# Products

Reference for product documents in the Library — fields, tabs, and commands.

Source: https://support.toolingmetrics.com/en/library/reference/products/
Updated: 2026-10-29

A **Product** is a catalog item from a tooling manufacturer. Products are the building blocks of Tool Assemblies and are synced to Inventory Items.

## Product sources

Tooling Metrics keeps products in two separate catalogs:

**Shared catalog**: products Tooling Metrics can publish once for every organization, visible to all users of every organization. Users can't edit or delete them. If you import a GTC package with a product whose Manufacturer and Product Number match a shared product, the shared product is used and the imported data for it isn't saved.

**Organization catalog** — Products created or imported by your organization. Only visible to members of your organization, according to their permission level on Products. See [Access control](#access-control) below.

A product is uniquely identified by its **Manufacturer + Product Number** combination. No two products within the same catalog can share both values.

## Creating products

Manufacturer and Class are required on every product. All other fields — including Number, designation, parameters, operations, and connection codes — can be parsed automatically from a `.p21` data file if one is provided. Manual entry is only needed when no `.p21` file is available.

Products can be created in two ways:

- **GTC Package import** — Bulk-import a vendor's complete catalog. See [How to import products from a GTC package](https://support.toolingmetrics.com/en/library/guides/import-products/).
- **Manual creation** — Create individual products using manufacturer-supplied asset files (P21, DXF, STP, images). See [Create a product manually](https://support.toolingmetrics.com/en/library/guides/create-product-manually/).

## Fields

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| **Number** | Manufacturer's article number. Uniquely identifies the product together with Manufacturer. Parsed from the P21 data file during sync. |
| **Designation** | Product name or designation. Parsed from P21. |
| **Manufacturer** | The tooling manufacturer. Required. |
| **Class** | ISO 13399 generic class (e.g., DRLFSS, MILFI, ADPCL). Determines which parameters are available for this product. Parsed from P21. |
| **Unit System** | Metric or Imperial. Determines the unit system used to display and store all parameter values for this product. |
| **Operations** | Machining operations this product supports (e.g., drilling, shoulder milling, external turning). Parsed from P21. Used to filter compatible cutting data in the machining calculator. If operations are missing, cutting data cannot be calculated for this product. |
| **Order Code** | Vendor order code. Copied to the Item record when synced. |
| **Barcode** | Product barcode or data matrix string. |
| **Connection Codes** | Machine-side and cutting-side interface codes (ISO 13399). Drive automatic compatibility matching in the Tool Assembly builder — when adding a component, the product list is filtered to show only products whose machine-side code matches the previous component's cutting-side code. |

## Tabs

### Parameters

ISO 13399 parameters parsed from the P21 data file. Displayed as a table of parameter codes and values (e.g., `DC = 12 mm`, `LF = 83 mm`, `ZEFF = 4`). Parameters are the inputs to machining calculator calculations and drive tool assembly geometry in the CAD Viewer.

Parameters parsed from a P21 file cannot be edited directly. If a value is incorrect, contact the manufacturer to request a corrected data file.

### Cutting reference points (CRP)

Available only for products of type **Tool Item** (cutting tools, inserts). CRPs define the coordinate system and cutting edge positions used to calculate tool offsets. Each CRP specifies a model type (basic or detailed), a name, and X/Y/Z coordinates relative to the product's origin.

If CRPs are missing on a tool item product, tool offset calculations will not be available for assemblies built with this product.

### Attachments

Asset files attached to the product:

| File | Format | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| **Picture** | `.png`, `.jpg` | Main product photo, shown in list and card views. |
| **Family Picture** | `.png`, `.jpg` | Drawing with annotated dimension symbols. |
| **Data File** | `.p21` | ISO 13399 data file. Used by **Save & Parse Data File** to parse all product attributes, parameters, operations, and connection codes. |
| **2D Drawing** | `.dxf` | Engineering drawing, viewable in the drawing viewer. |
| **Basic Model** | `.stp` | Simplified 3D model used in the CAD Viewer for everyday work. |
| **Detailed Model** | `.stp` | Full-detail 3D model used in setup sheet renders. |

All fields are optional — attach whatever the manufacturer provides. A product without a 3D model is fully functional for inventory and purchasing but will not render in the CAD Viewer.

## Commands

| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| **Save & Parse Data File** | New products only. Saves the product and, in the same step, parses the attached P21 file to populate all product attributes, parameters, operations, and connection codes. |
| **Parse Data File** | Existing products only. Re-parses the currently attached P21 file, overwriting parsed fields with its contents. Used after replacing the file with an updated one from the manufacturer. |
| **Push to Item** | Creates or updates the corresponding Inventory Item with data from this product. |
| **Import** (list view) | Opens the GTC Package import dialog. |

## Access control

An organization administrator sets the permission level for the **Library → Products** record type on each group. What each level allows:

| Level | Sees organization products | Creates | Edits and deletes | Sees shared catalog products |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Admin** | All | ✓ | Any organization product | ✓ |
| **Manager** | All | ✓ | Only products they created | ✓ |
| **User** | Only their own | ✓ | Only products they created | ✓ |
| **No permission** | — | — | — | — (Products hidden) |

No level can edit or delete shared catalog products; only your organization's own products can be changed.