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title: Projects
description: How to create and manage projects — the primary container for clients, inventory, packing lists, and financials.
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For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL. For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.esoapp.co.uk/guides/projects/llms.txt. For full documentation content, see https://docs.esoapp.co.uk/guides/projects/llms-full.txt.

A **Project** is the central organising unit in ESO. Every inventory item, packing list, and invoice ultimately belongs to a project.

## Key fields

| Field                 | Description                                                                                  |
| --------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Name**              | A human-readable label for the project (e.g. "Q2 EU Shipment").                              |
| **Code**              | A short alphanumeric identifier used in packing-list codes (e.g. `EU-Q2`).                   |
| **Status**            | `draft` → `active` → `closed`. Controls whether the project is actively being worked.        |
| **Client**            | The client this project is associated with. Optional — a project can exist without a client. |
| **Location**          | The default warehouse or site for this project's inventory.                                  |
| **Start / End dates** | Optional scheduling dates.                                                                   |

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## Creating a project

1. Navigate to **Projects** in the left-hand menu.
2. Click **New Project**.
3. Enter a name and code, then optionally link a client and location.
4. Save — the project is created in `draft` status.

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## Project overview page

Clicking on a project opens its overview page, which brings together:

* **Inventory** — All inventory items belonging to this project.
* **Packing Lists** — All packing lists created against this project.
* **Financials** — Revenue, cost estimates, and storage fee configuration for this project.

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## Project codes and packing-list numbering

When a packing list is created under a project, it is automatically assigned a sequential code in the format `{PROJECT_CODE}-{NNNN}` (e.g. `EU-Q2-0001`). The counter is per-project, so each project has its own independent sequence.

## Deleting and archiving

Projects cannot be deleted while they have associated inventory or packing lists. Change the project status to `closed` when the work is complete.