overview

Melbis Shop is a desktop Windows application that combines two roles: a back office for day-to-day staff operations (products, prices, orders, customers) and a development environment for the storefront and web modules. Data is stored on a server, but the application downloads the required portion to the local computer and works with it in batch mode — hence the speed of a desktop application instead of web interface delays. The general mechanics of this workflow are covered in a separate section, “Basic Operating Principles”.

Desktop

When the application starts, the main menu appears at the top of the screen, and the “Dispatcher” window opens automatically on the left — it shows who is currently in the store and lists active locks. Sections open as windows on top of the desktop; unnecessary ones can be closed.

The main menu consists of five tabs. The first three — “Business”, “Products”, and “Structure” — are primarily user-facing sections. The “Design” and “System” tabs are intended primarily for administrators and developers.

“Business” Tab

Scheduler — a lightweight CRM: task assignments for staff and progress tracking.
Suppliers — a directory of product suppliers.
Currencies — a directory of store currencies.
Discounts — a directory of product discounts and their conditions.
Prices — the commercial component of a product: prices, availability, discounts, parameters (logistics workstation).
Price Lists — batch import of supplier price lists.
Orders — creating and editing orders, summaries, accompanying documents.
Customers — viewing and managing store customers.
Web Modules — external store extensions (also accessible from the “Products” and “Structure” tabs).

“Products” Tab

Brands — a directory of product brands.
Attributes — descriptive product attributes and their value lists.
Parameters — internal commercial properties of a product (used in the “Prices” section).
Descriptions — composing product descriptions (non-commercial data and retail price).
Placement — moving products between catalog sections.
Restore — restoring deleted products or permanently removing them.
Reviews — viewing and managing visitor reviews for products.

“Structure” Tab

Catalog — managing store sections: settings, alternative catalogs, additional options, access rights.
Filters — product filters for storefront sections (typically based on attributes).
Promo Blocks — marketing, navigation, text, and banner blocks.
Settings — user-level store settings.
Multilanguage — languages, translation categories, and translations of store elements.

“Design” Tab

Settings Registry — types and options of store elements, user settings, individual filters.
Order Options — order and order item options, order access rights.
Customer Options — registration fields and customer groups.
Report Editor — creating reports and managing access rights to them.
Modules and Options — configuration of external and built-in web modules.
Development Environment — built-in IDE (see the developer guide, “Development Environment”).
Web Console — web development console.

“System” Tab

Stores — switching and adding stores, local database placement.
Dispatcher — user presence and active locks.
Connection — authorization, internet connection settings, licensing.
Installation — initial setup of base and system functions.
Server — store server management.
Locks — viewing and releasing locks.
Activity Log — message exchange between the application and the server.
Users — groups, staff members, and their access rights.
Reload — rebuilding the local database.
Language — application interface language.
Sizes — top menu size and interface font size.
Profiles — retrieve and save profiles on the server.
About — application information.

Appearance Settings and Profiles

Sizes. The menu size (large, medium, small) and interface font size are switched in “System” → “Sizes”. A font change takes effect after restarting the application.

Language. The interface language is switched in “System” → “Language” and takes effect after a restart.

Profiles. Saved advanced query conditions and window settings are stored on the server: “System” → “Profiles” allows you to retrieve them from the server, upload them to the server, or clear them. For more details about profiles, see the “Basic Operating Principles” section.

This guide covers the “Business”, “Products”, and “Structure” tabs, the core tools, and the “Administration” section. The “Development Environment”, “Web Console”, “Server”, “Installation”, and “Activity Log” sections relate to development and infrastructure — see the developer guide.