Free-form sale — Paloma365 Classic (Windows POS)

This article is about Paloma365 Classic, the POS program for Windows. A "free-form sale" means selling a product that is not yet in the POS catalog. In Classic every receipt line is a catalog item, so you cannot sell an arbitrary hand-typed line. Instead, the POS creates the item card right on the sales screen: it pulls the name from the global goods database by barcode, the cashier sets the price, and the line goes into the receipt. The interface is in Russian; original UI names are shown in quotes.

Overview

What happens when a scanned barcode is not in the catalog depends on the local setting "Show items from global database if not found". If it is off, the POS shows "Item wasn't found" ("Товар не найден") and the item must be created in the back office. If it is on, no message is shown — the POS immediately opens a search window and looks the barcode up in the Paloma365 global goods database (internet required); "Item wasn't found" appears in this case only if the item ends up not being added.

When to use it

New delivery not yet entered in the catalog, or a barcode that scans but is reported as not found, while the customer is already at the register.

Step by step

1. Scan the barcode. If it is not in the catalog, the POS opens the global database search window right away, without showing a message first.
2. One match — a price panel opens with the name, price and folder ("Папка:") pre-filled. Check the name and enter your own price. The folder field defaults to "[ПАПКА ИМПОРТА ПО УМОЛЧАНИЮ]" (default import folder): start typing a name and the POS suggests existing catalog folders; typing a new name creates a new folder on save and the item goes into it.
3. Several matches — pick the recommended (bold) row and press "Выбрать" (Select).
4. Tick "Весовой товар" for weighted goods if needed.
5. Press "Добавить товар" — the card is saved and the line is added to the receipt. The internet is needed not only for the search but also for saving: the card is created through the web office, so without a connection the POS shows an error.
6. Not in the global database either — press "Создать товар" (Create item): the creation form has the name, price, unit of measure, folder, PLU code, barcode plus extra barcodes, and the "Весовой" (weighted) and "Запрашивать марку" (ask for the mark) flags; if the product has no barcode, one can be generated by a button right in the form. On save the POS reports the item was added ("Товар добавлен") and the line goes into the receipt. This form also saves the card via the internet.
7. Change quantity as usual via "Кол-во" ("Enter amount"), then take payment — see Payments and payment types. General order operations: Sales and orders.

Common problems

• "Item wasn't found" and nothing else happens — the global-database setting is off; enable it or add the item in the back office.
• "No connection to the global goods database" — the search works online only; check the internet.
• An insert error mentioning "БЕК" ("Ошибка вставки товара в БЕК", "Не удалось вставить товар в бек") — the POS could not save the card through the web office; check the internet and retry.
• "WEB-Сессия занята, попробуйте позже" (web session is busy, try later) — the web office is busy with another operation; wait a moment and retry.
• Duplicate-code messages in the creation form — "Given barcode is the main barcode for the item", or messages that the barcode / PLU already exists: the entered barcode or PLU code is already taken by another card; check the code or find the existing item.
• Scanning a barcode does nothing — check two things. First, the workstation interface: in the "Кассир" (Cashier) and "Администратор зала" (Hall administrator) interfaces the barcode field on the order screen does not search — including the global-database flow. Second, the local setting «"Barcode" field for customer search»: when it is on, the field label changes to "Customer code" and the code looks up a customer ("Enter the customer code") — item search and the global database window do not run.
• The scanner sends a long 30-character code — enable the local setting «Field "Barcode" contains 30 symbols» and the POS will extract the item barcode from such codes itself. Search settings are described in POS local settings.
• Suggested price is wrong — the database suggests only the name and attributes; correct the price before adding.
• A receipt line shows "ITEM WAS NOT FOUND!" — the item card is missing locally; wait for synchronization or message us here — a specialist will join.

FAQ

Can I sell without creating an item card at all?

No. Every receipt line is linked to an item card; the free-entry window from older versions is not used in current builds.

Does the item reach the main catalog?

Yes — after synchronization the card appears in the back office.

What is the global goods database?

A shared Paloma365 barcode directory: the POS pulls the name and attributes by barcode; the price is always set by the cashier.