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Improving Mindat.orgCatalog Tool

1st Mar 2014 16:37 UTCKelly Nash 🌟 Expert

My specimen photo uploads are WAY ahead of my catalog entries. Is there any way to create a catalog (or spreadsheet) from the uploads? With the Mindat IDs and the specimen sizes as separate fields now, this would, I think, be a useful tool. (Apologies if this is somewhere in the manual and I missed it).

1st Mar 2014 17:08 UTCKelly Nash 🌟 Expert

-- moved topic --

1st Mar 2014 18:30 UTCEugene & Sharon Cisneros Expert

Kelly,

You could just enter the MinID number into the catalog and the data associated with the image will be entered automatically. You can then use the export function to retrieve and manipulate the data any way that you wish.

Gene

1st Mar 2014 18:40 UTCKelly Nash 🌟 Expert

Thanks, Gene. That's a lot less cutting and pasting than I thought, but I wonder if there is a way to generate a list or column of all my MinIDs.

1st Mar 2014 21:05 UTCEugene & Sharon Cisneros Expert

Kelly,

Once your MinID numbers have been added to your collection, you can export the data to Excel and then sort and print whatever you want.

Here is a current discussion regarding how to do that.

Gene

2nd Mar 2014 09:51 UTCKnut Eldjarn 🌟 Manager

Kelly,

I am in the same situation myself. Because it is a huge task to complete the cataloging the collection I have had to give up trying to merge or correct the different MinID number for the images allready entered in Mindat and the new catalog entries. For my use the linking of the photo to the catalog page for the specimen gives the traceability I need. I use my own numbering system for the specimens and the difference in MinId numbers for the collection entries and the images in Mindat does not bother me. I personally consider the MinId concept forced upon me as an unwanted feature increasing the risk of my personal collection information being hacked from the MinId of the uploaded images. As a security measure I will therefore refrain from uploading photos of the more expensive specimens in the collection.

Knut

2nd Mar 2014 16:50 UTCKelly Nash 🌟 Expert

Yes, to me, the MinIDs and the catalog tool are a mixed blessing. I do not understand the entire process, and there is a limit to how much time I want to spend on a computer anyway, but right now, my old paper card catalog system looks better than ever! I realize what I asked about (creating a catalog from the uploaded photos) may be backwards from the ideal process. If I was just starting out, it might be different. And I'm glad I didn't get further along with the catalog tool before, because when I look at the few entries in my Mindat catalog, for most, the MinIDs are not what they are shown in the photo uploads, and I can't seem to edit that field to correct them. So now those specimens apparently have two MinIDs (however - on edit, I just deleted the ones that did not correspond to the photo upload page and started adding new entries using the MinID, and - it is pretty easy to use. I do wish the Comments field would just propagate from my photo captions, however) . Also, when I uploaded the photos, there was a field on the form for my catalog number - it seems that could automatically transfer the information to the Mindat catalog, but that field does not seem to have any purpose(?). I guess I will just plug away with a few per day into my Mindat catalog and eventually I might get caught up.

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