Managing your collections

wottle

Active Tinkerer
Oct 30, 2021
725
473
63
47
Fort Mill, SC
Actually, the addition of an Activity table is inspired by my heavy use of 4th Dimension that enables you to create related tables. I guess it is not possible to add a Detail field to the Activity record with the system you use. No sweat.
Adding a detail field is definitely possible - I'm just using a mySQL database. I was simply commenting on the possible confusion of having notes about the work done on a device spread across two locations: general, dated notes, and maintenance specific notes.

I currently removed the hard coded date field for recapping of the analog, logic, and PSUs, as well as a date field for the floppy drive reconditioning (cleaning and lubrication). I now have a generic system where you can specify a maintenance task (e.g. retrobright, analog recap, etc), a date, and an optional note.

I may create a separate "timeline view" that shows events in chronological order across all the dated items (e.g. acquisition [date, source, price], photos injected into the timeline based on their EXIF date, general notes, and maintenance tasks). It would allow a better way to digest the path to restoration for a device. That may have to wait because I have some other core features I'm working on, as well as getting the backend buttoned up and tested for easy distribution.
 

rolandszori

New Tinkerer
Mar 17, 2025
14
23
3
Hungary
humanunicorn.hu
Hi,


I'm currently working on the user menu. I've added a variable watcher that allows any changes in the product's data to be tracked on a timeline. (The visual representation isn't implemented yet — it's still just a concept in my head.)
I'm also continuing to build the database — I just needed a small refresh to get back into the flow.
Wishing you a great weekend!

Sorry I have to look at my head so often. :oops:

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rolandszori

New Tinkerer
Mar 17, 2025
14
23
3
Hungary
humanunicorn.hu
Hey everyone,

I'm getting closer to publishing the first beta...
Here are a few things I’ve added so far:

  • Estimated total value tracking on the main screen
  • Battery health indicator for devices with batteries — if it drops below 80%, it shows a warning that it might need replacing 😄
  • Search helper for model numbers, with quick transfer into a new device entry (less typing!)
  • Currency display and switching
  • Indicators for floppy and drive presence
  • Change tracking for all device updates
Take care,
Roland

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MeTheMac

New Tinkerer
Feb 20, 2025
59
12
8
Mars
RetroPods.io
Chiming in for the first time on the thread!
It's coming along great so far, awesome to see!
Not sure if I missed something, but I'd love to try out Collektor! I know it is still in pre-beta but it'd be awesome if we could try it out. I'm on macOS 26 Dev release rn, so I can give it a test on the new design language as well.
 
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rolandszori

New Tinkerer
Mar 17, 2025
14
23
3
Hungary
humanunicorn.hu
Hi everyone!

The Collektor public beta test is now live!
If you’d like to try it out, share your thoughts, or suggest ideas, I’d love to hear from you — this app is being built for all of us.
Feel free to explore! It’s still a beta, so any constructive feedback is truly appreciated.
While you're testing, I’ll be refining the database and preparing cloud sync in the background.

The minimum system requirement is macOS 12.7 and up.

Testflight: https://testflight.apple.com/join/rv9SRMcW
What It Does: https://humanunicorn.hu/collektor/

Let the adventure begin!
Roland
 

wottle

Active Tinkerer
Oct 30, 2021
725
473
63
47
Fort Mill, SC
Amazing! Looking forward to testing this out. It does say that I need an email link or an invite code before I can use it, so let us know what that is.
I was able to add it through TestFlight from the link you sent above.

Just a couple of quick notes from using it very briefly:

I was confused by having to go to the settings page to search for a device to pre-fill it on the Add device page. A search of template selection on the add device page would be more intuitive, I think. The current process seems to be: go to the settings page (which was also a bit hard to find), then searching by the model, then clicking on it in the search results, then closing the settings, then clicking add device. That seems like a lot of unnecessary steps when the main time someone will be using that is when adding a new device, so I'd think it would be better on the add device page.

I think some improvements to the search may be needed. For example, if I search for "SE", the Macintosh SE/30 is the only model in the SE lineup that shows up in the search results. I know it's because the string "se" appears in so many device names (Macintosh Mouse), but maybe prioritize the beginning of the string higher than a substring of the name.

When on the device list, it took me too long (I'm embarrassed to admit how long it took me) to figure out how to view the device details after adding it. I'd prefer if clicking anywhere on the list item brought up the device details.

Additionally, while the photos capability it functional, I prefer to see thumbnails of the device photos that I can click on to see in more details. Having it open a finder window with the copied files is less ideal.

