diff --git a/cateditor/src/components/AddProductDialog.vue b/cateditor/src/components/AddProductDialog.vue
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..49a6b50
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cateditor/src/components/AddProductDialog.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+<template>
+  <div class="text-xs-center">
+    <v-dialog v-model="show" width="250">
+      <v-card>
+
+        <v-card class="subheading font-weight-bold ma-0 pa-0 white--text" color="keen_dark_grey">
+          <v-card-title class="ma-0 pa-2 pl-3">
+            Add Materials
+            <v-spacer></v-spacer>
+            <v-icon color="white" @click="show = false">clear</v-icon>
+          </v-card-title>
+        </v-card>
+
+        <v-card-text>
+          <p>Enter lots of material numbers to add to the catalog</p>
+          <v-textarea
+            v-model="text"
+            autofocus
+            label="Material numbers"
+            placeholder="1001234
+1001235..."
+            clearable
+          ></v-textarea>
+        </v-card-text>
+
+        <v-card-actions>
+          <v-spacer></v-spacer>
+          <v-btn small flat @click="show = false">Cancel</v-btn>
+          <v-spacer></v-spacer>
+          <v-btn small color="primary" class="black--text" @click="doAdd()">Add</v-btn>
+          <v-spacer></v-spacer>
+        </v-card-actions>
+
+      </v-card>
+    </v-dialog>
+  </div>
+</template>
+
+<script>
+import { mapActions } from 'vuex'
+
+export default {
+  data: () => ({
+    text: null,
+  }),
+  props: {
+    value: Boolean,
+  },
+  computed: {
+    show: {
+      get() {
+        return this.value
+      },
+      set(value) {
+        this.$emit('input', value)
+      }
+    },
+  },
+  methods: {
+    ...mapActions([
+      'fetchProducts',
+    ]),
+
+    doAdd: function() {
+      console.log('adding text', this.text)
+      this.show = false
+      this.fetchProducts(this.text)
+    },
+
+  },
+}
+</script>
diff --git a/cateditor/src/components/CatalogContents.vue b/cateditor/src/components/CatalogContents.vue
index 4b02b25..8818014 100644
--- a/cateditor/src/components/CatalogContents.vue
+++ b/cateditor/src/components/CatalogContents.vue
@@ -2,8 +2,7 @@
   <v-container fluid grid-list-lg ma-0 pa-1>
 
     <v-layout row fill-height>
-      <v-btn @click="step = 1">Add products</v-btn>
-      <v-btn @click="step = 3">Auto arrange</v-btn>
+      <v-btn @click="showAddProductDialog = true">Add products</v-btn>
     </v-layout>
 
     <v-layout row fill-height>
@@ -20,7 +19,7 @@
                   @click="selectSection(item.id)"
                 >
                   <!-- TODO try move sectionparent into v-list-title
-                  and so section-drop can cover all interior
+                       and so section-drop can cover all interior
                   -->
                   <v-list-tile-content class="section-parent">
                     <v-list-tile-title v-html="item.name"></v-list-tile-title>
@@ -126,6 +125,8 @@
 
     </v-layout>
 
+    <AddProductDialog v-model="showAddProductDialog"/>
+
   </v-container>
 </template>
 
@@ -136,18 +137,17 @@ import arrayMove from 'array-move'
 //import RawDisplayer from './RawDisplayer'
 import { paginateModels } from '@/pagination'
 import DragListHeading from './DragListHeading'
+import AddProductDialog from './AddProductDialog'
 
 export default {
   components: {
     DragListHeading,
+    AddProductDialog,
     //RawDisplayer,
   },
 
   data: () => ({
-    // NOTE do we need?
-    'placeholderText': 'placeholder',
-    // NOTE do we need?
-    'selected': null,
+    showAddProductDialog: false,
   }),
   computed: {
     ...mapState([
@@ -186,13 +186,23 @@ export default {
       this.$store.dispatch('selectModel', id)
     },
 
