Orders
The Orders application in the Supplier Portal is your central list of purchase orders, samples, tests, and related production activity that your customer has shared with your supplier account. Use the order search view to find records quickly, monitor key dates and statuses, export data for internal planning, and open individual orders for specifications, samples, comments, and files.
Quick Check - Before You Start
- Confirm you are logged in to the correct Supplier Portal account and customer connection — open Active Instance if you work with more than one brand.
- Check that Orders appears in the left navigation menu; if it is missing, your Supplier Portal role may not include View access for Order.
- Enable Order notifications in Profile › Notification Preferences so you are alerted when new orders are shared or existing orders are updated.
- Have order numbers or style numbers ready if you plan to search by keyword; avoid spaces in identifiers where possible.
Who This Helps
The Orders search view serves different audiences across the supply chain. Understanding how each group uses it reduces missed deadlines, duplicate emails, and incorrect assumptions about what can be changed in the portal.
| Audience | How Orders helps them | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Suppliers | See every order your customer has shared with your factory or agent account; filter by season, factory, origin, status, and key dates; export lists for production planning; save favourite searches for recurring workflows (for example, open orders due this month). | Orders are view-only by default. You only see records explicitly shared with your supplier account — not your customer's full order book. |
| Supplier staff | Production planners, merchandisers, and QC teams can use the same shared list without asking instance users for spreadsheets. Favourite Searches and Export support hand-offs between teams. | Each staff member needs their own portal login via Invite Staff. Favourites are saved per user, not shared across your organisation automatically. |
| Instance users (your customer's internal team) | When suppliers monitor orders in the portal, buyers and production managers spend less time sending status spreadsheets. Suppliers who keep Ex-Factory and ETD current (where editing is enabled) improve timeline accuracy on the customer side. | You must share each order with the correct factory or agent and assign a Supplier Portal role with Order View enabled. Unshared orders never appear for the supplier. |
| Brand customers | Indirect benefit: their instance users collaborate with suppliers through a single platform, improving on-time production and visibility into shared commitments. | Customers do not log into the Supplier Portal; they work in the Production Portal through their instance users. |
| Administrators | Site Settings › Company › Suppliers and Site Settings › Portal › General Settings control which modules, pricing fields, and documents suppliers see on orders. | Misconfigured roles or portal display settings are the most common reason suppliers report "missing" orders or unexpected pricing visibility. |
View-Only Access by Default
Most Supplier Portal applications are view-only. Instance users create and manage orders in the Production Portal. In the Supplier Portal, you review shared records, respond through Comments, Chat, and Activity, and — where your customer has enabled it — update selected date fields such as Ex-Factory and ETD. If you need access to an area that is not visible, contact your customer's administrator or instance user.
Accessing Orders
Open Orders from the left navigation menu in the Supplier Portal. The order search view opens by default and lists every order currently shared with your supplier account.
You can also reach orders from:
- Dashboard: Click the Orders card to open the application and review summary counts (orders, samples, tests, activities, and comments). Click Activities to open Outstanding Activities.
- Activity: Click an order-related notification to open the linked record in context.
- Favourite Searches: Reopen a saved order search view you created earlier.
Order Search View
The order search view is designed for day-to-day monitoring. It combines keyword search, advanced filters, layout options, and export tools so you can work with large order volumes without losing context.
Keyword Search
Use the search bar at the top of the view to find orders by keyword. Keywords typically match order numbers, style numbers, descriptions, and other indexed fields on shared records.
Common Pitfall
Key identifier fields such as order numbers and style numbers should not contain spaces. Spaces in these fields can cause inconsistent search results and make filtering less reliable. Use a hyphen (-) or underscore (_) as a separator instead (for example, ORD-001 rather than ORD 001). If a search returns no results, try the exact identifier your customer quoted in email or on a purchase order document.
Advanced Filters
Open Advanced Search to narrow the list with structured filters. The following filters are available in the Supplier Portal order search view:
| Filter | Description |
|---|---|
| Season | Filter by the fashion season assigned to the order. Options depend on what your customer configured in Site Settings › Style › Season. |
| Factory | Filter by the production factory on the order. Lists factories your customer maintains in Site Settings › Company › Suppliers. |
| Origin | Filter by shipment origin or dispatch point. Options come from Site Settings › Shipping › Origin. |
| Status | Filter by current order status (for example, In Progress, Completed, Stopped). Status values are defined in your customer's Site Settings › Order › General Settings. |
| Ex-Factory From / Ex-Factory To | Filter orders by ex-factory date range — the date goods are ready for pickup from the factory. |
| ETD From / ETD To | Filter orders by estimated time of departure date range. |
Combine filters to build precise views — for example, all In Progress orders for a given Season and Factory with ETD in the next thirty days.
