ContractType

A ContractType is the top-level classification that defines the fundamental direction and purpose of a contract within the stock management workflow. The most common distinction is between a purchase contract — goods arriving from a producer or supplier — and a sales contract — goods leaving toward a buyer or processing facility. This classification is not merely a label: the type determines which set of workflow states are valid for contracts of that kind, since a purchase agreement and a sales agreement follow different lifecycle steps even though they share the same underlying data structure.

Beyond the basic purchase/sales split, ContractTypes can also represent internal transfers, processing agreements, or special contract forms tailored to specific trade relationships. The type shapes how the contract is treated in stock accounting, what document templates are applied, and how the contract appears in regulatory and financial reporting. Selecting the correct ContractType at creation time is therefore a foundational decision that affects every downstream process tied to that contract.