Getting Started

Getting Started

Enable the Assets module, let the migrations build and seed the catalog, grant the right people access, and switch on the reminder crons — then register your first asset and endorse it to a user.

Prerequisites

• PHP ≥ 8.2 and ERPat core ≥ 1.10.0 — the module manifest requires both.
• Admin access to Settings → Manage Modules and to the Roles editor.
• Staff users must exist. Assets can only be checked out (endorsed) to active staff users — not to locations or other assets — so create the people before the hardware. See Checkout & Check-in.
• A ticking cron runtime if you want the return-due / warranty / audit reminders and the monthly depreciation compute to run — see Switch on the crons below.
• Manufacturers and Suppliers are shared masters. The module reuses ERPat's core Brands table for manufacturers and the core Vendors table for suppliers — they work out of the box, no separate setup needed (details in Shared masters).

Activation — three steps

1. Run the module migrations

   From the project root. The module's migrations are idempotent and reversible, and are tracked in their own migrations_assets table.

   php erpat migrate:modules
   # (or) php erpat migrate:latest

2. Turn the module on

   Go to Settings → Manage Modules and enable Assets (listed under the Safekeep category — this sets module_assets = 1). A Safekeep group appears in the left sidebar for every user who also holds the asset permission.

3. Grant permissions (for non-admins)

   In Roles, assign the Safekeep permission categories to the roles that need them. Administrators see everything by default. See Granting access below and the full matrix on Permissions & Roles.

What the migrations create

Three migrations run in sequence:

Seeded status labels (7)

Every asset carries a status label, and every label has one of four deploy types — Deployable Pending Undeployable Archived. The seed migration installs seven ready-made labels:

Seeded categories, fieldsets and custom fields

Six starter categories are seeded, each bound to its own fieldset (named "<Category> fields") so the right "Additional fields" appear on the asset form the moment you pick the category:

Custom fields are deduped globally by their field key, so shared fields like serial_number and brand_model are single rows reused across several fieldsets. See Custom Fields & Fieldsets and Categories.

Granting access in Roles

While the module is enabled, four Safekeep permission categories appear in the Roles editor. The base asset permit (labelled "Assets: Entries") is the master key — the whole Safekeep sidebar group and every screen in it require it; everything else layers on top.

The full permission-by-permission matrix, with suggested role presets (IT admin, custodian, auditor, finance, employee), lives on Permissions & Roles.

A tour of the Safekeep sidebar group

With the module enabled and the asset permission granted, the sidebar gains a Safekeep group with six items:

Catalog screens are tabs of those pages

Several catalog screens deliberately do not get their own sidebar entries — you reach them as in-page tabs:

• On the Assets page (ams/assets), the tab strip reads Browse · Models · Location. The Location tab only appears for users holding the location permission; Models shows for everyone with asset.
• On the Categories page (ams/categories), the tab strip reads Categories · Groups · Status Labels. The Groups tab only appears with the asset_groups permission and Status Labels with asset.
• On the Custom Fields page (ams/custom_fields), the tab strip reads Browse · Fieldsets — Fieldsets is managed there.

Shared masters: Manufacturers and Suppliers

Two catalogs the module uses are not owned by it — they are ERPat-wide masters served by core controllers:

• Manufacturers are the shared Brands master, reachable at ams/brands. Only brands whose "Available in Assets" flag is set to Yes appear in the asset and model manufacturer pickers — set it on the brand itself. (The Snipe-IT CSV importer sets the flag automatically on manufacturers it creates or matches.)
• Suppliers are the shared Vendors master, reachable at ams/vendors — used on assets (purchase vendor) and maintenance records (who did the work).

Both carry their own core permissions (brand, vendor) in the Roles editor, separate from the Safekeep categories above. Changes you make there affect every module that shares those masters.

Settings → Asset Entries Configuration

One core settings screen tunes the module's comment stream. Go to Settings and open Asset Entries in the components group — the page is headed "Asset Entries Configuration":

Saving records the system-log event "Asset entries settings updated".

Switch on the crons

The module ships four scheduled jobs on ERPat's Advanced Cron runtime. They only run if your server cron is ticking the runtime (or you tick it manually):

php erpat cron:list        # confirm the four asset jobs are registered
php erpat cron:tick        # run whatever is due right now
php erpat cron:run compute_asset_depreciation   # force a single job

The reminders, the two dashboard widgets ("Assets assigned to me" and "Assets needing attention") and the related settings keys are covered in full on Widgets, Reminders & Settings.

First-run checklist

1. Enable the module

   Run php erpat migrate:modules, then enable Assets under Settings → Manage Modules. Confirm the Safekeep group appears in your sidebar.

2. Verify the seeded catalog

   Open Assets → Status Labels tab — you should see the seven seeded labels with Ready to Deploy as the default. Open Custom Fields and its Fieldsets tab — the six seeded fieldsets ("Laptop fields" through "Employee ID fields") should be listed.

3. Grant roles

   In Roles, give your IT/admin roles the four Safekeep categories. Employees who will receive equipment need at least the base asset permit — every Safekeep screen, including the asset page with its Confirm receipt button, sits behind it. (The cron reminder notifications reach assignees regardless, but without asset they cannot open the asset.) Details: Permissions & Roles.

4. Shape your categories and models

   On the Assets page, review the Categories tab (rename, nest, or add categories — each can bind a fieldset), then build your hardware catalog under the Models tab. Model defaults (category, manufacturer) auto-fill the asset form. See Asset Models and Categories.

5. Adjust statuses and supporting masters

   Add any extra status labels your process needs, plus locations and depreciation profiles (none are seeded).

6. Add your first asset

   Assets → Browse → Add entry. Pick a category to reveal its "Additional fields", give it an Asset Tag, and set the Status to Ready to Deploy. Field-by-field help: Adding & Editing Assets. (Have a Snipe-IT export or a spreadsheet? Use Import instead.)

7. Check it out

   Open the asset and use Check out asset to endorse it to a staff user with a due date. The assignee then uses Confirm receipt, and every step lands in the asset's Activity chain-of-custody log. Walkthrough: Checkout & Check-in and the end-to-end SOPs.

Next steps