# Material Component

Once defined, you can use this element to verify that an item it a component of the order's material by checking it's External ID.

If the External ID matches a component, then the item will pass, but if it doesn't then the fail. In the activity form, this can be typed in manually, but becomes even more powerful when used in conjunction with a [Barcode](https://help.tillit.cloud/article/166-data-type-barcode) element to quickly scan the barcode of supplies, parsing the item ID from the barcode into the Material Component element.

In the following example, we have created a Material Component element called "Bottle Check". We will scan the barcode from the pallet. This will parse the part of the barcode that contains the External ID of the bottle to the Material Component.

![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/helpscout.net/docs/assets/60208fd212248b2c96d50eeb/images/6281f33a68d51e779444093f/file-z7O84HTcSH.png)

In this case, we accidentally picked the wrong pallet. TilliT acknowledges the existence of this ID as Bottle 124, but this is the incorrect bottle type for this order. If we try to submit the activity, it will fail.

We try again, this time scanning the correct pallet:

![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/helpscout.net/docs/assets/60208fd212248b2c96d50eeb/images/6281f3f1b2de5178f8883e2a/file-7403tH7yae.png)

It parses the External ID. TilliT recognises that this is Bottle 123, and that it is the correct bottle for this order. The activity will now pass when we submit.


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