Inventory Management.

[Charolotte Caxton]

As an avid acquirer of hunt items and crazy impulse shopping and once upon a time free item lover, I have amassed a rather large inventory. Please offer suggestions and solutions on how to manage a large inventory. I don't build, design or script, I only wear. Thanks for the replies! 

[Govindira Galatea]

There are so many ways to sort, but one of the most important principles is that you should stay on top of it, don't allow your inventory to turn into a swamp, as one friend called hers.  I sort in two ways, under the clothing folder: by category (_shoes, _accessories, _lingerie, _dresses, _kimono, _Jewelry, _tops, and _bottoms) and then for things that don't fit well in such categories, I creat folders by designer or store name.  I use the _name format to make sure that the categories all sort alphabetically at the front of my Clothing folder.  Also, with _shoes, for example, if there are a lot of shoes from one store/designer, I make a folder for that store/designer.  I can usually find things directly quickly, without using search.  For store/designers names, I don't use the "_" character to lead the folder's name, so that things sort neatly alphabetically.

If new purchase's folder has a lousy name, oh say "Flower in Red" I rename it for what it really is "Flower Dress and shoes in Red" or something more suggestive.  

You have to consider how you associate and remember, in devising your own system.  Of course, with V2's My Outfits folder and outfit creation, things are much easier because even if you have a No Copy item, you can include it in many outfits via a Link.  I love that about V2 and am happy non-V2 viewers have managed to incorporate it.

Well, you did ask...

[Solaria Goldshark]

Purge often!   Over time you'll likely find there are items you'll never use again..DO NOT be afraid to let go...It"s liberating.

File everything away into the proper folders the moment you get it..do not wait..do it now.  Once your inventory becomes a total mess it takes a block of time and many margaritas to sort it all out.

as for freebies..I hate freebies...I prefer to support the economy. :smileyvery-happy:

 

Repeat after me:  Procrastination is a killer.

[Eloise Baily]

I have subfolders after subfolders.

For instance, if I were to open dresses it would offer me mini, evening, sundress or cocktail, then under each subfolder would be colours.

I put everything away as soon as I open it (mostly, ahem) and then if it's copy, I save the box in clothing boxes, which has subfolders of dresses, casual, tops, pants, and shoes....and shoes has a subfolder of shoes and sandals, boots and overknee boots. Phew!

Took me three straight days to set it up but it seems to work.

[Luc Starsider]

I'm not an expert on sorting, by any means, and being a guy, I think my inventory is relativly small - thus easy to keep an overview of - so I can't really advice you on how to organize large collections of things

What I'm thinking, though, is that by creating links to items - also no-copy items - you can 'file' them in as many categories/folders as you like.

- Luc -

[Sidnella Riler]

Delete unwanted things if they cannot be transfer, as in real life, if you dont use something, no point on keeping it just in case

if you have a place of your own, keep a room in the sky, where you can pile up inventory management boxes, I put all my copies in boxes that have a menu, keeps up to 12 things, I put one box for houses, one for shoes, one for outfits, one for vehicles and so on, so you keep your copy there when you need one, you press the box and out comes the copy, it is the best thing ever, if you dont have a place, you can use the same boxes and keep them labeled in your inventory

i found that very useful, but I like the delete option more

[Rhonda Huntress]

I also make folders for hunts and put all the hunt items there.  That way I know what needs to be sorted.

Clothes are easiest to subdivide for me.  Complete outfit or separate?  Dresses sorted by length with casual, party and gowns.  I used to keep jeans in yet another folder but I now only have 3 pair.

Also, keep a picture with each outfit.  If it did not come with a picture, make one.  It makes it so much easier to remember what an outfit is.  You only have to open the one photo instead of wearing the whole thing and waiting to res.

[Latisha Pexie]

There are SO many methods of inventory management. The most important thing is to find what works best for you. I personally use folders/subfolders. Some of my friends prefer storage boxes. I even have one friend that has a RL notebook with everything written down.

I prefer folders and subfolders to boxes simply because I may not always be in a good place to take out a box if I have a sudden urge to use an item. With the folders method I have easy access to everything in my inventory. The main disadvantage is that this method does not reduce inventory count like storage boxes do.

As far as categorizing... As one poster mentioned you really just have to figure out how you process information. For me, clothing is easy. Divided into formal, dress clothes, casual and full outfits (for those outfits I don't wish to separate). Then subdivided into shirts, pants... etc. Objects are where things can really become a mess. I do a lot of sim designing and some building so I tend to categorize mine that way. In the case of hunts you are going to end up with a lot of random objects so you will have to look at what you have to find the best way to divide them (vehicles, weapons, furniture, etc.).

