Dinosaur Collection Tool (DCT) - [Currently in Development]

[need4swede]

Hi everyone!

I am currently working on an application that (hopefully) makes it easier for users to keep track of their Dinosaur collections.
It is very early in development, with lots of features still unannounced. Here are some of the proposed capabilities of the tool.

FEATURES - CURRENT

• Keep track of your dinosaur collection, specifying the make of the model, the name, scale, species, where you bought it from, how much it cost - and more!
• Keep track of what dinosaurs you've sold, who you sold it to, when, for how much, etc.
• Keep track of a wishlist of what dinosaurs you want to purchase in the future
• Export your collection to a .CSV

FEATURES - UPCOMING

• Visualize your collection by uploading your own images
• Download and share databases from other users and view their collection
• A mobile companion app
• Online databases, where your libraries are automatically synced and you can subscribe to the libraries of other users that all update automatically
• A backlog of makes and models that users can choose from, so you don't have to manually input the information yourself (similar to DinoToyCollector)
• A trading platform that allows users to post what figures they have for sale straight from their synced database and share it with all other users, or just particular users chosen by seller

Questions & Answers

0. What's the point of this?
- While I am new to this community, I am not new to figurine/toy collecting (I have more Hot Wheels and diecast cars than I care to admit..)
One of my favorite sections of this site is the 'Collections' aspect, where users can share their prehistoric collection with other users. I wish to build
upon that premise, giving users a tool that they can use to build their collection, share their collection with others, trade/sell their dinosaurs with other users; all with a uniform layout that we build and agree upon together. It is my way of giving back to this great community, that I hope to be a part of for years to come!

1. Will this tool work offline or online?
- Currently, the tool only works offline and stores your database locally on your device. In the future, I hope to make it work online and be able to sync your library and for users to share their entries and share their own collections.

2. How much will it cost?
- It will cost me some time and, undoubtedly, some headache; but it won't cost users anything. The application will be 100% free - no ads or data collection (outside of the aforementioned synced libraries)

3. What are databases and libraries, and how do they work?
- Currently, each user has a database comprised of three entries; 'Currently Own', 'Previously Owned', and 'Wishlist'. A library is a collection entry within one of these three database entires. Each user will have their own database where they will store their libraries. For example: 'Swede's Database > Currently Owned :: Swede's Library > Theropods OR Swede's Library > Herbivores OR Swede's Library > Sea Creatures'

Here's how the application currently looks - keep in mind that it's very early in development and a lot will change.

Spoiler

[close]

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Let me know what you guys think and if you have any feature requests & inquiries.

Take Care!

APPLICATION DEMO:
https://i.imgur.com/60B0Kjb.mp4

[DinoToyCollector]

DinoToyCollector is here

First question: Is this meant to work offline?
Will it cost something or will it be sponsored with adds?
How is the database working? Will there be a default database with popular figures?

I have much more questions, so you can PM me 

[need4swede]

@DinoToyCollector

Hey partner,

I added some answers to your questions to the original thread. I'll send you a PM after this; will include answers that I think will interest more users on the original post.

If it will contain an existing database of popular figures; that would be something I would be interested in collaborating with you on, if you're interested, since you have the data already. Lots of ways to go about it, but it's very early in development for now, so we have the time

[need4swede]

APPLICATION DEMO:
https://i.imgur.com/60B0Kjb.mp4

Click the above link to view a short demo of how the application is currently functioning.
This demo shows how you can create entries; either by starting from scratch, or by choosing an already existing entry and amending it.

There's a lot more work that needs to be done and I'll share more demonstrations as the build develops

[Fembrogon]

I just want to say that I like the logo seen in the video very much.

[need4swede]

Thank you, I do, too.

If anyone has any feature requests, let me know. While I can't promise anything yet, I hope it can be something that fills a need in the community.

[need4swede]

Another big update:

• You can now choose studio/maker from drop down, along with a list of sellers. More can be added
• Model information is automatically populated and can also be manually altered by the user
• Based on the chosen seller, a link to the figure will be automatically populated
• Figure bio is automatically filled in, including the class/family of the Dinosaur, its geological period and the primary color (multiple options for models with multiple color schemes)

[need4swede]

Update:

Finished adding the entire PNSO library:



While it may not be every single model, it's a good place to start. New models can be added in time.
When selecting a model, the rest of the fields auto populate in accordance to the dinosaur figure, and a url is fetched based on the chosen seller.
Obviously this doesn't work if you bought it off of ebay or something, but instead it generates the prefix and all you have to do is paste the item ID and the rest of the link is auto generated. Pretty straightforward.

[BlueKrono]

This is a very cool project. I also have other collections. Your format is excellent - can it be used to input non-prehistoric collectibles?

[Lynx]

@need4swede  I am not sure if this is possible, but maybe add a reverse image search? I know several friends including myself that have issues with finding what their figure is called, the brand it was from, what dinosaur it is, etc, and have to use the Identification Thread, which isn't always reliable. In my opinion, a reverse image search could help people find the original seller and other important labels of the figure.

[need4swede]

This is a very cool project. I also have other collections. Your format is excellent - can it be used to input non-prehistoric collectibles?

Thank you!

If one wanted to use it for something else - like a Star Wars figure collection or something similar - my code very much allows for this.
But you will have to alter the code itself (for the time being), since it's being written with the Dinosaur figures in mind.

You can see an example of this from my code here:



The important take away is this;
If [make] is [selected], and the [figure in position X of a list of figures of that make] matches the [category] *in this case genus*, then do the following....

So, if I wanted to, I could easily change that to
If [Hasbro] is [selected], and the [specific Han Solo Figure] matches [Rebellion Characters], then do the following

I hope that makes sense. Yes, the possibility exists in code to add more collections - but not yet on the user end. I might expand this tool (based on its perception) to other collections if there's enough of an interest, but for now it's just dinos
Theoretically, you can use it for anything - mammals, kitchen appliances, books - whatever. I wrote it to be versatile enough to allow for future alterations.

Thanks again!

[need4swede]

@need4swede  I am not sure if this is possible, but maybe add a reverse image search? I know several friends including myself that have issues with finding what their figure is called, the brand it was from, what dinosaur it is, etc, and have to use the Identification Thread, which isn't always reliable. In my opinion, a reverse image search could help people find the original seller and other important labels of the figure.

@Lynx

Thanks for the input! What I can do for now, which wouldn't be too hard to implement, is to integrate a button that launches an existing reverse image search engine, and you can then use that engine to gather the information. Writing my own or integrating an API into the program would unnecessarily complicate the core design of the program. But I can definitely make the process more accessible by including a helpful shortcut on the GUI - thanks for the input!

[Lynx]

No problem! I am loving watching the development of this website, and am glad to have an active person responding to suggestions and inputs!

[need4swede]

No problem! I am loving watching the development of this website, and am glad to have an active person responding to suggestions and inputs!

I appreciate the support!

Keep in mind, though, that this isn't a website that I am making - it's a standalone application. While it may some day pull data from the web when syncing other people's inventory, this program is intended to run on your Mac / PC and will work even without an internet connection. I'm the sole developer, and I am starting off fresh - so inputing all the data and programming the underlying logic to make the software as useful as possible will ultimately take some time.

I reached out to Dino Toy Collector via email some time ago, but he hasn't gotten back to me - so for the time being, this is a standalone project