truckin-on
Active member
I have a ton of parts all over the place - from various projects and cars current and past. Although I’ve not been doing too bad trying to remember what I have, it’s a PITA to sort through a bunch of boxes to find something that I KNOW I have - somewhere.
I considered an inventory system, but I don’t have the patience or need for an individual part-by-part inventory. It is really more than what I need. I just want some help to remember what the heck I have and where it is, and I want to be able easily look-up “what box is that Corvair carb in” and “where did I stuff it”?
A simple spreadsheet with location (storage area or cabinet number) / sub-location (shelf number) / type (parts, tools, books, other) / box # (I’m using the first letter for the manufacturer in the box, so box C-1 is Corvair, box L-3 is Lotus, etc.) / contents (some brief description) / picture (a snap of the contents of the box before it’s closed-up). I wanted to be able to easily capture all this from my phone while working in the garage/barn/shop, otherwise I’m certain I’d never do it. I’m using the first letter of the manufacturer in the box #, so box C-1 is Corvair, box L-3 is Lotus, etc.
Turns out Google Forms does a pretty decent job of providing a simple interface to capture inventory. It also has an automated link to populate an associated Google sheet. This makes it really simple to construct a “form” you can fill from your phone, using drop-downs or check-boxes, which will automatically populate an associated Google Sheet (excel spreadsheet like) with each entry. It also works to allow you to easily and automatically upload a snapped picture of the box when you fill out the entry. I thought the picture would be very helpful as a reminder along with the brief description, of what was actually in the box.
A bit of time constructing the form, and I was off and running! I then put a link to the google web-form on the top menu of my phone so it’s easy to access. If you want to play with it, here is a link to the google form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19lgvjhuW2ymJsGC3ClUYkdN7CaWFZe-DnoRbWM4Znz4/edit?usp=sharing
You will need to make a copy in your own google drive – click on the three vertical dots in the upper-right corner, then click on “save a copy” to save your own version.
I’d be interested in thoughts on this approach, and what else you would capture, either optional or required, to make it more useful. After things are loaded in, I can easily sort the list any way I want and can click on the picture to see what’s in the box if the description isn’t enough. Looks pretty handy and I think it will meet my needs.
I considered an inventory system, but I don’t have the patience or need for an individual part-by-part inventory. It is really more than what I need. I just want some help to remember what the heck I have and where it is, and I want to be able easily look-up “what box is that Corvair carb in” and “where did I stuff it”?
A simple spreadsheet with location (storage area or cabinet number) / sub-location (shelf number) / type (parts, tools, books, other) / box # (I’m using the first letter for the manufacturer in the box, so box C-1 is Corvair, box L-3 is Lotus, etc.) / contents (some brief description) / picture (a snap of the contents of the box before it’s closed-up). I wanted to be able to easily capture all this from my phone while working in the garage/barn/shop, otherwise I’m certain I’d never do it. I’m using the first letter of the manufacturer in the box #, so box C-1 is Corvair, box L-3 is Lotus, etc.
Turns out Google Forms does a pretty decent job of providing a simple interface to capture inventory. It also has an automated link to populate an associated Google sheet. This makes it really simple to construct a “form” you can fill from your phone, using drop-downs or check-boxes, which will automatically populate an associated Google Sheet (excel spreadsheet like) with each entry. It also works to allow you to easily and automatically upload a snapped picture of the box when you fill out the entry. I thought the picture would be very helpful as a reminder along with the brief description, of what was actually in the box.
A bit of time constructing the form, and I was off and running! I then put a link to the google web-form on the top menu of my phone so it’s easy to access. If you want to play with it, here is a link to the google form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19lgvjhuW2ymJsGC3ClUYkdN7CaWFZe-DnoRbWM4Znz4/edit?usp=sharing
You will need to make a copy in your own google drive – click on the three vertical dots in the upper-right corner, then click on “save a copy” to save your own version.
I’d be interested in thoughts on this approach, and what else you would capture, either optional or required, to make it more useful. After things are loaded in, I can easily sort the list any way I want and can click on the picture to see what’s in the box if the description isn’t enough. Looks pretty handy and I think it will meet my needs.
