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bentcorner
8 Posts |
 Posted - 12/17/2006 : 05:42:01
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| Is there an easy way of entering in a comic's location? For instance, which box it is being stored in? |
- Rick
http://www.bentcorner.com/ |
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Stealth_DBA
USA
1846 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2006 : 07:36:59
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I haven't done this myself but I have heard of others that have. Use one of the many Custom Fields. (I don't think you can use Title Custom Fields as they look like only Genre listings but I could be wrong about this.)
Use Menu item Setup\Custom Fields...
Under Issue Fields decide on 1 of the 4 Custom Fields available and give it an appropriate name (Location, Box Number etc.) (Don't use Date as it only accepts dates or Check as it is only a check box).
In CB, when you update an issue, put the location / box number in the Custom Field that you just renamed.
(PS In case you are not aware, you can change the order of the columns displayed. Just Right click hold the left mouse button on the column header and drag it to another location.) |
CB Blu-ray Archive Edition V14.1.2 b164 Windows 7 64 bit |
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bentcorner
8 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2006 : 12:17:34
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I tried doing this, but didn't see where I could make a custom field. Is this not available with ComicBase Express?
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- Rick
http://www.bentcorner.com/ |
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pbickford
USA
1414 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2006 : 13:26:19
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| I'm afraid not. Custom fields only exist in the Pro and Archive editions. |
Peter Bickford, Principal, Human Computing, 95 S. Market Street #500, San Jose, CA 95113
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bentcorner
8 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2006 : 14:35:23
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| So there is no way of entering in where a comic is located? How is a person to keep track of where something is? That kind of defeats the whole purpose of having software to keep track of your collection. |
- Rick
http://www.bentcorner.com/ |
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WebHobbit
USA
692 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2006 : 14:43:55
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I'm doing this right now. I have a custom field I named "BoxID". I use corrugated plastic short boxes purchased from bagsunlimited.com. Each one only holds about 100 comics but they are very easy to move around and 100% acid free and impervious to bugs and moisture. They aint all that cheap either!
Anyway I am using some plastic "windows" I buy from a local office supply store. They have an open top and adhesive on the back they are made for CD-roms. I guess people use then to store CDs with report folders and such. Anyway I put these 'windows' on the front of each box. Then I make me a spiffy looking "card" (printed out on photo-paper) to ID the box and stick it in the window. This way I can easily and quickly change a box ID as I need to with out marring up the box.
Here is a pic of one I just did for my "misc. DC box" (I'm mostly a Marvel guy so I don't have a whole lot of DC):
They look better in person the pics a little out of focus and the plastic glares a bit. Anyway with that field in ComicBase it makes finding something, filing & sorting my comics super-easy. I love it.
PS- Pro really is worth the price premium over Express - for the custom fields and all the credit info. |
Larry Robertson
ComicBase 14.1.2 (Build 164) Archive Edition
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
http://lrpctechblog.com
http://lrpctech.com
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Edited by - WebHobbit on 12/18/2006 14:47:27 |
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bentcorner
8 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2006 : 15:30:10
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| I guess I just don't understand why something as basic and fundamental as location would need to be handled with a custom entry and reserved only for the pro version. I spent $40 for comic collecting software that wont let me keep track of a comic's location. I will know I have a comic. I just won't know where I have it. |
- Rick
http://www.bentcorner.com/ |
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pbickford
USA
1414 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2006 : 15:49:28
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You could always use the Notes field to note your locations, but yes, there are real differences between the Express version and the Pro and Archive Editions, custom fields being one of them.
For a full breakdown of the different features in the various editions of ComicBase, see:
http://www.comicbase.com/Product_Info/ComicBase_11/ComicBase_11_Comparison_Chart.pdf
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Peter Bickford, Principal, Human Computing, 95 S. Market Street #500, San Jose, CA 95113
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bentcorner
8 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2006 : 16:00:01
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Does the chart show that the express version won't allow you to enter a comic's location? I didn't see that. I just don't understand why something as basic and fundamental as location should be relegated to a custom field. A field that is not even available to me because I paid only $40 for this software. As though it's not important to know where a comic is kept.
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- Rick
http://www.bentcorner.com/ |
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Kevin Mahoney
205 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2006 : 18:14:01
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| heres a thought alphabatize. Get Divider labels and order your boxes in alphabetical order. Works for me, never needed a location field. Since I can figure out Green Arrow comes before Green Lantern. |
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mark
51 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2006 : 18:19:27
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quote:
Originally posted by bentcorner
Does the chart show that the express version won't allow you to enter a comic's location? I didn't see that. I just don't understand why something as basic and fundamental as location should be relegated to a custom field. A field that is not even available to me because I paid only $40 for this software. As though it's not important to know where a comic is kept.
BC, not sure how many comics you have. But Kevin is right. If you already haven't, alphabetize within publisher. I have 25000 books. First my DC collection starting with A-Z, then Marvel, the indies. Its not perfect but it should speed things up. And as Pete stated, you CAN use the notes field to simply state the location. Have to believe that should work for you. |
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Stealth_DBA
USA
1846 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2006 : 19:01:51
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Here is another suggestion.
Store your issues in Company / Year / Alphabetic order (or just Year / Alphabetic if you don't separate by Company).
