Warehouse visualization
Introduction
Warehouse visualization is a tool for designing and managing the physical layout of your warehouse halls, so you get the desired picking route in your warehouse. With this module, you can visually place your location series on an interactive canvas, define picking routes and sequence, and prepare new warehouse layouts — all without affecting daily operations until you activate the plan.
The feature builds on the existing Location series functionality, which defines your shelving rows with sections, shelves, and spaces. If you have already created location series, you can use Warehouse visualization to give them a physical placement in the warehouse hall and thereby optimize the picking process.
Menu item: Setup → Warehouse layout → Warehouse visualization
The overview: Plans
When you open Warehouse visualization, you are greeted with a plan overview. A plan represents one complete warehouse layout — that is, an overall configuration of where all the shelving rows are placed, the order in which they are picked, and what the hall looks like.
Why plans?
Plans allow you to:
- Work on new warehouse layouts in advance — e.g., prepare a restructuring without affecting the active picking order.
- Compare alternative setups — create multiple plans with different sequences and layouts, and activate the best one.
- Copy an existing plan as a starting point for changes.
Actions in the plan overview
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Create new plan | Creates an empty plan, which you can build your layout in. |
| Copy plan | Duplicates an existing plan with all placements, sequences, and inventory. |
| Delete plan | Removes a plan. An active plan cannot be deleted — deactivate it first. |
| Activate plan | Marks the plan as active. Only one plan can be active at a time. The active plan determines the picking order in the system. |
The layout editor
When you open a plan, you enter the layout editor itself. Here is an overview of the various elements.
The top bar
At the top of the editor, you'll find the following buttons and fields:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Text field with the plan's name. Enter a new name and click the blue checkmark to save. |
| Active plan | Checkbox that marks the plan as active. Only one plan can be active — the active plan controls the picking order throughout the system. |
| Hall | Dropdown menu for selecting which hall you're working on. Each hall has its own layout with its own placements and inventory. If you switch halls, the current state is automatically saved in memory. |
| Current placement status | Shows how many location series in the active hall you have activated in the picking route. For example, if it says "4/5", 4 out of 5 series in this hall are placed on the canvas. |
| Total | Shows the total number of placements across all halls, e.g. "5/20". |
| ← Back to overview | Returns to the plan overview. |
| Sort reset | Activates a mode where you can assign new sequence numbers to all blocks (see the section on sorting). |
| Reset zoom | Resets the zoom level to default. |
| Save layout | Saves all changes — placements, sequence, rotations, sizes, and inventory — to the database. Then automatically starts a precalculation of picking routes. |
The canvas
The large central area is the canvas itself, where you build your warehouse layout.
Navigation:
- Pan: Click and drag on the background to move around.
- Zoom: Use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom in and out.
- Grid lines: All elements snap to a 20px grid for precise placement.
Right side panel
On the right side, you'll find two sections:
- Location series
- Status indicator
Location series
A searchable list of all your location series. From here, you drag series onto the canvas.
Each series in the list shows:
- ID and name — e.g. "#4 – Shelf row A"
- Range — e.g. "1A010101 → 1A080504" (from first to last location)
- Hall — which hall the series belongs to
Status indicators:
- The green icon "Placed" shows that the series is already on the canvas.
- The purple icon with a number (e.g. #1, #2) shows the series' sequence number in the picking route.
- Series are sorted in the side panel as they are placed — placed series with sequence numbers are shown at the top, in order.
How to place a series: Drag it from the side panel onto the canvas. The series is shown as a colored block.
Inventory
Below location series, you'll find inventory elements that can be placed to give a more complete picture of the hall:
| Inventory | Description |
|---|---|
| Floor area | The area marks floor sections or open areas. Can be freely resized. |
| Person | A figure representing an employee position. |
| Packing table | A gray workstation for packing operations. |
| Pack + Print | A packing table with an integrated printer icon. |
Inventory elements are purely visual — they do not affect picking routes, but help provide a realistic picture of the warehouse hall.
Working with blocks on the canvas
When a location series is placed on the canvas, it is shown as a colored block. The block shows the series' ID, name, and location range.
Colors and patterns
The block color indicates the type of location series:
| Type | Color |
|---|---|
| Standard | Blue |
| Heated | Red |
| Frozen | Green |
| Chilled | Purple |
In addition, the picking type is shown as a visual pattern on top of the color:
| Picking type | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Picking location | Solid color (no pattern) |
| Buffer location | Diagonal stripes |
| Replenishment location | Dotted pattern |
Actions on blocks
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Move | Click and drag the block to a new position. It automatically snaps to the grid. |
| Rotate 90° | Click the round rotation icon in the top right corner of the block. Each click rotates 90**°**. |
| Resize | Drag the icon in the bottom right corner to freely change width and height. |
| Change picking direction | Double-click the block to switch between the four picking directions (see below). |
| Right-click | Opens a context menu with additional options. |
Picking direction
Each block has a picking direction shown as a dashed arrow. The picking direction indicates the direction in which the picker moves along the shelving row.