+    sectionModelCount(sectionID) {
+      let section = this.section(sectionID)
+      if (section) {
+        let models = this.sectionModels(section) || []
+        return models.length
+      } else {
+        return 0
+      }
+    },
+
     sectionListItemClasses: function(id, hovering) {
       if (id === this.selectedSectionID) {
         return 'list-item primary'
       } else if (hovering) {
         return 'list-item grey lighten-4'
       } else {
-        return ''
+        return 'list-item'
       }
     },
 
@@ -395,6 +405,12 @@ function addSectionDrops(myvue) {
 }
 
 .list-item {
-  //border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd;
+  background-color: white;
+  border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd;
+}
+
+.list-group {
+  background-color: #f0f0ff;
+  min-height: 200px;
 }
 </style>
diff --git a/cateditor/src/pages/editor/store/index.js b/cateditor/src/pages/editor/store/index.js
index ec8817f..adae648 100644
--- a/cateditor/src/pages/editor/store/index.js
+++ b/cateditor/src/pages/editor/store/index.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import Vue from 'vue'
 import Vuex from 'vuex'
 import arrayMove from 'array-move'
 import axios from 'axios'
-import { paginateModels } from '@/pagination'
+import { paginateModels, sectionTitle, extendModelFromMaterial } from '@/pagination'
 
 Vue.use(Vuex)
 
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ export const store = new Vuex.Store({
     selectedMaterial: null,
     loadingCatalog: false,
     savingCatalog: false,
+    loadingProducts: false,
   },
   getters: {
 
@@ -41,6 +42,18 @@ export const store = new Vuex.Store({
       }
     },
 
+    nextSectionID: state => {
+      if (state.catalog != null) {
+        let id = 0
+        for (let section of state.catalog.sections) {
+          id = Math.max(id, section.id)
+        }
+        return id + 1
+      } else {
+        return -1
+      }
+    },
+
     selectedSection: (state, getters) => {
       if (state.catalog && state.selectedSectionID) {
         return getters.section(state.selectedSectionID)
@@ -69,9 +82,7 @@ export const store = new Vuex.Store({
               // add extra info from a material
               let material = getters.material(model.ids[0])
               if (material) {
-                model['name'] = material.name
-                model['model'] = material.model
-                model['family'] = material.family
+                model = extendModelFromMaterial(material, model)
               } else {
                 console.log('no material found for id', model.ids[0])
               }
@@ -152,6 +163,11 @@ export const store = new Vuex.Store({
     savingCatalog(state) {
       return state.savingCatalog
     },
+
+    loadingProducts(state) {
+      return state.loadingProducts
+    },
+
   },
   mutations: {
     //
@@ -170,6 +186,10 @@ export const store = new Vuex.Store({
     // manipulation
     //
 
+    addSection(state, section) {
+      state.catalog.sections.push(section)
+    },
+
     reorderSection(state, { from, to }) {
       if (from === to) return
       state.catalog.sections = arrayMove(state.catalog.sections, from, to)
@@ -235,6 +255,10 @@ export const store = new Vuex.Store({
       state.savingCatalog = value
     },
 
+    setLoadingProducts(state, value) {
+      state.loadingProducts = value
+    },
+
     setCatalogProperty(state, { key, value }) {
       console.log('mutation set prop', key, value)
       if (state.catalog) {
@@ -325,6 +349,73 @@ export const store = new Vuex.Store({
       commit('setSectionPages', { section: newSection, pages: newPages })
     },
 