For example, one box has Marvel comics for 1964-1967, Jan issues/ Alphabetic by title, Feb issues / Alphabetic by issue etc. Add a divider by year if needed. If you do this, you can use the Company and COVER DATE field for an issue to tell you exactly which box to look in. (I put a spare backer board in the space front and write the company and year on it. This both labels the box in an easily changeable manner and blocks the light that would get in through that hole.)
This has 2 major advantages. One, when I want to read issues that have cross-overs, they are all right there in one (or two if is a LONG running crossover or at the end of a year) box. And it is REAL easy to file the current months titles. They just go at the back of the current years' box. (you never have to 'split' a full box to make room for more issues. (unless you buy a lot of issues for a particular year  ))
The disadvantage is if you want to deal with a Titles complete set (say to enter it into CB)you have to access most of the boxes. |
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bentcorner
8 Posts |
Posted - 12/19/2006 : 01:56:32
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I don't want to alphabetize my collection. I also don't want to rearrange my collection by company or year. I just wanted my $40 collection software to actually keep track of what I had and where it was. It honestly never occurred to me that ComicBase Express lacked the ability to catalog a comics location. This seemed to me to be a basic fundamental ability of collection software.
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- Rick
http://www.bentcorner.com/ |
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Kevin Mahoney
205 Posts |
Posted - 12/19/2006 : 05:04:33
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| out of curiosity how do you store your issues, |
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bentcorner
8 Posts |
Posted - 12/19/2006 : 05:08:02
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The way I keep my comics is perhaps different then most people. Then again, I didn't think this up. Somebody else came up with this method and I thought it was a good idea.
I keep all my comics in short boxes. I divide each short box into 6 evenly distributed sections with a divider. The box I'm currently putting new comics in sits on top of a shelf on it's front end. When I'm done reading a new comic, I bag and board it and then place it in the box face up. I then enter the comic into my software and make note of it's location. For instance, if it's the first comic put in a new box, in the location I would put 10-6. This would mean to me Box 10, section 6. I refer to the section in the far back as section 6 and the one in the front as section 1. Each section holds about 23 comics.
When I want a specific comic, I look in my software to find it's location. By doing this, I'm able to find comics extremely easily and quickly. Much more so then if it was alphabetized or stored by year or publisher. I've been collecting comics for a long time. This method is by far the best way I have found.
I used to store comics in alphabetical order. I found myself constantly re-filing comics. Moving from one box to another. I hated it. What's great about this method is that once I put a comic in a box, that's where it stays. I never have to move it or file it in a different box. The only time I ever have
Keeping comics in alphabetical order harkens back to the days before there were things like computers and collection software. It's not necessary any more.
I currently have my collection tracked with another comic book collection program. One that has an entry for location. To be honest, I thought all collection software took location into account. I guess I will have to continue using that program, but I was looking forward to using ComicBase. I wanted to take advantage of the barcode support. I purchased ComicBase this past Summer, but I've been waiting to make the switch until I could get a barcode scanner. Something I've now since done. I wont be using it if I have to start keeping my comics in alphabetical order. The reason I wanted to switch to ComicBase is because I thought it would make things easier.
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- Rick
http://www.bentcorner.com/ |
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David Akers
USA
40 Posts |
Posted - 12/19/2006 : 05:35:05
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I take it, then, that you didn't bother to try out the demo first to make sure that the software had all the features you needed/expected it to have?
-David |
CB Archive Edition 14.0.2
Windows Vista Business
18,533 books and counting |
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bentcorner
8 Posts |
Posted - 12/19/2006 : 05:54:44
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No, I didn't "bother" to try the demo. I tried to use the demo for ComicBase a few years ago and I could not get it to work. I got an error. I attributed that to my old PC.
As soon as I learned it was selling for only $40, I bought it. For years now I've heard that ComicBase was the number one best inventory software for comics. The only negative thing I have ever heard about the software was the price.
When I purchased and installed ComicBase this past Summer, I should have noticed it lacked a field for Location. It just honestly never occurred to me that an inventory program would lack the ability to keep track of something as important as location. Especially one as full featured as ComicBase. If I had noticed this fact after buying it, I certainly wouldn't have bought a USB barcode scanner. It wasn't until I got the scanner last week and proceeded to start entering my collection did I realize I didn't know how to enter the comic's location. I went through my manual, but couldn't find anything. Even then it didn't occur to me that there wasn't an entry for location. I just assumed I was doing something wrong.
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- Rick
http://www.bentcorner.com/ |
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Stealth_DBA
USA
1846 Posts |
Posted - 12/19/2006 : 15:52:58
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It looks like you have 3 choices, bentcorner.
1) Go back to the old software.
2) Upgrade to at least CB Pro Edition (the cover scans are worth it for me).
Or...
3) Use the Notes field to record the box/sector number (as previously suggested by Pete.)
The advantages of option 3 is you can use the bar code scanner you already bought, you can record exactly the information on location you want and you get to use what really is the best software for keeping track of your comics (and other items as mentioned in another thread).
Good luck with whichever option you pick. |
CB Blu-ray Archive Edition V14.1.2 b164 Windows 7 64 bit |
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Entering a location
