--- title: "Offering items as options in IOS" slug: "offering-items-as-options-in-ios" description: "Learn how to customize pack layouts with item designs in IOS, control item options, and enhance your photography projects effectively." updated: 2025-10-22T00:53:48Z published: 2025-10-22T00:53:48Z canonical: "help.timestone.com.au/offering-items-as-options-in-ios" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.timestone.com.au/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Offering items as options in IOS ## Overview With paper ordering, the photographer has the ability to apply item design to pack layouts. This can be done with any of the paper ordering methods as well as manually in Point and Click Mode of NeoPack. In IOS, this can be achieved by **Options** that are applied to Products. The options are in fact item designs and the products are in fact, pack layouts. When the customer selects a Package and begins customization, they will see the items as customization options for the Products or products in the package. Amongst many other uses, items in IOS are often used to: - Offer different designs for products such as trader cards - Allow for configuration of **Build Your Own** Packages - Apply a background to the product ## Examples The Timestone IOS demo website has many examples where item designs have been used as options. A selection can be seen with the links below. [https://demo.timestone.com.au/ordering/with?key=98M2M8W5](https://demo.timestone.com.au/ordering/with?key=98M2M8W5) - The red Xmas Specials packages use items to change the background for the product - The blue Create your own packages use items to configure the sheet into different combinations [https://demo.timestone.com.au/ordering/with?key=MYMZXLZM](https://demo.timestone.com.au/ordering/with?key=MYMZXLZM) - The purple Trader Card packages use items to offer different designs for trader card fronts - Note some of the trader card options attract an additional fee [https://demo.timestone.com.au/ordering/with?key=8XWP96C9](https://demo.timestone.com.au/ordering/with?key=8XWP96C9) - In the Premium Package, the Calendar product (product 3) has different designs ## How IOS uploads items When uploading a job, tsIOS will upload any items that are in Template Paths applicable to the job being uploaded. In the absence of any controls described below, these items are then available to be applied to a product as options. > [!NOTE] > For items to be available as options in IOS they must be in a path that applies to the job in question. ### Image holes on the pack layouts It should be noted that items will not be applied to any image holes that have been marked with the **Image without item design** option. In addition if the image hole already has been set with an explicit item then it cannot accept items in IOS. ![Image holes must be capable of accepting items.](https://cdn.document360.io/4c6b2b86-f0ee-419b-9aca-71ba574125e1/Images/Documentation/Offering%20items%20as%20options%20in%20IOS(1).png) Figure 1: Image holes must be capable of accepting items ## Controlling items offered in IOS By default, all items that have been uploaded for a given job will be offered as options to all portrait products in all packages that allow customization. This is often undesirable as a customer could be offered, say, a bookmark item design for a trader card layout. In other examples, there could be some packages where item options are needed but other packages that should have no items presented at all. Finally, there could be item designs used in the production apps such as shoot cards, ID cards and proof sheets that should never be used in IOS. It is therefore imperative that the photographer learns how to control the availability (or not) of item options. Broadly four mechanisms are available to control the presentation of item options. ### In summary - Template path availability - Mark a template path as **Apps only** so the items in the path are never uploaded to IOS - This is ideal for item designs such as shoot cards, ID cards and other items that have no place in IOS. - Make packages non-customizable - Packages marked as non-customizable will not give the customer the opportunity to select item design options even if they have been uploaded. - This method prevents item options for all products in the package together with image (pose) and background customization. - Turn off item customization for a given product - Disables item option customization for a given product in the package - This prevents items being presented for the product while still allowing other aspects of the product to be customized (pose and background) - Limiting specific items to specific layouts - Allows certain item designs to be available while preventing others to be presented for the product - Ensures only the desired items are available. Only displays items with tags matching the tag in the layout. ### In detail Template pathsNon-customizable packageNo item option for productMatching tags A photographer may have several item design templates that are never to be used in IOS. In these cases it is advised to save these templates in their own path that has been marked as **Apps only**. > [!NOTE] > Templates in an **Apps only** path will never be uploaded to