Collection Keeper Pro Help and FAQ

The Catalog Screen is the main screen of Collection Keeper Pro. It displays a list of each of your catalogs. A catalog is a collection of media (books, movies, music, etc.) and can contain any mixture of media types. Each catalog is represented by a square containing the catalog name and the number of items in the catalog.

To add a new catalog, press the Add button in the upper right corner of the catalog screen.

Each catalog is represented by a square containing the catalog name and the number of items in the catalog. In the lower right corner of the catalog square is a button represented by a vertical collection of dots ("..."). Tap or click this button and a menu appears with options for renaming, deleting, or exporting a catalog to CSV format.

The All Items catalog is a automatically generated catalog that contains all of your media items. The All Items catalog appears automatically once two or more catalogs are added and cannot be deleted or renamed.

On the Media List screen, press the Add button in the upper right corner. Note that the Add button is not enabled for the All Items catalog.

The following options are available for adding items to your catalog:

• Add Manually: Manually enter all the information for your new item.
• Search by Keyword: Search the internet using a keyword or keywords.
• Search by UPC/Barcode: Search by a UPC/EAN/ISBN/Barcode. These are usually found on the back corner of your item and are generally 12-13 digits long.
• Scan UPC/Barcode with Camera: Use your camera to scan the UPC/EAN/ISBN/Barcode on your item.

On the Media List screen, type a search term in the search box above the media list.

On the Catalog List screen, select the All Items catalog. On the Media List screen, type a search term in the search box above the media list.

On the Media Detail screen, change the fields you wish to update, then press the save button in the upper right corner.

On the Media Detail screen, press the back arrow button in the upper left corner at any time to discard your changes and go back to the Media List screen.

On the Media Detail screen, press the camera button in the upper right corner. You will be presented with two options:

• Take Photo: Use your camera to take a photo to use as your media image.
• Choose from Gallery: Choose an image from your device photo gallery to use as your media image.

On the Media Detail screen, press the delete button in the upper right corner.

An Amazon ASIN is an Amazon unique product identifier. When data is automatically gathered via a UPC or Keyword search from Amazon, the ASIN field is populated. Among other things, the ASIN field can be used to generate a URL to the item's product page.

The Scan Database Override option chooses which UPC/Keyword database will be searched when adding a new item using the UPC/Barcode or Keyword options. Currently, the following options are available:

• Default (Recommended): Searches the default database containing most movies, music, books, etc. Recommended for most users.
• Laserdisc / HD-DVD: Searches lddb.com, containing a specialized database of more obscure media such as Laserdiscs, HD-DVDs, CEDs, etc.

Each media item contains three custom text-based fields which can be used for any purpose. The Custom Field Names option allows renaming of these custom fields in the Media Details screen. Note that custom field names are universal and cannot be set on a per-catalog basis.

The Import CSV option enables the import of a custom made CSV file containing media data into your media database. The CSV (Comma Separated Value) file format is a plain-text file format that can be used to store data records. This option can be used to quickly import bulk data into your media database.

Over time, adding and deleting items in your media database can cause data file fragmentation. The Perform Database Maitenance option rebuilds the database, repacking it into a minimal amount of disk space and reindexing all items for faster and more efficient searches.

Collection Keeper Pro supports a flexable CSV import system. When creating a file for importing, follow the following guidelines:

• The first line of the file must include a list of columns to be imported.
• Each row must contain the same number of columns.
• The file format must match the US/UK CSV file format documented in RFC 4180 (see here for more information). Note that this is the format supported by Microsoft Excel and most other spreadsheet applications.

The following columns may be used. Bolded columns are required, while non-bolded are optional and may be omitted. Order does not matter.

• Media Catalog
• Media Type
• Display Name
• Title
• Author
• Artist
• Starring
• Platform
• Release Date
• Is On Loan
• On Loan To/From
• Date Acquired
• Acquired New/Used
• Barcode
• Amazon ASIN
• URL
• Notes
• Custom Field 1
• Custom Field 2
• Custom Field 3

Additional notes and points of interest:

• If an unknown Media Catalog is encountered during the import process, it will be created.
• Files exported from Collection Keeper Pro may be imported using the CSV file import tool, however the Backup/Restore feature should be used for full Backup and Restore functionality as the Backup and Restore feature includes images and additional database information.

Here are some tips to help you increase your chance of success when attempting to use your device's camera to scan a barcode:

• Increase the light. Move to an area with as much light as possible. Natural light works best.
• Position your phone 6-12 inches from the barcode. The box drawn on the screen by the barcode scanner is misleading - attempting to fit the barcode into this space will require holding the phone too close.
• Hold your phone as still as possible. It may take several seconds for your phone to lock onto the barcode.
• Ensure you're scanning the right barcode. Some boxes have multiple barcodes - the one you're looking for is the UPC, which is typically 12 or 13 digits.
• Clean the lens. A clean lens on your phone will improve the readability of the barcode by your device.

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