Managing Items¶

This guide covers everything you need to know about managing items in Stowaway.

Creating Items¶

Basic Item¶

At minimum, an item needs a name:

Name: "Wireless Mouse"

Complete Item¶

For full tracking capabilities, include all details:

Item Fields Explained¶

Name¶

The primary identifier for your item. Make it descriptive enough to recognize at a glance.

Description¶

Additional details that don't fit elsewhere:

• Specifications
• Notes about condition
• Where you bought it
• What it's used for

Barcode¶

Product barcodes for scanning:

• UPC - 12 digits (common in USA)
• EAN - 13 digits (international)
• Custom - Your own identifier system

Quantity & Min Quantity¶

Track how many you have:

• Quantity - Current count
• Min Quantity - Alert threshold

When quantity ≤ min quantity, the item appears in low stock alerts.

Working with Images¶

Adding Images¶

1. Open item in edit mode
2. Drag and drop images onto the upload area
3. Or click to browse for files

Multiple Images¶

Items can have multiple images:

• First image becomes the thumbnail
• All images viewable in detail view
• Reorder by drag and drop

Removing Images¶

1. Edit the item
2. Click the remove button on an image
3. Save changes

Categories¶

Assigning Categories¶

When creating or editing an item:

1. Click the Category dropdown
2. Select an existing category
3. Or create a new one inline

Changing Categories¶

Reassigning is easy:

1. Edit the item
2. Select a different category
3. Save

Removing Category¶

To uncategorize an item:

1. Edit the item
2. Clear the category selection
3. Save

Locations¶

Setting Location¶

Track where items are stored:

1. Edit the item
2. Select a location from the dropdown
3. Save

Moving Items¶

When you physically move an item:

1. Edit the item
2. Change the location
3. Save

This keeps your digital inventory matching physical reality.

Bulk Operations¶

Search and Filter¶

Find multiple items efficiently:

Search: "mouse"
Filter: Category = "Electronics"

Export for Analysis¶

Export filtered results:

1. Apply your filters
2. Click Export
3. Choose JSON or CSV
4. Download file

Item Lifecycle¶

Typical Workflow¶

graph LR
    A[Purchase Item] --> B[Add to Stowaway]
    B --> C[Assign Category & Location]
    C --> D[Use/Store Item]
    D --> E{Still Have?}
    E -->|Yes| D
    E -->|No| F[Delete from Stowaway]

Tracking Consumption¶

For consumable items:

1. Set initial quantity
2. Set min quantity threshold
3. Decrease quantity as used
4. Restock when alerted

Best Practices¶

Organization¶

• Be consistent - Use the same naming conventions throughout
• Use categories - Group similar items together
• Track locations - Know where everything is physically

Data Quality¶

• Add images - Visual identification helps
• Include barcodes - Enable scanning features
• Set min quantities - Never run out unexpectedly

Maintenance¶

• Regular audits - Verify physical counts match
• Update locations - Keep track of moved items
• Clean up - Remove items you no longer have