How does vendor autofill work on order requests?
Last verified October 18, 2026
When you paste a product link into an order item, Robolyst names the vendor from the link's website and reads the product page to fill in the item name, price, part number and a thumbnail. It only fills fields you've left blank, so anything you typed stays.
What gets filled in
Paste a link into Product link on any item in the Request parts form.
| Field | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Vendor | The link's website, matched against Robolyst's vendor list |
| Item name | The product name on the page |
| Price per unit | The price on the page, only if it's listed in your team's currency |
| Part number | The SKU or manufacturer part number on the page |
| Thumbnail | The product image, shown next to the link |
The vendor is filled as soon as you type or paste a link. The other fields need the page to be read, so they only fill when you paste, and they can take a second or two. If you change the link before the page comes back, the old answer is thrown away.
Not every store publishes this information in a way that can be read. When a page gives nothing back, the fields stay empty and you fill them in by hand.
Which vendors are recognized
Robolyst keeps a list of the vendors FTC teams buy from most, with each one's website. It currently starts with REV Robotics, AndyMark, goBILDA, ServoCity, Pitsco, Studica, McMaster-Carr, Amazon, Digi-Key, Mouser, Adafruit, SparkFun, The Home Depot and Lowe's, plus Other. Robolyst staff maintain the list, so it can change.
A link matches a vendor when it's on that vendor's website or one of its subdomains. A link from a site that isn't on the list leaves Vendor blank. You can type any vendor name you like; an item saved with no vendor at all is filed under Other.
Spelling is tidied for you
When you type a vendor that's on the list with different capitals, like "andymark" or "GOBILDA", it's saved with the list's spelling. That keeps orders from the same shop grouped together in Vendor carts and in Spend by vendor on the Reports page. Expenses get the same treatment.
If your team has an approved vendor list
When a budget manager turns on Only allow items from an approved vendor list in finance settings, the vendor suggestions show only those vendors. An item from any other vendor is refused when you submit, with a message listing the allowed ones.
Other shortcuts
- In the Robolyst mobile app, the Scan a barcode button next to Part number reads a barcode into the part number, or a QR code with a product link into Product link (which then fills the rest).
- On Android, sharing a product page to Robolyst opens a new request with the link already in it.