+    addMaterialToCatalog({ commit, getters, state }, material) {
+      if (!state.catalog) {
+        console.log('no catalog to add materials to')
+        return
+      }
+
+      // ensure material, not just id
+      if (typeof material === 'string' || typeof material === 'number') {
+        material = getters.material(material)
+      }
+
+      let foundSection = null
+      let foundModels = null
+
+      // look for an existing model in all our sections.
+      // add to first one found.
+      for (let section of state.catalog.sections) {
+        let models = getters.sectionModels(section)
+        let existingModel = models.find(m => m.model === material.model)
+        console.log('section', section.id, 'existing model search', existingModel)
+        if (existingModel) {
+          // prevent duplicates here, but also allow adding the same
+          // id again to a catalog.  put in a new section so it can be
+          // placed elsewhere?
+          let existingMaterial = existingModel.ids.find(m => m.id === material.id)
+          console.log('model', existingModel.model, 'existing material', existingMaterial)
+          if (!existingMaterial) {
+            existingModel.ids.push(material.id)
+            foundSection = section
+            foundModels = models
+          } else {
+            console.log('skip duplicate')
+          }
+          break
+        }
+      }
+
+      if (!foundSection) {
+        // see if we match a section, add a new model at the end
+        let title = sectionTitle(material)
+        for (let section of state.catalog.sections) {
+          if (title === section.name) {
+            let newModel = extendModelFromMaterial(material)
+            let models = getters.sectionModels(section)
+            models.push(newModel)
+            foundSection = section
+            break
+          }
+        }
+      }
+
+      // still nothing, add into a new section
+      if (!foundSection) {
+        let title = sectionTitle(material)
+        let newModel = extendModelFromMaterial(material)
+        foundModels = [newModel]
+        foundSection = {
+          'id': getters.nextSectionID,
+          'name': title,
+        }
+        commit('addSection', foundSection)
+      }
+
+      let pages = paginateModels(foundModels)
+      commit('setSectionPages', { section: foundSection, pages: pages })
+    },
+
     // SET_CAT_SECTIONS: (context, payload) => {
     //   context.commit('SET_CAT_SECTIONS', payload)
     // },
@@ -356,6 +447,32 @@ export const store = new Vuex.Store({
       commit('setCatalog', {})
     },
 
+    async fetchProducts({ commit, dispatch }, text) {
+      commit('setLoadingProducts', true)
+      axios.post('/api/v1/products/search', text)
+        .then(function(response) {
+          commit('setLoadingProducts', false)
+
+          if (response.data && response.data.missing) {
+            // TODO display these somehow
+            console.log('missing ids:', response.data.missing)
+          }
+
+          if (response.data && response.data.found) {
+            console.log('found prods:', response.data.found)
+            commit('addMaterialsToLibrary', response.data.found)
+            for (let material of response.data.found) {
+              dispatch('addMaterialToCatalog', material)
+            }
+          }
+        })
+        .catch(function(error) {
+          commit('setLoadingProducts', false)
+          // TODO set saving error property
+          console.error('error searching for prods: ', error)
+        })
+    },
+
     async loadCatalog({ commit }, id) {
       try {
         commit('setLoadingCatalog', true)
diff --git a/cateditor/src/pagination.js b/cateditor/src/pagination.js
index 784d6c7..89f6c8d 100644
--- a/cateditor/src/pagination.js
+++ b/cateditor/src/pagination.js
@@ -43,3 +43,36 @@ export function sectionModels(section) {
 
   return models
 }
+
+export function sectionTitle(material) {
+  // "Trailhead (Men)"
+  if (material) {
+    return `${material.category} (${material.gender})`
+  } else {
+    return '(unknown)'
+  }
+}
+
+// add properties from the material to the model,
+// creating it if necessary.
+export function extendModelFromMaterial(material, model = {}) {
+  if (material) {
+    if (!model['name']) {
+      // don't overwrite possibly overridden value
+      model['name'] = material.name
+    }
+    model['model'] = material.model
+    model['family'] = material.family
+    model['gender'] = material.gender
+    model['category'] = material.category
+
+    // make sure the material id is in the list
+    let ids = model['ids'] || []
+    if (!ids.includes(material.id)) {
+      ids.push(material.id)
+      model['ids'] = ids
+    }
+  }
+
+  return model
+}