Parcels or goods are often shipped together. They can be put on a pallet or in a cage and be put on a truck together with other pallets. If the truck is delayed, all parcels in that container will be delayed. 

With the Container feature in On-premises, you can make a grouping called a "container" which contains many shipments. It can be a virtual container or a physical item like a pallet. The container can be an ordinary shipment in On-premises that acts as the "parent" shipment while all the shipments added to it will act as "children". 

When you add an event to a container, all shipments belonging to the container will automatically inherit the same event. When searching for a shipment in Portal, you will be able to see which container it belongs to. It gives you a better overview of the location of your parcels. 

You must have an active Action Center to use containers. Read more about setting up an Action Center here.

Contents of this article:

• Enabling the Container feature
• Adding shipments to a Shipment Container
• Adding shipments to a Virtual Container
• Containers in Portal
• Trouble shooting
• Related articles

Enabling the Container feature

You must enable Containers in Setup before you can start using the feature.

1.  In On-premises, go to Setup and navigate to the level where you want to use Containers. Choose Installation level if you want it available for all locations and actors.
   
   
2. Right-click in the pane to the right and select New > Container Setup.
   
   
   
   
3. Choose an Action center from the drop-down menu. You must also choose at least one of the two options: Allow Virtual Containers and Allow Shipments as Containers. 
   
   
   
   
4. Click OK to save. You are now ready to start using containers.

Adding shipments to a Shipment Container

A shipment container is a shipment created in On-premises that acts as a container for other shipments. Follow these steps to add shipments to a shipment container: 

1. Go to Outbox and select the shipments you want to put in a Shipment Container. You can select multiple shipments by holding down the CTRL key and clicking the shipments in the list to select them. If you want to select shipments that are adjacent you can hold down the SHIFT key and click the first and last shipment. 
   
   
2. Right-click on your selection and choose Set Container.
   
   
   
   
3. Choose Create Shipment Container and click OK. You must have enabled Allow Shipments as Containers during setup to be able to select this option.
   
   
   
   
4. You will now be sent to Production view where you can create the shipment that will act as a container for the shipments selected in Outbox.

It is not possible to add more shipments to a shipment container later but you may add the shipment container with its contents to another container. 

To remove a shipment from a container, simply right-click on the shipment in Outbox and choose Remove from container in the menu.

Adding shipments to a Virtual Container

A virtual container is a virtual entity named by you. Follow these steps to add shipments to a Virtual Container:

1. Go to Outbox and select the shipments you want to put in a virtual Container. You can select multiple shipments by holding down the CTRL key and clicking the shipments in the list to select them. If you want to select shipments that are adjacent you can hold down the SHIFT key and click the first and last shipment. 
   
   
2. Right-click on your selection and choose Set Container.
   
   
   
   
3. Choose Select Virtual Container and enter a name. You must have enabled Allow Virtual Containers during setup to be able to select this option.
   
   
   
   
4. Click OK.

It is possible to add more shipments later to a virtual container. Follow the steps above but choose an existing virtual container in step 3. The existing virtual containers will appear on the drop-down list.

To remove a shipment from a container, simply right-click on the shipment in Outbox and choose Remove from container in the menu.

Containers in Portal

When a shipment has been added to a container, it will appear on the shipment in Portal. Click Status > View journey to see the name of the container.

Read about how you can assign events to your containers using Scan App in this article:

Using the Container feature in Scan App

Troubleshooting

This section will describe how to fix some of the most common issues you may encounter when setting up and using containers.

Error message: "Error: Unauthorized"

All installations have a Portal user registered as the Owner of the installation. Each owner has at least one Client ID which is used for the subscription service. If you get the message "Error: Unauthorized" when trying to add the Container setup item, some changes to your Client ID are required.

Follow these steps to authorize your Client ID:

1. Log in to Portal with your Owner user
   
   
2. Click on your name in the top right corner and choose Settings.
   
   
3. Choose API Configuration > Clients in the left side menu.
   
   
4. Click the Client ID used for your subscription and make sure that Public Containers API and ScanApp public API have been added under Allowed Scopes.
   
   
   
   
5. Restart the Consignor service.

Note: The change may take up to one hour to take effect.

Follow these steps to create a new client ID:

If you have multiple Client IDs and do not know which one is used for your subscription, you can also create a new one.

1. Log into Portal with your Owner user
   
   
2. Click on your name in the top right corner and choose Settings.
   
   
3. Choose API Configuration > Clients in the left side menu.
   
   
4. On the Clients page, click the Add button.
   
   
5. In the dialog box that opens up, fill in Display name and Description. Choose a name and a description that will make it easier to identify the token later. Check the Enable box to enable the token right away. (You may enable or disable the token any time after it has been created).
   
   
6. Under Allowed Scopes you must choose Public Containers API and Scan APP Public API.
   
   
7. Click Save to create the credentials. It is very important that you copy the Client Id and Client Secret before closing the window.
   
   
8. In On-premises, go to Help > About nShift On-premises.
   
   
9. Click the Subscription Status button.
   
   
10. Click the Credentials button and enter your Client ID and Client Secret. 
    
    
11. Click Apply Values and Close.

If you continue to experience problems with the authorization, please contact Customer Service.

Shipment already connected to another container

If you get this message, the shipment you are trying to add to a container has already been connected to another container. A shipment can only be connected to one container. If you want to move a shipment from one container to another, you must first remove it from one container before adding it to the other.

Products with package number only

Containers currently only support products with shipment numbers. A solution for products without shipment numbers is under development. 

Related articles

• Using the Container feature in Scan App
• Using the API to manage Containers
• Getting started with Scan App and Action Center