The rental of LEGO® sets requires the definition of a method for sorting the parts to apply before sending (or returning) a product.
Initially, LocaBriques chose to sort by color. The main advantage of this method is that it's easy to implement (grouping objects by color is something we learn to do in our first year of school, if not before). Owners and renters can therefore use it as a common basis for exchange. It also facilitates counting, which can be done color after color.
On the other hand, this method isn't ideal for the renter, and is far from the building experience you'd find with a new set: you have to search for parts in all the parts of the same color, which can sometimes be very numerous (especially with “big” single-tone sets). The exercise can quickly become tedious, even frustrating when you're looking for a needle in a haystack...
Ideally, renters should be able to pick up a product whose parts are sorted into numbered bags, according to the building instructions. But it's also important to make this sorting as easy as possible for owners to use. Otherwise, the owner experience is likely to become far too tedious!
So we needed both a tool and data. We almost had the tool: the counting aid tool (which you can find explained here) already offered a tried and tested base, close to what we needed. For the data, it was more complicated: we couldn't find in the open a database containing the distribution of the parts of a set according to the initial bags, and therefore the building instructions. The exercise isn't very complicated (you “simply” to take the instructions and point out the parts page after page), but it's not particularly stimulating either. And easy to make mistakes.
With this last observation in mind, and the need to optimize our renters' experience (an experience we also live from time to time :]), our bag-based inventory functionality was born: https://locabriques.fr/inventories/
Note: for the time being, there are no plans to use this new default sorting method in our rentals. Sorting by color remains the norm (especially for returns). We are simply offering owners the possibility of proposing it to their tenants (in the form of a comment or message exchange, for example).
The objectives of this functionality are as follows: to create a public knowledge base of the distribution of set parts by numbered bags, and to enable its use by owners in the preparation of their parcels.
To meet the objective of creating the database, and given the none stimulating aspect of its creation, we have chosen a community-based approach: any of our users can decide to create an inventory by bag, which will then be published and fed into our knowledge base. Published inventories are accessible to everyone, registered users and visitors alike, so that the work of one can benefit all the others.
When creating a new per-bags inventory, we retrieve from Rebrickable the complete inventory of the set concerned. We are then able to check that all the parts in the set have been correctly distributed in the different bags, a sine qua non condition for its publication. This gives us a first level of control over the validity of the inventory. As mistakes happen quickly, anyone consulting an inventory can point out an error: we can then easily check the error by referring to the official notices, and manually correcting the inventory.
Published inventories are automatically integrated into the counting tool: when a user creates a new inventory, the tool will suggest using the bag breakdown if it is published.
The main page for managing bag inventories can be accessed at the following address: https://locabriques.fr/inventaires/
It has 3 tabs:
This tab lists the per-bags inventories published by our users, in the form of thumbnails. Each thumbnail leads to the inventory consultation page, listing the various bags declared. And each bag leads to the contents consultation page. Simple enough.
The author of each inventory is displayed, in recognition of the work done :)
On the inventory page, a “Report a problem” link warns us of an error, so that we can check and make any necessary changes.
As we've said, creating an per-bags inventory isn't exactly exciting. It requires a little motivation, and a desire to invest in the community. As not everyone necessarily has the time to do this, this tab allows anyone to request the creation of an inventory: simply choose the desired set, and provide your e-mail address. When the inventory for that set is published by one of our contributors, an e-mail will be sent to the requester to inform you.
The tab also displays a list of all requested inventories, with the number of requests. This allows users who wish to contribute to the database to tackle an inventory knowing that someone will be interested in it.
This tab enables our users to create and publish inventories. It lists the user's inventories (which have not yet been published) and allows the user to create a new one.
To create a new inventory, simply click on the “+” thumbnail and select the set concerned (by name or reference). You are then redirected to the editing page.
The upper part of this page displays the total number of parts in the set (taken from the ReBrickable database) and the number of parts that have already been distributed. If not all parts have been distributed, the information is displayed in red. If an inventory for this set has already been published, the information is displayed in the same place, in red (we leave you the option of creating a bag inventory even if one has already been published; you'll be able to manipulate it, but not publish it).
Underneath are a button for deleting the inventory, and a button for publishing it. The latter is only active if all parts are distributed, and no inventory for this set has already been published. By publishing an inventory, you make it visible to everyone, and you lose the ability to modify it. You must then contact us to make changes (this prevents users from relying on unstable inventories).
In the lower part of the screen, you'll find the list of bags, as well as a “+” thumbnail allowing you to create a new one. To create a bag, all you need to do is specify its number (in special cases, this can also be a name). In the top right-hand corner of the bag thumbnail, you'll find a trashcan icon for deleting the bag, and a pencil icon for renaming it.
Each bag thumbnail contains a button for modifying its contents, and a button for simply viewing it (the same view as for published inventories).
The bag edition page is quite similar to the page in the Counting Tool. It lists all the parts present in the set, organized by color, and lets you enter how many there are in the bag you are editing. The number of pieces of each type is displayed below the corresponding image, and the “+” and “-” buttons let you vary it. The field is editable, so you can also click on it and enter the desired number directly. Below this number, the number of parts of this type remaining to be distributed in the inventory is displayed. When it reaches 0, the part is grayed out. For each color, a field allows you to filter parts by type, and the number of parts of that color is displayed in brackets.
At the top of the page are squares representing each color in the set. Clicking on them takes you directly to the list of pieces of the corresponding color.
Below the list of colors are two options:
Beneath these options, a sorting field within a color allows you to sort parts according to their type, or their number in the set.
You can go back up to 5 times if you've made a mistake. A red button with a trigonometrically rotating arrow appears as soon as you make your first change. When you undo an action in this way, the part concerned is temporarily circled in orange to help you find your way around. The page scrolls to this part if it is not currently visible on screen.
In the same way as you can go backwards, you can also go forwards after an undo, and thus return to the initial state.
The contents of the bag are saved with each modification. You can therefore use the “Back” button in the top left-hand corner at any time to return to the inventory editing page.
When a per-bag inventory is published, it can be consulted by anyone, as explained above, but it can also be used with our counting aid tool. When you create a new inventory in this tool, and select a set whose par-bags inventory is published, we then offer you the choice of creating a global inventory (as the tool normally does), or a per-bag inventory.
In the latter case, the inventory consultation page lists the individual bags, with the number of pieces checked and total. When a bag is complete, a check mark appears on its thumbnail.
Clicking on a bag's thumbnail brings you back to the usual Counting Tool interface, but limited to the parts that must be in the bag. The tool enables you to carry out the usual checks, but also to distribute the parts in a set. It makes it easy, for example, to start with one bag, then move on to another when you can't find one of the pieces, and then come back to it when you find the wrong one.
We're still getting the hang of it, but it will have taken us around 6 hours to sort the Rivendell pieces into their original bags, based on color. For Barad-Dûr, starting from a roughly dismantled set, we were closer to 4 hours. But the tenants were delighted to be able to enjoy the assembly of these two sets as if they were brand new!
We hope this new feature will enhance the experience of our (and your!) renters. More generally, and as always with LocaBriques, don't hesitate to contact us to discuss the tool, report bugs or suggestions for improvement!
To your bags!
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