The program described on this page is obsolete and has been re-written and available for download here.

Managing Kits
The kits feature of the Inventory Workbook is a little complicated and may not be intuitive in its application.  I recommend that anyone using this workbook, first become familiar with the basic Inventory functions of entering and editing items in the database and searching and printing the inventory before starting to arrange your inventory into kits.  That basic functionality should satisfy the initial requirements of most users who just want a way to record what they have onboard and then go find it.  Once you've determined that this workbook application meets those needs then might be the time to look into using Kits to help manage the inventory.
The concept of Kits as used in this inventory application began in response to a suggestion from Tor Pinney, fellow P 424 owner.  He suggested the inventory include some of the lists of critical items that he had developed over a number of years cruising under sail.  These were things like Abandon Ship bags, First Aid kits, boat and crew documentation sets, etc.  Another P424 owner, Pete Dubler, would like an inventory system that was integrated with various maintenance functions.  
With these recommendations, I initially developed the Kit concept as just a functional grouping of items in the inventory with the ability to specify a minimum quantity of each item in the kit to help maintain sufficient stocks onboard.
That was fairly easily accomplished, but as I developed this feature I began to see more applications for it, which of course required additional capabilities.  I think I have about stretched what I can do in Excel without a relational database engine (e.g., Access) behind it.  I want to keep this application as easily ported as possible, so I've stayed away from database engines.  Initially I called this grouping "Critical Kits", but as I realized the more general application I reduced that very serious title down to just "Kits".
So if you've satisfied yourself that the basic Inventory application works for you and now want to see if Kits will buy you anything, read on...

In the current version of the Inventory Workbook (2.7) a Kit can be used for several purpose.
  1. A functional grouping of inventory items to facilitate managing stocks onboard
  2. A physical grouping of items into what amounts to a movable locker (e.g., a toolbox)
  3. A sub-grouping of items within another locker or another kit (e.g., a medical kit in an Abandon Ship Bag)
  4. Other possible uses which I have not considered.
A functional grouping might be your engine spare parts.  They may not all be in the same location onboard.  Filters and belts might be in the cabin, but oil, antifreeze and ATF might be in the cockpit lockers.  Still you want to manage these items as a group.  If you are leaving on an extended cruise you may want to insure you have a 12 month or more supply onboard.

The physical grouping might be one of several tool boxes you have onboard.  If you decide to inventory the contents of your tool boxes (how many screw drivers do you really need?), what happens when you move that tool box from under the aft cabin berth to one of the cockpit lockers?  If those tools are not in a kit you will have to change the location of each and every one of them (if you remember what is in that tool box).  If the tool box is a kit, with the inventory items included, all you need to do is change the location of the kit and the location of the individual inventory items is updated at the same time.  A kit acquires the physical attribute when you specify a location for the kit.  At that point the kit becomes another item in the Inventory with a location and a category (if specified).

Sub-grouping, or Kits within Kits, keeps the list of items in a kit as short as possible.  The example cited was a medical kit to be included within an Abandon Ship bar.  It may be easier to manage these medical inventory items within a smaller kit than that of the Abandon Ship bag.

Other possibilities? - tell me.
One thing to be aware before you create your first kit.
Elsewhere in this documentation I state that you can update and change the contents of the inventory without using the user forms designed for that purpose.  Once you create a kit in you inventory all bets are off on changing the inventory database without using the forms.  The Kits implementation relies on links between items in the inventory and the kit records that may not be obvious and cannot be easily created by hand.  So once you decide to go with Kits keep your mouse out of the Inventory worksheet -  that's for the forms only.
Click on screen capture to view at full resolutionThe Manage Kits Form is activated by the Kits button on the Inventory CommandBar.

Kits are groupings of inventory items into a special set that is managed as a group.  For each inventory item in a kit you can establish a minimum quantity of that item that must be maintained to keep the kit fully stocked.
One example of a Kit is a First Aid Kit.  You can use the Kits form to establish a First Aid Kit in the inventory and specifying the items and quantities that must be maintained for this kit.
Another example is an Abandon Ship Kit to identify those items that must be placed in the Abandon Ship Bag before departing on a passage.

Currently this form will allow you to create or delete a kit, add inventory items to a kit and remove items from a kit.  It will also allow you to change the minimum quantities for each item in the kit.  The remainder of this web page provides instructions on how to perform these functions.

Additional capabilities planned for this form include:

1. Creation of a shopping list for the kit items that are not up to the specified minimum stock levels.
2. Integrating a kit with a maintenance log

The three buttons that have been highlighted by the red rectangle are used to the modify the contents of the kits.  Their function changes depending on the type of modification performed. 
At the top of the form is the drop down list of a kits that have been established for this inventory.
At the bottom left of the form is the button to create a new kit.
When the New Kit button is clicked the Create Kit form appears on the screen.  I've decided I need to create an Abandon Ship Kit.  I have specified a location for this kit (Locker 15) and a Category of Safety.
After I click on the Create Kit button the Abandon Ship kit has been added to the list of kits in the inventory.
Click on screen capture to view at full resolutionI have selected the Abandon Ship kit from the drop down list so I can populate it with inventory items.
There are no items currently in this kit.  If there were the items would be listed in the box titled "Items in the Selected Kit" just below the drop down list of kits.

