The Procurement view is ProtoPulse’s command centre for managing everything related to parts and purchasing. It combines a full-featured BOM table with snapshot diffing, netlist ECO comparison, and component lifecycle tracking — giving you a complete picture of what your design needs, what it costs, and how it has changed over time.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/wtyler2505/ProtoPulse/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
BOM Management view overview
Open the Procurement view by clicking Procurement in the main tab bar. The view has two tabs:- BOM Management — the live BOM table for your current design
- BOM Comparison — snapshot diffing and netlist ECO comparison
Adding, editing, and removing BOM items
Adding items: Click Add Item at the top of the BOM table. A dialog opens where you enter the part details. You can also add items through the AI assistant — for example: “Add ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 to the BOM with Digi-Key pricing.” Editing items: Click directly on any cell in a BOM row to edit it inline. Fields that support inline editing include part number, description, quantity, and unit price. Changes save automatically when you press Enter or click elsewhere. You can also drag rows by the grip handle on the left to reorder them — your custom order is saved to local storage. Removing items: Hover over any row to reveal the trash icon in the Actions column, then confirm the deletion. Right-clicking a row also offers a Remove from BOM option.BOM fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Status | Stock availability indicator (In Stock, Low Stock, Out of Stock) |
| Part Number | Manufacturer part number (MPN) |
| Manufacturer | Company that produces the component |
| Description | What the component is |
| Supplier | Distributor (Digi-Key, Mouser, LCSC) |
| Stock | Units available at the supplier |
| Qty | How many you need for your design |
| Unit Price | Cost per unit in USD |
| Total | Quantity × unit price |
| Actions | Buy and delete shortcuts |
Stock status indicators
Each BOM row displays a colour-coded badge showing real-time availability:- In Stock — Green badge with checkmark. The part is readily available from the listed supplier.
- Low Stock — Yellow badge with alert icon. Stock is limited; consider ordering soon to avoid delays.
- Out of Stock — Red badge with X icon. The part is currently unavailable. You may need to find an alternative or wait for restock.
Searching and filtering the BOM
Use the search bar at the top of the BOM table to filter by part number, manufacturer, description, or supplier. The table updates in real time as you type. Click any column header to sort ascending or descending by that field. Click again to reverse the sort order. For advanced filtering, click Cost Optimisation to reveal procurement constraints:- In Stock Only — hide rows where stock is zero
- Preferred Suppliers — restrict to Mouser, Digi-Key, or LCSC
- Production Batch Size — set target quantity (up to 10,000 units) to see volume pricing
- Max BOM Cost Target — set a per-unit cost ceiling
CSV export
Click Export CSV to download the entire BOM as a spreadsheet. The CSV includes all columns and is compatible with Excel, Google Sheets, and ERP systems. For more export options (multi-format BOM in the Output view, or AI-triggered CSV export), see Export formats.BOM Snapshot Diffing
Snapshot diffing lets you compare the current BOM against a saved point-in-time copy. This is useful for auditing changes between hardware revisions, reviewing what the AI modified, and tracking cost impact over time.Taking a snapshot
Create a snapshot
Click Take Snapshot, enter a descriptive label (for example, “Rev A” or “Before power supply redesign”), then click Create Snapshot.
Comparing two revisions
Select a baseline snapshot
Use the snapshot dropdown to choose the revision you want to compare against.
Review the summary bar
A summary bar displays the count of added, removed, and modified items, plus the total cost delta in USD.
Inspect the diff table
The diff table lists every changed item with colour-coded badges:
- Green (Added) — parts present now that were not in the snapshot
- Red (Removed) — parts in the snapshot that have since been removed
- Yellow (Modified) — parts present in both, but with changed fields
shared/bom-diff.ts) matches items by partNumber. If you change a part number, the diff treats it as a remove plus an add rather than a modification — so use consistent part numbers across revisions for the most useful diffs.
Netlist ECO comparison
The netlist-diff engine compares two circuit versions at the netlist level, making it possible to generate an Engineering Change Order (ECO) when you need to communicate what changed electrically between two revisions. You can trigger a netlist comparison via the AI assistant: “Compare the current netlist against the previous revision.” The AI uses thenetlist-diff tool to produce a structured diff of added/removed/changed components and net connections.
This is distinct from BOM snapshot diffing: BOM diffing tracks procurement data (prices, quantities, suppliers), while netlist ECO comparison tracks electrical connectivity (which pins are connected to which nets).
Component lifecycle tracking
ProtoPulse tracks component lifecycle status using thecomponent_lifecycle database table. When a part is flagged as obsolete or not recommended for new designs (NRND), a lifecycle warning badge appears on the BOM row.
The AI assistant can check lifecycle status for parts in your BOM and suggest in-production replacements. You can also ask: “Are there any obsolete parts in my BOM?”
Export Formats
Download BOM CSV and other manufacturing files from the Output view.
AI Tool Actions Reference
Full reference for all 10 BOM tool actions the AI assistant can execute.
Design Validation
Run DRC and ERC to catch design issues before ordering parts.
Component Editor
Design custom components with full metadata for BOM auto-population.