Katana allows you to generate internal barcodes and batch barcodes either automatically or manually.
Barcodes ensure that every item and batch in your inventory is uniquely identified, making stock movements faster, more accurate, and less error-prone.
Automatic barcode generation
You can set Katana to automatically create barcodes for new and/or existing items.
Go to Settings → Barcodes.
Check Generate barcodes automatically.
A pop-up will appear with the following options:
No boxes selected → Only new item variants and batches will receive a barcode. Existing items will not.
Automatically generate barcodes for existing items → Creates barcodes for all new and existing variants and batches (but skips items that already have a barcode).
Overwrite existing barcodes → Creates barcodes for all items, replacing any that already exist.
Important: Avoid overwriting if you already have printed barcode labels in your warehouse. Once overwritten, old barcode labels will no longer match the system, making them unusable.
Manual barcode generation
If you don’t enable automatic generation, you can add barcodes manually.
You have two options:
Enter manually on the Item card
Open the Item card.
Enter the barcode number directly into the Internal barcode field for each variant.
Generate with a single click
On the Item card, click Generate internal barcodes.
Katana will create barcodes for all variants of the item.
If some variants already have barcodes, you’ll be prompted to:
Skip existing barcodes, or
Overwrite them with new ones.
Best practices
Use automatic generation if you’re starting fresh and want consistency.
Use manual generation if you need control (e.g., aligning Katana barcodes with supplier or retail codes).
Never overwrite existing barcodes if printed labels are already in use — this will break your scanning workflow.
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