Next Inventory

Download the package ZIP from nextsoftware.dev, then go to System > Install > Extensions in your Joomla administrator and drag the ZIP onto the upload area. The bundle installs the com_nextinventory component, the plg_system_nextinventorysession plugin and the plg_task_nextinventorydemoreset scheduler plugin together, and all three are enabled automatically.

Assets are equipment you check out to people and expect back — laptops, tools, cameras. Consumables are supplies that get used up — printer paper, chemicals, packaging. Sellables are products you sell with stock levels to track. The item type controls which transactions are available (check-out/in for assets, add/remove stock for consumables and sellables).

Open Components > Next Inventory from the Joomla admin menu, then navigate to Items and click New. Pick an item type, give it a title and (optionally) a SKU or barcode, set the initial stock quantity, and save. If you have categories or warehouses set up, you can assign them now — if not, Next Inventory will still let you save the item without them.

The current release focuses on the admin UI and transaction workflow rather than bulk import. If you need to move a large spreadsheet into Next Inventory, contact us at [email protected] — we can help with a one-off data migration.

Every transaction (check-in, check-out, add stock, remove stock, transfer, adjustment) updates the item's stock quantity automatically when saved. Transactions themselves are uneditable — once a transaction is created, the only way to reverse it is to record an opposite transaction. This guarantees the audit trail is a true record of what happened.

Yes. Go to Operations > Transfers, pick a source warehouse and destination warehouse, add line items with quantities, and finalise the transfer. The transfer runs as a single batch operation so partial completion is not possible, and every transferred item gets an automatic transaction entry on both sides.

Each item has a low-stock threshold field. When the live quantity drops to or below the threshold, three things happen: the item shows in red on the Items list, a dashboard widget highlights it, and subscribed users receive email and (if enabled) browser push notifications. Alerts are throttled to once per 24 hours per user per item so you don't get flooded.

Enter a serial number on the item record. When the asset is checked out, the recipient is linked to that specific serial — the transaction log shows exactly which unit is with which person. Useful for IT equipment, tools, or anything regulated by serial tracking.

Yes. Under Configuration > Custom Fields, define fieldsets and fields for the item, warehouse, or recipient context. Next Inventory supports text, number, select, multiselect, checkbox, radio, date, email, URL, colour, and file field types. Mark a field as searchable and you can filter and search on its values like any built-in field.

Next Inventory has its own role-based permission system separate from Joomla ACL. Under Configuration > Roles, define roles with granular permissions per feature area — inventory, transactions, categories, reports, warehouses, scanner and configuration. Then under Role Assignments, assign roles to individual users or to Joomla user groups. Super administrators bypass all checks.

Yes. The App Manager turns whole areas of the component on and off from one card grid — transfers, adjustments, reports, units, custom fields, notifications, quick search and more. Disabling an area removes it from the menu and refuses its requests, but never touches its data, so switching it back on restores everything exactly as it was. Nine core areas — items, categories, warehouses, the stock ledger, recipients, roles and settings — are always on.

Yes. The theme button in the header switches between light and dark, and inside the Joomla administrator it drives Joomla's own light/dark setting, so one click re-themes the whole admin rather than leaving a bright panel inside a dark one. Reports still print dark-on-white whichever theme you are working in.

Yes. Go to Configuration > Settings and configure currency code (USD, EUR, etc.), symbol position (before or after the number), decimal places, date format (Y-m-d, d/m/Y, etc.), thousands separator, and decimal separator. All formatters in the UI use these settings live.

Yes. Switch the Demo Data app on in the App Manager, then use Settings > Demo Mode to install a full sample inventory — categories, warehouses, items, transactions, transfers and adjustments — so every screen has realistic content while you evaluate.

No. Sample records are added alongside whatever is already in the database, and every row the installer creates is recorded, so removing the demo takes back exactly what it added and nothing else.

Yes. Switch on Auto-Reset, pick an interval, and create the Next Inventory: Reset demo data task under Joomla's System > Scheduled Tasks. Run the task hourly and your chosen interval decides when a reset is actually due.

Next Inventory runs on Joomla 4.x, 5.x, and 6.x with PHP 8.1 or higher. The component uses modern Joomla conventions throughout: namespaced classes, Service Providers, dependency injection, SubscriberInterface events, WebAssetManager, and Form XML validation.

Three pieces, installed and enabled together: the com_nextinventory component, a small system plugin that keeps your session alive while you work, and a scheduler plugin that lets a public demo site reset itself. The scheduler plugin does nothing unless you create the task.

Yes. Role assignments can target individual users or entire Joomla user groups. If a user belongs to a group with a role assigned, they inherit that role's permissions. Direct user assignments take precedence over group assignments when both exist.

The frontend is a React and Material UI single-page application, so the interface behaves like an app rather than a sequence of page loads. The backend is a fully namespaced Joomla MVC component using service providers, Form XML validation and Joomla's own asset pipeline — no deprecated APIs, so major Joomla upgrades do not leave it behind.