How to Create Custom Units

Summary: Custom units can make certain tasks easier and make recipe costing more legible.

There are several reasons to add units (or hide system units). At times, ingredients get distributed in units that are not available in the system. Having every imaginable unit in the system would make it more cumbersome to use the system. Thus, PLUS account users can create their own units and tie them to system units. Also, at times users do not need units from either the metric or imperial system. These can then be hidden from use.
Custom units can even be used to translate the units into the user's language.

How to create custom units: For example, an ingredient may come in a case of 24/each. This can become cumbersome if multiple cases are being purchased. Instead of using the 'each' unit, a new unit can be created called 'case' and tied to the 'each' unit with a multiple of 24.

To create the custom unit, open the 'Features' section in the navigation panel. Then select the 'Custom Units' link.

Once on the 'Custom Units' page there will be a section call 'New Unit'.

New Unit


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Give the new unit a name (i.e. 'case'), a short form (i.e. 'cs') and then tie it to an existing unit.
For our example, we know that there are '24 each' in a case. The first field will already have the unit set to the new one. For our example, set the quantity to '1' in the first field. The second field (after the 'equals') specifies how it ties to an already existing unit. For our example, set it to '24 each'.
Press the 'Save New Unit' button to save it. It can then be used throughout the system.

Editing a custom unit: To edit a custom unit, click on the unit in the list. A pop-up will appear with all the fields prefilled with the current values for the custom unit. Edit any of the values that need adjusting, then press the 'Update Unit' button. This will save the unit, and recalculate all ingredients, measurement converters and recipes.

Delete a custom unit: Similar to editing a custom unit, to delete a custom unit click on the unit in the list and a pop-up will appear. Press the 'Delete Unit' button. If the unit is currently in use, a pop-up will appear that lists the places the unit was used and it will ask to confirm the delete. If confirmed, the unit will disappear from all the select boxes, except on the ones it was used. To remove it completely, make sure to remove it from all the ingredients or recipes it was used on as well.

Edit Custom Unit:


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Manage System Units

Hide/Show System Units: At times system units are not used by the user and can be hidden to make the interface cleaner.
To hide a system unit, open the 'Manage Default Units' section.
There you will find a list of all the system units. The checkmark in front of the unit name indicates that the unit will show in the system. Clicking the unit will toggle the visibility of the unit.