The first of the three buttons ("New Item for Kit") is now active to start populating this kit.
Click on screen capture to view at full resolutionWhen I clicked on the "New Item for Kit" button a search results set of boxes appeared on the form (red rectangle).
I can now use the boxes within the "Add Items to This Kit" section of the form to search the inventory.
Click on screen capture to view at full resolutionIn the "Item Description" box I entered "epirb" and then clicked on the "Search" (middle of the 3 buttons).
In the "Search Results" section one items has been found, the ACR Epirb.
Click on screen capture to view at full resolutionI clicked on this search item and the data from the inventory for this item are displayed on the form (red rectangle).
Just above the 3 buttons are two boxes, "Qty Ordered" and "Qty Required".  The first box shows the quantity of this item that are in the inventory, "1".  The second box can be used to establish the minimum quantity required for this item in the Abandon Ship kit.
Notice that now the first of the 3 buttons is now titled "Add to Kit" and the third is titled "Cancel".  If I clicked on the Cancel button the boxes in the "Add Items to This Kit" section would be cleared.
I decided to add this item to the Abandon Ship kit by clicking on the first button.
Click on screen capture to view at full resolutionThe Epirb has now been added to the kit and is displayed in the list box for the kit (red rectangle).  The "Add to Kit" button is now disabled as there is nothing in the "Add Item to This Kit" section.
Click on screen capture to view at full resolution I want to add more items to this kit, so I've started another search this time using the Category box (red rectangle).  I've selected the "Documentation" category.
Click on screen capture to view at full resolution I clicked on the search button and found five inventory items with the "Documentation" category.
Click on screen capture to view at full resolution I clicked on the "Passport Copy" to display this item, then set the "Qty Required" box to "1" (red arrow).
Click on screen capture to view at full resolution After I clicked on the "Add to Kit" button the Passport Copy has been added to the Abandon Ship kit with a minimum "Qty Required" of 1.  The "Qty Onboard" for this item is shown as "4".

Below the kit contents listing are two boxes titled, "Nr of Items in Kit" and "Nr of Items Short".
The "Nr of Items in Kit" has a value of 1, but there are two items in the list.  This is because when I entered the Epirb I forgot to specify a minimum quantity for that item.  Items with a zero minimum quantity do not count as a kit item.  Therefore the only item that was counted was the Passport Copy" and it has a minimum quantity of 1.  Since there are 4 copies of my passport onboard there are not shortages in this kit.
Click on screen capture to view at full resolution To correct the minimum quantity of the Epirb I clicked on that item in the list and it is displayed in the item listing section (red rectangle).  I also changed the "Qty Required" box from 0 to 1.
Now the three buttons are titled, "Update Item in Kit", "Remove from Kit", and "Clear Item Info".
The "Clear Item Info" button can be clicked to cancel this update to the kit.
The "Remove from Kit" button can be clicked to delete this item from the Abandon Ship kit.  The item will still be in the inventory, just not part of this kit.
The "Update Item in Kit" button will modify this item in the Abandon Ship kit to reflect the new minimum quantity of 1.
Click on screen capture to view at full resolution I clicked on the "Update Item in Kit" button and now the Epirb shows a minimum quantity of 1 in the listing (red arrow).
Now the "Nr of Items in Kit" counts both the Epirb and the Passport Copy.
Click on screen capture to view at full resolution I've added a few more items to the Abandon Ship kit, each with minimum quantities specified.
Notice the last item, adhesive tape, has a minimum quantity of 4, but there are only two of that item in the inventory.  This has resulted in a kit shortage of 2 items (red arrow).
The sum of the two boxes, "Nr of Items in Kit" and "Nr of Items Short" is equal to the sum of the "Qty Required" column in the kit listing.
So I know I have to add two more rolls of adhesive tape to the inventory to satisfy the requirements of the Abandon Ship kit.
Click on screen capture to view at full resolution Actually I've decided to remove the adhesive tape from this kit.
I clicked on the entry in the kit listing and now the "Remove from Kit" button is active.
Click on screen capture to view at full resolution I clicked on the "Remove Item from Kit" button and the adhesive tape is no longer part of the kit.
In the examples above all of the items that were added to a kit already existed in the Inventory data base.  However, you can create new inventory items and add them to a kit from within the Kit Form.  You don't need to use the Enter Form to first create the item.
On the left is a portion of the Kit Form and I've started to populate a Kit called Engine Parts.  The first item I want to add to the kit is a spare cartridge for the Racor Fuel Filter.  I have one of those onboard, but I have not entered it into the inventory.  Instead of using the Enter Form, I have clicked on the New Item for Kit button, then entered the description, location and category for the filter cartridge into the form.
When I click on the Add to Kit button the Racor filter cartridge is added to the Engine Parts kit.  Although I have one of these cartridges onboard, I specified a Qty Required of 2.  So now this kit is 1 item short (red ellipse).