The four directions are:
- Right — arrow pointing right below the block
- Left — arrow pointing left below the block
- Right (above) — arrow pointing right above the block
- Left (above) — arrow pointing left above the block
Double-click the block to switch between the directions, or right-click → "Change direction".
Context menu
Right-clicking a block gives the following options:
| Menu item | Description |
|---|---|
| Edit location series | Opens the edit dialog for the series in question. |
| Change direction | Changes the picking direction to the next direction (same as double-click). |
| Rotate 90° | Rotates the block 90**°**. |
| Set sequence number… | Lets you manually enter a specific sequence number. |
| Connect with row… | Activates connection mode to link two rows together (see below). |
| Remove group link | Removes the connection between two linked rows (only visible for linked blocks). |
| Remove from canvas | Removes the block from the visualization. The location series itself is not deleted. |
Connected rows
You have the option to connect two rows, so that you move zig-zag between the two rows in your picking route.
How to connect two rows
- Right-click the first block and select "Connect with row…"
- A blue banner appears: "Click another row to connect"
- Click the second block
- The two blocks are connected with a colored zigzag line
Note: Series with a different number of sections cannot be connected.
Behavior of connected rows
- Shared direction: Both blocks always face the same direction.
- Shared sequence number: Both blocks share the same number in the picking route.
- Synchronized rotation: If you rotate one block, the other follows.
- Visual connection: A colored zigzag line and a shared sequence badge are shown between the blocks.
To remove the connection: Right-click → "Remove group link".
Sequence and sorting
The sequence numbers (shown as an icon on the picking direction arrows) determine the order in which the picker visits the shelving rows. Number 1 is picked first, then number 2, and so on.
Sort reset
The Sort reset feature gives you a quick way to reassign all sequence numbers:
- Click "Sort reset" in the top bar. The button turns purple.
- A purple banner appears at the top: "Click blocks in order to assign sort numbers"
- All existing sequence numbers are reset to "–"
- Click the blocks in the desired picking order. Each block is automatically assigned the next number (1, 2, 3, …).
- The banner shows a counter that updates continuously.
- If you have multiple halls, you can switch halls along the way — the counter continues.
- Click "Done" in the banner to finish.
Tip: Connected rows are automatically assigned the same number, so you only need to click on one of them.
Save and precalculate routes
When you click "Save layout" (the green button), the following happens:
- All placements, directions, sequence numbers, rotations, sizes, and inventory are saved in the database.
- The system automatically starts a precalculation of picking routes. The precalculation calculates a sort value for each individual location based on the picking direction:
- Left direction: Locations are sorted in descending order.
- Right direction: Locations are sorted in ascending order.
- A status message is shown during saving: "Saving layout…" followed by "Precalculating routes…"
When the plan is active, the precalculated routes are used to sort picking orders throughout the system — i.e., orders are presented in the optimal physical order on the handheld terminal.
Multiple halls
The system supports warehouses with multiple halls. Via the "Hall" dropdown menu, you select which hall you're working on.
- Each hall has its own layout with independent placements and inventory.
- Placement status is shown for the current hall (e.g. "4/5") as well as for all halls combined ("Total: 5/20").
- If you switch halls, the current hall's state is automatically remembered.
- During sort reset, you can switch between halls and continue the numbering.
Prerequisites
To use Warehouse visualization, you need:
- Location series created — Warehouse visualization builds on the existing location series, which define your shelving rows with sections, shelves, and spaces. Create these under Setup → Warehouse layout → Location series.
- Hall/warehouse assigned — Make sure your location series have a hall specified, so they can be correctly filtered in the visualization.
Workflow overview
- Open Setup → Warehouse layout → Warehouse visualization.
- Create a new plan or open an existing one.
- Select hall in the dropdown menu.
- Drag location series from the right side panel onto the canvas.
- Place and arrange the blocks so they reflect the physical setup in the hall.
- Add inventory (floor areas, packing tables, etc.) for a complete picture.
- Set picking directions by double-clicking the blocks.
- Assign sequence via sort reset or manually via right-click.
- Save layout — the routes are precalculated automatically.
- Activate the plan when you're ready to use it in operation.
Tips and good advice
- Work undisturbed: Create a new plan to experiment with new layouts, without affecting the active picking order.
- Copy as a starting point: Use "Copy plan" to base your work on the existing layout when you only need to make minor changes.
- Zoom and pan: Use the scroll wheel to zoom and click-and-drag on the background to navigate around large halls.
- Keep an eye on placement status: The "Current placement status" and "Total" figures give a quick overview of how many series still need to be placed.
- Review the sorting: Use sort reset regularly after major changes to ensure an optimal picking route.