Common Pitfall
Overly narrow date ranges are a frequent cause of empty search results. If Ex-Factory From and Ex-Factory To (or ETD From and ETD To) do not overlap with the dates on your orders, the list will appear blank even though records exist. Widen the range or clear date filters and retry.
Grid and List View
Switch between Grid and List view using the layout toggle in the search view toolbar.
| View | Best for |
|---|---|
| List | Scanning many orders quickly, comparing columns side by side, and exporting structured data. |
| Grid | Visual review when preview images are available and you want a card-style layout. |
Your selected layout preference is retained for the current session. Saved Favourite Searches restore the layout that was active when you saved the favourite.
Results Per Page
Control how many orders appear on each page of results. Choose 25, 50, or 100 orders per page from the pagination control at the bottom of the search view.
Use a smaller page size when you need faster load times on slower connections. Use 100 when reviewing a large shared season and exporting is not required.
Common Pitfall
Pagination affects what you see on screen, not what exists in the platform. An order on page three is still a valid shared record — do not assume it is missing because it is not on the first page. Use filters or keyword search to locate specific orders, or increase the page size temporarily.
Refresh
Click Refresh in the search view toolbar to load the latest data. Use this after your customer tells you they have shared a new order or updated statuses, especially if you have had the search view open for a long time.
Columns Available
The default order search view includes the following columns. Your customer may expose additional columns depending on portal and role configuration.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Order | The order number — the primary identifier for the purchase order. Click to open the full order record. |
| Style | The style number linked to the order. |
| Description | A short description of the style or product on the order. |
| Season | The fashion season assigned to the order. |
| Ex-Factory | The date goods are ready for pickup from the factory. May be editable when your customer enables Allow Supplier Edits in Site Settings › Order › General Settings › Order Dates. |
| ETD | Estimated time of departure — when goods are expected to leave the origin. May be editable under the same Allow Supplier Edits setting. |
| Factory | The production factory assigned to the order. |
| Origin | The shipment origin or dispatch point for the order. |
| Status | The current workflow status of the order. |
Dates Across Applications
Ex-Factory and ETD on the order record are independent from dates on linked Style, Shipping, or Sales Order records. If freight plans change, confirm the order record reflects the dates your customer expects suppliers to work to. See Dates across applications for cross-module behaviour.
Save as Favourite Search
Save frequently used filter and layout combinations so you can reopen them without reconfiguring the view each time.
- Open Orders and apply the filters, columns, and sort settings you want to keep.
- Click the Love icon in the upper-right corner of the search view.
- Enter a descriptive name (for example,
Open orders — SS26 factory A) and click Save.
Saved favourites appear in Favourite Searches in the left navigation menu. See Supplier Portal › Favourite Searches for managing, renaming, and deleting favourites.
Common Pitfall
A favourite restores the configuration saved at the time you clicked Save — not live data. If you change filters after saving, the favourite still opens with the original layout until you update and save it again. Record counts change when your customer shares new orders or updates statuses; click Refresh after opening a favourite to load the latest results.
Export the Order Search View
Export the current search view to Excel for offline analysis, production meetings, or internal reporting.
- Apply the filters and columns you want included in the export.
- Click the Download icon in the upper-right corner of the search view.
- Open the downloaded file in Excel or a compatible spreadsheet application.
The export includes the columns currently visible in your search view and the records that match your active filters. It does not include fields you have not added to the view.
Common Pitfall
An export is a snapshot of the filtered list at export time — not a substitute for an official purchase order document. Pricing, specifications, and document content may be controlled separately through your customer's Site Settings › Order › General Settings › Order Documents and Site Settings › Portal › General Settings › Order settings. Use exported data for planning; refer to shared purchase order PDFs and tech packs in Drive for authoritative order details.
Opening an Order Record
Click an Order number in the search view to open the full order record. From there you can review tabs and side widgets your customer has shared — such as specifications, samples, critical path milestones, comments, and files — depending on your Supplier Portal role and your customer's portal configuration.
For the Details, Shipping, Style Details, Quantity, Shipped Quantity, Pricing, and Notes sections and side widgets on an open order, see Supplier Portal › Order. For the Definition tab, see Definition. For the Specification tab, see Specification. For the Critical Path tab, see Critical Path. For the Samples tab, see Samples. For the Testing tab, see Testing. For the Codes tab, see Codes.
Typical supplier workflows from an open order:
- Review Comments and reply to instance user questions without leaving the record.
- Download tech packs and manuals from linked Drive files when shared.
- Check sample and test activity linked to the order from the Dashboard order counts or the order record itself.
- Monitor Activity for status changes posted by your customer's team.
