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When to use this. Sample types are the admin building blocks that power sample requests on styles. You define them once (e.g. “Proto sample”, “Sales sample”), order them to reflect your internal sampling process, and then select them when creating sample requests on any style. A sample type cannot be selected for new requests if it is inactive, and it cannot be deleted once it has been used in a sample request. Configure these before you start working with styles.

The workflow

A sample type is an organisation-level record. The usual path is to create the sample types, set up notification preferences for each, reference them on styles, and optionally use season milestones to anchor deadlines.
1

Create sample types

POST /api/sample-types with the name, state, optional comment deadline, and notification settings. The server assigns a display position automatically.
2

Configure notifications

Each sample type carries a notifySettings list — the sample-request statuses that trigger an email to the supplier contact when changed from the Dashboard or Sample Report. Pass the desired statuses in the body, or null to seed the organisation default.
3

List and filter

GET /api/sample-types with optional filters (State, Search, Names) to retrieve the current set. Use State=active to see only types available for new sample requests.
4

Retire or reorder

PUT /api/sample-types/{id} to deactivate a sample type by setting state to inactive. To delete one that has never been used, call DELETE /api/sample-types/{id}. Bulk operations (update and delete in one call) are available via PUT /api/sample-types.

Walkthrough

Create a new sample type called “Salesman sample” with a 5-day comment deadline and four notification statuses. The body is an array — one or many sample types are created in a single all-or-nothing transaction.
The response wraps the created sample types in the standard envelope. Hold onto each id — sample requests on styles reference sample types by it.

Field reference

The Cancelled status is included in notifySettings for completeness but the system does not send an email notification for it even when toggled on. Notify your supplier manually when cancelling a sample request through the Dashboard or Report.

Roles & permissions

Managing sample types requires the company permission on a designer (brand) account — typically CompanyAdmin. Supplier accounts collaborate on sample requests on styles but do not manage a brand’s sample type configuration.

When things go wrong

Errors use the standard envelope (status: "error", a code, and error.details[]). See Errors & responses for the full list of codes and how to resolve them. Common cases:
  • 400validation_error.required_field if name is missing; validation_error.conflict if the name already exists in the organisation.
  • 400 — attempting to delete a sample type that is in use by a sample request.
  • 404resource_error.sample_type_not_found if the {id} does not belong to the organisation.

What to call next

Seasons

Assign milestone dates per sample type on each season so deadlines appear automatically on new sample requests.

Size ranges

Size ranges are required before creating sample requests on styles — set them up alongside sample types.

Style categories

Organise styles — the home of sample requests — by category.