuation — current oil inventory value.
• Oil Cost per Machine — total lubricant cost per fleet item over a period.

🚜 Fleet & Machines Enterprise

Register all machines and vehicles, log operating hours, maintain service records, and track costs per asset.

Enable via Add-ons → Fleet Module. This adds Fleet, Hours, Service Records, and Machine Reports to the sidebar.

Registering Fleet

1. Open Fleet from the sidebar.
2. Click Add Vehicle / Machine.
3. Enter the Fleet Number (your internal identifier, e.g., "TLB-01"), Make, Model, Year, and Registration / Serial Number.
4. Set the fuel type (Diesel / Petrol / Electric / Other) and the engine hours or odometer reading at registration.
5. Click Save.

Double-click any fleet row to open the Fleet Details window — a full history of fuel issues, oil changes, grease services, and service records for that machine.

Hour Logging Enterprise

Enable Add-ons → Hours Tracking. The Hours tab lets you log daily engine/operating hours per machine.

1. Open Hours from the sidebar.
2. Click Log Hours (or press F2).
3. Select the fleet number and enter the hour meter reading for that day.
4. Click Save. WorkshopFlow calculates the delta (hours used) automatically.

Service Records Enterprise

Enable Add-ons → Service Records. Go to Service Records from the sidebar to log planned and completed services per machine.

• Log a service by selecting the fleet number, service type (oil change, filter service, major service, etc.), date, hour meter reading, and any notes.
• Attach costs for parts and labour.
• View the full service history per machine in the Fleet Details window.
• Generate a Service History PDF per machine from Machine Reports.

Machine Reports

Open Machine Reports from the sidebar:

• Fleet Cost Summary — total fuel + oil + parts cost per machine over a date range.
• Service History — all services for a selected machine.
• Hours Summary — daily and cumulative operating hours per machine.
• Fuel Efficiency Trend — litres/hour over time for a machine.

🔧 Tool Issues Enterprise

Track tools checked out to individuals — know at a glance who has what, and flag overdue returns.

Enable via Add-ons → Tool Issues.

Tool Register

1. Open Tool Issues from the sidebar.
2. Click Add Tool.
3. Enter the Tool Code (unique identifier), Tool Name, Description, and Serial Number (optional).
4. Click Save. The tool appears in the register with status Available.

Double-click any tool to edit its details. The Issue History button shows every check-out and return for that tool.

Issuing & Returning Tools

To issue a tool:

1. Select the tool in the Tool Issues list.
2. Click Issue Tool.
3. Select the Person the tool is issued to.
4. Confirm the date. Click Issue.

To return a tool:

1. Find the tool in the list — its status will show Issued and the person's name.
2. Click Return.
3. Confirm the return date and click Return Tool.

👷 People & Suppliers All Plans

Maintain a register of workshop personnel and external suppliers for linkage across all modules.

Manage Persons

Open Manage Persons from the sidebar. This is the register of everyone who can receive stock, fuel, or tools.

• Add a Person: Click Add Person, enter the name, role/department, and contact number. Click Save.
• Edit / Deactivate: Double-click a person to edit. Inactive persons are hidden from issue dropdowns but remain in historical records.
• Person Details: Click View Details to see all requisitions, fuel issues, and tools currently checked out to that person.

Manage Suppliers

Open Manage Suppliers from the sidebar.

• Add a Supplier: Click Add Supplier, enter the supplier name, contact person, phone number, and email. Click Save.
• Link suppliers to stock items (in the Edit Item dialog) and to fuel tank receipts. This feeds into reorder lists and cost reporting.
• Double-click a supplier to edit their details.

📊 Analytics Dashboard Pro & Enterprise

A real-time overview of your entire workshop operation — stock health, fuel usage, lubricant consumption, tool status, and costs — all on one screen.

Enable via Add-ons → Analytics Dashboard. When enabled, the Dashboard becomes the default opening screen when WorkshopFlow starts.

Dashboard Cards

All data shown is for the last 30 days. Click ⟳ Refresh to pull the latest figures from the database.

AI Insight (✦)

Click the ✦ AI Insight button to generate a natural-language operational summary powered by the bundled BitNet AI model. The AI reads the dashboard data and produces a concise 3–4 paragraph report highlighting anomalies, risks, and actionable recommendations — all running locally on your PC, with no data sent to the internet.

⚙️ Settings & Administration

All configuration options live in the Settings menu in the menu bar.

Currency

Go to Settings → Currency... to set your local currency symbol (e.g., R, $, €, £). The change takes effect immediately.