Staying Informed About Order Changes
Configure notifications in Profile › Notification Preferences so you are alerted when order activity affects your team:
| Notification | When it fires |
|---|---|
| Shared Order Notification | A new order is shared with your company. |
| Order Update Notification | An existing shared order is updated. |
| Order Specification Update Notification | The order specification document is updated. |
| Order Sample Report Update Notification | The order sample report document is updated. |
See Supplier Portal › Profile for full notification settings.
Related Actions
- Supplier Portal › Overview
- Supplier Portal › Dashboard
- Supplier Portal › Activity
- Supplier Portal › Favourite Searches
- Supplier Portal › Profile
- Search › Manage Data
Related Settings
These Site Settings pages are maintained by your customer's administrators. Share them with your instance user contact if orders, dates, or visibility do not match expectations.
- Site Settings › Company › Suppliers
- Site Settings › Company › Roles & Permissions
- Site Settings › Order › General Settings
- Site Settings › Portal › General Settings
Troubleshooting
Why can I not see any orders in the search view?
The order list only shows records your customer's instance users have shared with your supplier account. An empty list usually means no orders are shared yet, you are on the wrong connection, or your role lacks Order View access.
Steps to resolve:
- Open Active Instance and confirm you are connected to the correct customer.
- Check the Dashboard — if the number of Orders is zero, no orders have been shared with your account.
- Contact your customer's instance user and ask them to verify your Supplier Portal role in Site Settings › Company › Suppliers includes Order with View enabled.
- Ask them to confirm the orders are shared with your factory or agent assignment on each record.
- Log out and back in after access changes, then click Refresh on the order search view.
Why is the Orders module missing from my navigation menu?
Module visibility is controlled by the Supplier Portal role on your supplier record. If Order is not granted View permission, Orders will not appear in the menu.
Steps to resolve:
- Ask your customer's administrator which modules you should have access to.
- Request an update to your Supplier Portal role in Site Settings › Company › Suppliers.
- Log out and back in, then confirm Orders appears in the left navigation menu.
Why does keyword search not find an order I know exists?
Search only returns orders shared with your supplier account. Keyword matching can also fail when identifiers contain spaces or when filters still restrict the result set.
Steps to resolve:
- Clear Advanced Search filters and retry the keyword.
- Search using the exact Order or Style number your customer provided — try with and without hyphens if unsure.
- Confirm the order is assigned to your factory or agent and shared on the customer side.
- Click Refresh to load the latest shared data.
Why are my advanced filters returning no results?
Active filters — especially overlapping or narrow date ranges — can exclude every record in the list.
Steps to resolve:
- Clear all filters and confirm orders appear without restrictions.
- Reapply filters one at a time to identify which criterion is too narrow.
- Widen Ex-Factory or ETD date ranges and verify Status and Season values match your customer's naming.
- Click Refresh after your customer confirms they updated dates or statuses.
Why can I not edit Ex-Factory or ETD on an order?
Supplier date editing is controlled by your customer in Site Settings › Order › General Settings › Order Dates. When Allow Supplier Edits is disabled, date fields are read-only in the Supplier Portal.
Steps to resolve:
- Confirm whether the fields are visible but greyed out, or missing entirely — Display Ex-Factory Date must also be enabled on the customer side.
- Ask your customer's instance user to review Order Dates settings if you are expected to maintain timelines in the portal.
- Until editing is enabled, communicate date changes through Comments or Chat so instance users can update the order record.
Why does my export not include all orders or columns?
Exports reflect the current filter set, pagination context, and visible columns — not the entire shared order book.
Steps to resolve:
- Clear or adjust filters so every order you need is included in the filtered result count before exporting.
- Confirm the columns you need are visible in the search view; add any missing columns before clicking Download.
- Click Refresh, then export again if your customer recently shared new orders.
Why does a favourite search show outdated results or the wrong layout?
Favourites restore saved filters and column layout from the time you clicked Save. They do not automatically pick up changes you make afterwards.
Steps to resolve:
- Open the favourite and click Refresh to load current data.
- Adjust filters or columns to match your current workflow.
- Click the Love icon and save again — use the same name to replace the favourite, or delete the old entry from Favourite Searches and create a new one.
Why do order dates not match shipment or style dates?
Order, Style, and Shipping dates are maintained on separate records and are not automatically synchronised.
Steps to resolve:
- Treat Ex-Factory and ETD on the order as your production commitment unless your customer directs otherwise.
- Ask your instance user which date set drives reporting if values differ across modules.
- See Dates across applications for detailed cross-module behaviour.
Why was I notified about an order but cannot find it in the list?
Notifications can arrive before a share completes, or the order may be filtered out of your current search view.
Steps to resolve:
- Click the notification in Activity to open the order directly.
- Clear all search filters and click Refresh on the Orders search view.
- Confirm you are on the correct customer connection in Active Instance.
- If the record still does not open, ask your customer's instance user to verify the order is shared with your supplier account.