I also think I found a bug. I was trying to add a second device and when I go to the Add device form and hit "Save", the dialog goes away and it doesn't add a device.


I think this app looks really great from a design perspective. I love the look and the concept, and I don't think it will work for my requirements, I bet it will help a lot of people who want a much easier to install, simple to use system for keeping track of their collections.


[EDIT] With respect to the "bug" I thought I found, I figured it was a user problem, however one that maybe you could think about from a UX perspective. The reason I thought the save wasn't working is because I had entered text in the search field. The device I added didn't match the search field. So after I realized that and cleared the search field text, I could see the 3 devices I had added repeatedly thinking they didn't save. Something users might only do once, but it was a "is the app not working?" moment for me. You might consider clearing the search field if a user adds a new device. Or maybe make the face that results are filtered a bit more prominent. Also, providing a temporary indication that the device was added successfully could be all the feedback needed.

[EDIT 2] Question: what drives the categorization of the listings. I thought maybe it was by the type attribute on the device, but it does not seem to be. The last two devices I added (An Apple Lisa) and a Studio Display, both now show up on my list under "Accessories". I also just added a PowerMac G3 All-in-One (I just discovered if you enter the model number it pre-fills the form on the Add Device page. Maybe add some messaging around that field that it will help pre-fill if you have the model number). All my new devices are now getting added under the Accessories grouping and I can't figure out what drives that.
 
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rolandszori

New Tinkerer
Mar 17, 2025
14
23
3
Hungary
humanunicorn.hu
Hi,


Thank you so much for your feedback – I really appreciate it!

I've already implemented a few of the things you mentioned:

  • The model row is now fully clickable and opens the detailed view.
  • There's visual status feedback for actions like added, edited, or deleted.
  • Long text fields are now fully visible when you hover over them with the mouse cursor.
  • The database has also been updated and refined.
As for the search: it's primarily intended as a helper tool for identifying a model based on the factory specifications. It uses a prefix-based match, and currently returns up to 15 flexible results. (though this limit is arbitrary – it could just as easily be 20 or 30). That’s why something like "SE" may not show everything – the idea was to allow users to type any part of a model name freely and still find relevant matches. The more precise you are (e.g. “iMac 2007” vs “iMac”), the narrower the result list becomes.

Regarding the photo gallery: I’m still thinking about it! It’s probably just my own quirk that I’m not using thumbnails yet, but you made a good point — I’ll definitely consider changing that.

You can already update to the latest beta using the same link as before.

Wishing you a great day!
Best regards,

Roland

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rolandszori

New Tinkerer
Mar 17, 2025
14
23
3
Hungary
humanunicorn.hu
Hi :D


I couldn't stop thinking about the gallery — it'll be included in the next update.
There will be small thumbnails at the bottom, and clicking on one will open the image viewer with the full-sized version.

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mac27

Tinkerer
Apr 30, 2024
81
96
18
Virginia, USA
www.mac27.net
So I spent the morning using the beta app, inputting a few devices and generally seeing how things work. I agree with wottle that it is very nice from a design perspective, and it would seem to be a really useful tool for many collectors who want a nice, clean way to keep track of their collections and manage devices centrally.

Unfortunately I don't think I will be one of them. After using it for a while I found myself longing for the complete customizability of my trusty spreadsheet catalog. In there I can rearrange the columns and headers however I want, I can make certain fields larger or smaller, and I can also have multiple tabs / sheets in the same workbook for different classes within my collection (e.g., I have a separate catalog for my poster collection, one for my TAM project, one for my archive, etc.). I can also have numerous text / notes fields (e.g., currently I have one column for "condition/completeness", one for "history/provenance", one for "parts needed", and so on). So I would want much of this functionality in an app, and then - at what point does it just become a spreadsheet anyways?

I also personally have no interest in combining my catalog with photos, as I manage those separately in the Photos app. Trying to export the photos on a device-by-device basis for each item, import and arrange everything in Collektor, and (especially) keep the two apps in sync whenever something changes would be a mess. In my case I already have a website for this (that was the original reason I created it), but I agree it could be really useful with other collections or those just starting out.

Anyways, I don't have any more specific feedback aside from the things wottle and others have mentioned so I'll leave it at that. Please keep us updated as this app continues to develop! I might also circle back to this sometime when it's in a further-developed state. Having more solutions out there will always be a good thing, and clearly you're an experienced developer who is capable of creating a clean, functional product that many collectors will be interested in.