Supplier Links

The Supplier Links dialog

The Supplier Links dialog provides controls to add or remove supplier links for the selected component. A Supplier Link provides the live link between an Altium Designer component and an item in a supplier's database of electronic components.

Access

The dialog is accessed in the following ways:

• In the schematic editor, right-click on a component then choose Supplier Links from the menu.
• In the library editor, right-click in the active component's workspace then choose Supplier Links from the menu.

Options/Controls

The Upper Pane

The upper pane shows information for added supplier items. By default, the upper pane displays the following columns: Supplier (displays the name of the supplier), Description (displays a brief description of the item), and Unit Price (displays the cost of the item. This may change depending on the entered Order Quantity). You can adjust how the information in the upper pane is presented, including the ability rearrange, add, and remove columns by performing the following:

• Drag and drop - you can drag and drop column headers to reorder them as desired.
• Right-click menu - right-click on any of the column headers to open a drop-down menu of additional column options that allow you to view different information depending on your item. Click on a category to add or remove it from the supplier information columns. Categories that are selected will display a check in the right-click menu and will be displayed in the upper pane.
• Sort by - click on a column header to sort supplier links by that category. For example, to organize suppliers by cost, click on the Unit Price column header.
• View only upper pane - to view only your added supplier links, click the  in the dialog margin to the right just below the Order Quantity field. To return to the split-pane view, click the  in the bottom right corner.

Buttons and Drop-down Menus

• Add - click to open the Add Supplier Links dialog, which allows you to search for and add a new supplier item for the target component.
• Remove - click to remove a selected supplier item. Use Ctrl+Click to select and remove multiple items.
• Currency - use the drop-down to select the desired currency. Your selection is reflected in the Unit Price column of the upper pane. If no currency is selected, the displayed information will default to the supplier's currency.
• Order Quantity - use to specify how many units you need. You can use the arrows to increase or decrease the quantity or type directly in the text box. Order pricing may change depending on supplier. Many suppliers offer discounts for bulk orders. For example, an item might discount at 10 items with further discounts for 25, 50, and 100 items. Pricing and bulk discounts, when applicable, vary between suppliers.

Lower Pane

The lower pane displays detailed information about the currently selected supplier item in the upper pane. You can view product information about price, materials, packaging, and more. When provided by the supplier, you can also view documentation such as attached specification drawings.

• View only lower pane - to view only the currently selected supplier link information, click the  at the top right corner of the upper pane. To return to the split-pane view, click the  in the top right corner.
• OK - click to close the dialog. A link is made between the design component and the supplier item. The Supplier Part Number of any added supplier items will be displayed in the schematic or library editor next to the component. Additionally, for each defined supplier link, two parameters are added to the component - Supplier n and Supplier Part Number n.