# Catalog overview

Catalog

The catalog is everything a customer can browse and buy in your store. In GrandNode it is built from a small number of building blocks: **products** that are sold, **categories**, **brands** and **collections** that group them, **attributes** that describe the options a customer chooses and the specifications a customer filters by, **product tags** for loose grouping and search, and **product reviews** written by customers. This article explains how the pieces fit together and where to find each of them, so that the rest of this section is easy to follow.

### Where to find it

Open the admin panel (`/admin`) and click **Catalog** in the left sidebar. The flyout lists every catalog screen:

- **Products** - the product list, with search, filters, Excel import and export, and the product editor.
- **Categories** - the category tree that forms the main navigation of the storefront.
- **Brands** - the makers of your products (in other platforms often called manufacturers).
- **Collections** - curated, cross-category groupings such as seasonal edits or gift guides.
- **Product tags** - free-form keywords shared across products.
- **Bulk edit products** - a spreadsheet-style grid for changing names, SKUs, prices, stock and publishing of many products at once.
- **Product reviews** - moderation of customer reviews.
- **Product attributes** - the reusable definitions of options such as Size or Color.
- **Specification attributes** - the reusable definitions of facts such as Material or Screen size, used for comparison and filtering.

![The Catalog flyout in the admin sidebar listing Products, Categories, Brands, Collections, Product tags, Bulk edit products, Product reviews, Product attributes and Specification attributes](https://grandnode.com/Plugins/Theme.GrandNodeCom/Content/kb/catalog/catalog-menu.webp)

Everything in this section starts from the Catalog menu.

Two related screens live elsewhere: the **layouts** that decide how a product, category, brand or collection page is rendered are under **Configuration → Layouts**, and the store-wide catalog behaviour (page sizes, what is shown on product pages, search options) is under **Settings → Catalog**. The **Low stock** report is under **Reports**.

### How the pieces fit together

A **product** is the central record. It has a type (simple, grouped, bundled, reservation or auction), prices, inventory rules, pictures and SEO data. A product is then *mapped* to the places where it should appear:

- to one or more **categories** - a product may live in several categories at once, for example both *Kitchen & Coffee* and *Gifts*;
- to one **brand** - chosen on the product's General tab;
- to any number of **collections**.

Attributes come in two kinds and are easy to confuse:

| Kind | What it is for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Product attribute | A choice the customer makes when adding the product to the cart. It can change the price, weight, SKU and stock. | Size: S, M, L; Color: Navy, White |
| Specification attribute | A fixed fact about the product, shown in the specification table and usable as a filter in category pages. | Material: Cotton; Fit: Slim |

Both kinds are defined once in the Catalog menu and then attached to individual products, so the same Size or Material definition is reused across the whole store.

### Stores, customer groups and vendors

GrandNode is multi-store. Products, categories, brands and collections each have **Limited to stores** and **Limited to customer groups** fields: leave them empty to show the item everywhere and to everyone, or pick stores or customer groups to restrict it. A product can also be assigned to a **vendor**; vendors then manage their own products in the vendor panel (`/vendor`), and store managers manage the catalog of their store in the store panel (`/store`). The screens described in this section are the same in all three panels, with fewer options where a panel is limited to its own scope. Stores, customer groups and vendors themselves are set up under **Configuration → Stores** and **Customers**.

### Recommended order when you start

1. Create the **category tree** and the **brands** - see [Categories](https://grandnode.com/catalog-categories-brands-collections) and [Brands and collections](https://grandnode.com/catalog-categories-brands-collections).
2. Define the **product attributes** and **specification attributes** you will need - see [Product attributes and combinations](https://grandnode.com/catalog-attributes) and [Specification attributes](https://grandnode.com/catalog-attributes#specifications).
3. Add products one by one ([Adding and editing products](https://grandnode.com/catalog-products)) or in bulk from Excel ([Import, export and bulk edit](https://grandnode.com/catalog-import-export-bulk-edit)).
4. Set prices and stock rules - see [Prices, discounts and inventory](https://grandnode.com/catalog-prices-inventory).
5. Check the result on the storefront with **Show in the shop page** on the product editor.

### Tips and common mistakes

- A product that is not visible on the storefront is usually unpublished, limited to another store or customer group, outside its **Available from**/**Available to** dates, or not mapped to any category that is itself published.
- Use product attributes only for choices that really change what is shipped. A fact that never varies belongs in a specification attribute, where it can also be filtered.
- Catalog changes are cached. They normally show on the storefront immediately after saving; if they do not, check that you saved (not only switched tabs) the product.

### Related

- [Adding and editing products](https://grandnode.com/catalog-products)
- [Product types](https://grandnode.com/catalog-product-types)
- [Prices, discounts and inventory](https://grandnode.com/catalog-prices-inventory)

- [Web page](https://grandnode.com/catalog-overview)