Creating a sub-assembly

Creating a sub-assemblySub-AssemblyA reusable assembly block that composes into bigger BOMs. Define it once, include it in any BOM. At execution time, Assemblified expands the sub-assembly into its own components recursively. Read more → is a two-step process: create the empty entity, then add components.

On this page

• Manual creation
• Adding raw materials
• Nesting other sub-assemblies
• Duplicating an existing sub-assembly
• Auto-creating placeholders from a list

Manual creation

1. Open the Sub-Assemblies list page. From the Assemblified app sidebar, click “Sub-Assemblies”.

2. Click “Create sub-assembly”. Fill in:

   • Name — required, free-form. Pick something descriptive (“Candle base”, “Wick assembly”).
   • SKU — optional. Operator-defined; not bound to anything in Shopify.
   • Description — optional, free-form notes for future reference.

3. Save. The sub-assembly is created with empty components and default settings (no pre-assembled stock, Keep Assembled off).

4. Add raw materials. On the detail page, in the “Raw Materials” section, click “Add”. Pick a Shopify-linked raw material or a virtual material. Set:

   • Quantity per assembly — how many of this raw are consumed when the sub-assembly is built once.
   • Waste percentage — optional, applied at execution.
   • Location — optional override.
   • Alternatives — optional list of substitute variants.

5. Optionally nest other sub-assemblies. In the “Sub-Assemblies” section (yes, sub-assemblies can contain other sub-assemblies), click “Add” and pick from the existing sub-assembly list. Set the quantity multiplier.

6. Set initial pre-assembled stock (optional). If you have already-built sub-assemblies on the shelf, use the inline adjustment widget to record the count.

The sub-assembly is now ready. Reference it in any BOM via the BOM detail page’s “Sub-Assemblies” section.

Duplicating

If you have a sub-assembly that’s almost what you want — same component recipe but different name or different one or two materials — duplicate it.

1. From the list page, find the source sub-assembly.
2. Click the duplicate action (icon or menu).
3. Provide the new name + SKU.
4. The duplicate is created with the same component references. Pre-assembled stock and the Keep Assembled flag reset to defaults on the new copy.
5. Edit the duplicate’s components to differ as needed.

Auto-create from a list

For catalog migration — when you have a long list of product names and want a placeholder sub-assembly for each — use the Auto-Create dialog.

1. From the list page, click “Auto-create”.
2. Paste a list of names (one per line).
3. The dialog creates a placeholder sub-assembly for each name, with empty component lists and default settings.
4. Visit each placeholder’s detail page to populate components.

Common gotchas

• Sub-assemblies don’t have a Shopify product. They aren’t sold standalone. If you need to sell something, create a BOM (which links to a Shopify variant).
• Editing a sub-assembly affects every BOM that references it instantly. There’s no version pinning. If you add a new raw material to a sub-assembly, the next order that fires any referencing BOM consumes the new material too.
• Cycles are not detected. Don’t reference a sub-assembly inside itself, even transitively. The expansion would infinite-loop.
• Deleting a sub-assembly with active BOM references is risky. The UI warns you; force-deleting can leave dangling FKs. Always check references first.

Where to next

• Nesting & execution — what happens when a parent BOM expands this sub-assembly at order time.
• Pre-assembled stock — how to manage the shelf.