> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docsy3.mile.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> What an order type is, how an order moves through its steps, and the Order Types list.

An **order type** describes one kind of order your business takes, such as a pickup-and-delivery job, a return request or an installation. It decides three things:

* **Fields**: the data every order carries, for example customer name, phone number and delivery address.
* **Statuses**: the stages an order can be in, for example *New*, *Picked up*, *Delivered*.
* **Steps**: what happens automatically once an order exists: which tasks are created, who they go to, which path the order takes and when it ends.

Orders themselves are created and followed in **Activities › Order**. Each order is made from one order type.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Order types are part of **Order Management**, which is listed as an add-on in **Settings › Add-ons**. The **Workflow › Order Type** and **Activities › Order** menus are built into the web app: a role needs **View Order Type** to open this page, and the add, edit and delete permissions to change order types.

Open **Workflow › Order Type**.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Required permission:
>
> * View Order Type
> * Add Order Type
> * Edit Order Type
> * Delete Order Type

## How an order moves

The **Steps** of an order type form a path from top to bottom:

1. A **trigger** starts the order: an order is created, the order reaches a status, or a task of a chosen flow is finished.
2. **Create task** steps create a task for the field team and wait until it is done.
3. **Condition** steps send the order down a different path depending on rules, for example *Approved* or *Rejected*.
4. **Update order** steps change order fields or the status along the way.
5. A **Finish order** step sets the final status and ends the order. Every path must end at one.

![Steps of an order type on the canvas](https://mintcdn.com/mile-app/ow8zm33qDhIj7zgz/images/v4/workflow/order-type/steps.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=ow8zm33qDhIj7zgz\&q=85\&s=3245c178c56bb3cc504b2a29a9bf107c)

In the example above, a new order creates a **Pickup** task. When the pickup is done the order is marked *Picked up* and an **Approval** task goes to a supervisor. If the approval result is *Approved* a **Delivery** task is created and the order finishes as *Delivered*; if it is *Rejected* the order finishes as *Rejected*.

An order keeps following the version of the order type it started with. Changes you save later apply to new orders.

See [Building an Order Type](https://docsy3.mile.app/pages/workflow/order-type/building-an-order-type.md) for every step type and setting.

## The Order Types list

![Order Types list](https://mintcdn.com/mile-app/ow8zm33qDhIj7zgz/images/v4/workflow/order-type/list.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=ow8zm33qDhIj7zgz\&q=85\&s=8f98ca644e484367f4f9bd06d3ea45ba)

1. **State filter**

Shows **All states**, only **Draft** order types or only **Published** ones.

2. **Search Order Types**

Finds order types by name.

3. **New**

Creates an order type. See [Managing Order Types](https://docsy3.mile.app/pages/workflow/order-type/managing-order-types.md#create-an-order-type).

4. **Order type row**

Click a row to open the order type in the editor. An order type that already has steps opens on the **Steps** tab, otherwise on **Fields**.

5. **Row menu (⋯)**

**Duplicate** or **Delete** the order type.

### Columns

| Column | What it shows |
| - | - |
| **Name** | The order type's name, for example *Pickup and Delivery*. |
| **Code** | A short code used in order numbers, for example *PD* gives order numbers such as *PD/2026/10/0001*. |
| **Status** | **Draft**: saved but never live, so no orders can use it yet. **Published**: live, new orders use it. **Published · draft changes**: live, with saved changes that are not live yet because they still have problems to fix. |
| **Created at** | The date the order type was created. |
| **Updated at** | The date of the last saved change. |

The list shows 20 order types per page. When there are none yet, the page shows **No Order Types yet**.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Order types are shared by the whole organization, so the hub picker in the header does not filter this page.

## Next steps

* [Building an Order Type](https://docsy3.mile.app/pages/workflow/order-type/building-an-order-type.md): fields, statuses, steps and saving.
* [Getting Started Tutorial](https://docsy3.mile.app/pages/workflow/order-type/getting-started-tutorial.md): watch a Pickup → Approval → Delivery example being built.
* [Managing Order Types](https://docsy3.mile.app/pages/workflow/order-type/managing-order-types.md): create, rename, duplicate, test and delete.


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