IOS. ![Making a template path available for apps only not IOS.](https://cdn.document360.io/4c6b2b86-f0ee-419b-9aca-71ba574125e1/Images/Documentation/Offering%20items%20as%20options%20in%20IOS(2).png) Figure 2: Setting a path to be 'Apps only' Packages marked as non-customizable will never display options even if the items have been uploaded by tsIOS. To mark a package as non-customizable: 1. In tsAdmin select the offer 2. Select the Filters/Extras tab 3. Select the package 4. Double-click the Filters section 5. In the Customization section, check the **Is non-customizable** option ![Marking a package as non-customizable](https://cdn.document360.io/4c6b2b86-f0ee-419b-9aca-71ba574125e1/Images/Documentation/Offering%20items%20as%20options%20in%20IOS(3).png) Figure 3: Making a package non-customizable It is possible to disallow item options on a product per product basis. This is useful when some products in a package are to have item options but not others. To 'turn off' items for a product: 1. In tsAdmin select the offer 2. Select the package and the product in question 3. Click the little **Select further product options** icon to open the **Product options** window 4. Check **No option/item customization** ![Turning off item customization for a particular product.](https://cdn.document360.io/4c6b2b86-f0ee-419b-9aca-71ba574125e1/Images/Documentation/Offering%20items%20as%20options%20in%20IOS(4).png) Figure 4: Disabling item options for a product It is possible to link items to specific layouts by the use of matching tags. Items will only be offered to products if the item's tag and the layout's tag match. This allows the photographer to offer one set of items to a certain product while offering a different set of items to a different product Layouts and items are tagged in the Template Designer (Design Mode) under File>Properties>Item tag(s) ![Setting a tag for a layout](https://cdn.document360.io/4c6b2b86-f0ee-419b-9aca-71ba574125e1/Images/Documentation/Offering%20items%20as%20options%20in%20IOS(5).png) Figure 5: Setting a tag for a layout. A matching tag is given to the item > [!NOTE] > TIP > > Tags can also be used to always exclude items. For example a Pack layout could have a tag of, say, NOITEM. As long as no Items have this tag, the Pack layout will never accept items. > > Conversely, an Item could be given a tag of say, NONE. As long as no Pack layouts have this tag, the item will never be applied to a layout. --- ### FAQ #### What is the purpose of item designs in IOS? Customers can select a package and then choose from various item designs as customization options for the products within that package. #### Can item designs be used for different types of products? Yes, item designs can be used for various products, such as trader cards and Build Your Own packages. #### What happens if an image hole is marked as 'Image without item design'? Items will not be applied to any image holes marked with this option, and if an image hole already has an explicit item set, it cannot accept items in IOS. #### Is it possible to control which items are offered in IOS? Yes, photographers can control item availability through various mechanisms, such as marking template paths as Apps only, making packages non-customizable, turning off item customization at the product level or limiting items to specific products through the use of tags. #### What does marking a package as non-customizable do? Marking a package as non-customizable prevents customers from selecting item design options for any products within that package. #### Can specific items be limited to certain layouts? Yes, items can be linked to specific layouts using matching tags, ensuring only desired items are available for particular products. #### How can photographers ensure that certain templates are never used in IOS? Photographers can save these templates in a path marked as Apps only, which prevents them from being uploaded to IOS. A product is any item produced in the apps. Simple prints, package prints, trader cards, groups, composites and digital files are all examples of products. Products are of different types. Portrait 'type' products often relate directly to a pack layout template. Other product types relate to a genre, such as composites, groups and digital image. One or more products are combined into a Package. Packages are defined in an Offer and comprise one or more Products. Packages are the basis of all ordering methods. When customers place an order, when they buy something, they are ordering a package even if that package only contains a single product. An Offer is composed of one or more Packages. It is useful to think of an offer as an order sheet from which customers choose what they wish to order. "Here are the packages I offer you". Packages are defined in an Offer and comprise one or more Products. Packages are the basis of all ordering methods. When customers place an order, when they buy something, they are ordering a package even if that package only contains a single product. A utility provided with the Timestone Internet Ordering System (IOS) that is used to upload jobs Template paths are Windows file paths entered into the Timestone Administrator (tsAdmin) thereby enabling the software to find the required templates as needed.