Slip Settings

Go to Settings → Slip Settings... to control whether a PDF document is automatically generated when items are issued. There is an independent toggle for each issue type:

• Requisition / Stock Issue — picking slip PDF
• Fuel Issue — fuel issue slip
• Oil Issue — oil issue document
• Container Issue — container issue document

Disabling a slip type means the issue is recorded in the database and history but no PDF is produced. Useful for high-volume, fast-paced operations where printing slows workflow.

Stock Types

Go to Edit → Manage Stock Types to customise the item categories available when adding or editing stock. You can add types specific to your workshop (e.g., "PPE", "Electrical", "Hydraulics") and remove unused ones. Manage Oil Types and Manage Grease Types are also in the Edit menu.

Add-ons

Go to Add-ons in the menu bar to enable or disable optional modules:

• Fuel Module Pro+
• Lubricants Module Pro+
• Serialized Oil Containers Pro+
• Fleet Module Enterprise
• Tool Issues Enterprise
• Service Records Enterprise
• Hours Tracking Enterprise
• Analytics Dashboard Pro+

Modules not included in your plan are greyed out. Upgrade your plan to unlock them.

Backup & Restore

WorkshopFlow backs up your database automatically. You can also trigger manual backups at any time.

Create a backup:

1. Go to File → Backup Now.
2. A timestamped backup file is saved to Documents\WorkshopFlow\.

Restore a backup:

1. Go to File → Restore from Backup.
2. Browse to the backup file (.db or .zip).
3. Confirm the restore. The app will restart automatically.

🔑 Licensing

WorkshopFlow is commercially licensed software. The trial gives you full access for 14 days — no card required.

14-Day Free Trial

When you install WorkshopFlow, a 14-day trial starts automatically. All Enterprise features are available during the trial. No account creation or payment information is needed.

You can check how many trial days remain under Help → License Info.

Purchasing & Activating a License

1. Go to Help → Purchase License. This opens the WorkshopFlow checkout page in your browser.
2. Select your plan and complete the purchase. A license key is emailed to you immediately.
3. Back in WorkshopFlow, go to Help → Activate License.
4. Paste your license key into the activation dialog and click Activate.
5. The app will confirm activation and unlock the features for your plan.

Plan Comparison

All prices are per installation (site license within the same premises). See the Pricing page for full details.

💡 Tips & Keyboard Shortcuts

Save time with these built-in shortcuts and productivity features.

General Tips

• Always set reorder thresholds on all stock items — this makes the Reorder List immediately useful.
• Assign every stock item a supplier so reorder lists can be sent directly to the right contact.
• Run a Backup Now before any major data imports or before upgrading to a new version.
• Use Bins to map your physical store layout — it makes stock picks faster and reduces errors.
• If you run MariaDB for multi-user access, ensure all client PCs have the correct server address in Settings → Database Configuration.
• The Analytics Dashboard is most useful when all modules (Fuel, Lubricants, Tools) are enabled — it pulls from all sources.

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Solutions to the most common issues.

"Cannot connect to database"

• If using MariaDB: confirm the MariaDB service is running on the server PC (search "Services" in Windows, find "MariaDB").
• Check that the server PC's firewall allows port 3306.
• In Settings → Database Configuration, click Test Connection to see the exact error message.
• If you recently changed the server PC's IP address, update it in Database Configuration on all client PCs.
• If all else fails, switch to SQLite (Standalone) to keep working while you resolve the network issue.

License won't activate

• Ensure the PC has internet access at the time of activation.
• Copy and paste the license key exactly as received — do not add spaces before or after.
• If the key says "already used on another machine", contact WorkshopFlow support to transfer the license.

PDF reports won't open

• Ensure a PDF reader is installed (Adobe Reader or the built-in Windows reader).
• Check the Documents\WorkshopFlow\reports\ folder — the file should be there. Open it manually if it didn't launch automatically.
• If the folder is missing, WorkshopFlow will recreate it on next launch.

Stock quantities look wrong after a requisition

• Quantities are reduced immediately when you click Issue. If you issued the wrong amount, manually edit the item's quantity in Stock View (double-click the item → adjust the quantity field).
• This creates an audit trail note. For large corrections, use Backup & Restore to roll back to a pre-issue state.

The app is slow to start

• On first launch after an update, the database migrates automatically — this may take a few seconds.
• If connected to MariaDB over a slow network, queries may take longer. Consider switching to Standalone SQLite if network performance is consistently poor.

I need more help

Use the Contact page to reach the WorkshopFlow support team. Include your version number (Help → License Info), the steps that led to the problem, and any error messages shown.