If you still aren't sure on methods there's an in world group, Builders Brewery that offers several classes on inventory management. You could look them up and attend some of those.

[Rhonda Huntress]

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Latisha Pexie wrote:

Some of my friends prefer storage boxes.

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My partner is a big believer in boxes.  I only box my textures and snapshots, but those are a large part of my inventory that will seldom be used.  When I am purging old inventory I can toss shoes, clothes, furniture and even animations I have not used in months and now I will never wear again, but I can not let go of my textures :blush:

[Suella Ember]

There's a rather marvellous collection of advice on inventory management here:

http://sl4nowt.wordpress.com/inventory-management-101/

[Rentasha Michigan]

here is how I manage mine:

1.  I only keep things I will actually wear.  Many things I get from hunts are fine but not my style or color...so even if it is nice I delete anything that I don't love.  I also delete all calling cards...never have been sure of their purpose.  I hate gestures...I deleted all of those too.  Scripts and textures, I only keep the few I will use. Notecards can quickly get out of control make sure your delete any unneeded ones daily.  Getting rid of any items you really wont wear, need or use is HUGE. If it is bad, ugly, doesn't fit right, old,or just not for you trash it!

2. Transferable items...if I have anything that is transferable, older, and it is not a favorite item I give out to nooblets or to a friend who resales.  I have too many newer things I love why hold onto the old I only have so many hours to wear the good stuff.

3. I box up holiday items like Christmas/Easter outfits/decorations anything that will only be worn/used for a specific time period. I box up any furniture and landscaping items I do not need for my current home

4. With the new "Add" feature I have deleted all items for multiple attachments...like the belt you have that can attach to spine then another of the same that will attach to stomach, pelvis etc.  I now just keep one. Also make sure you don't have duplicate items in outfit folders...use the new links instead to organize looks

5. If a dress or other item came in 4 colors I just keep my favorite...why would I want to wear same dress over and over just in different color...I have too many other choices! 

6. I organize categories with sub folders: Clothes= Dresses, Lingerie, Outerwear-like Jackets, Pants,Skirts, Shoes: Then within those have sub folders like Dresses = Mini, Maxie, Evening, Summer Only, Winter Only, for shoes I have Heels, Flats, Boots, Short Boots. I do same for any large category like Hair= updo, tails, long etc

7. Landmarks I put on notecards:  Hair Lms, Jewelry, Shoes etc  They are easy to keep updated

8.  Have a inventory cleaning day or days with a friend.  It is boring to do a major clean up so get a friend who needs to do the same come and chat with you while you both work

 

Hope that some of this might work for you --- happy inventory cleaning!

[Darrius Gothly]

I know this isn't a Viewer-related thread .. and I do apologize for the slightly tangential thought but ...

It sure would be nice if the TPV Makers would show the first few lines of a Notecard as a "Hover Tip" when you pause your mouse over it in the Inventory List. I find it annoyingly slow to open and review each Notecard then delete them one at a time. I'd rather hover, add to multi-select if trash ... then delete the whole group of trash Notecards in one shot. A "Preview" hover tip would sure make this a lot easier.

[Dillon Levenque]

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Rentasha Michigan wrote:

here is how I manage mine:

1.  I only keep things I will actually wear.  Many things I get from hunts are fine but not my style or color...so even if it is nice I delete anything that I don't love.  I also delete all calling cards...never have been sure of their purpose. 

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Rentasha, I hate to mention this because it's a bit late, but one very good feature of calling cards is the fact they record the date they were created. If, as in my case,  you accidentally delete a part of your IM archive it's a good way to pin down exactly when you met/became friends with someone. They're sort of anniversary dates for your really close friends.

[Magadski Adamski]

I try using Bright inven boxes but getting down fron 7000 items a drag. Viewer 2 changed things also. Can some one tell me what bhe inven items with an Adult and Child logo are for.  Are thery a form of duplicate?

[Kalynn Carnell]

I just had to do this myself last week.  It took me about 4 days total, at about 4-5 hours each, to sort out and categorize 4 years worth of stuff.  I'm a wearer, shopper, and a builder, so I had quite a bit of stuff.  As far as organizing, I have set up folders for Accessories, which contains all my jewelry, tattoos, glasses, hats, etc.  In the Body parts folder, I set up subfolders for Shapes, Skins, Neko bits, Eyes; pretty much anything that alters my avatar's body itself.  Clothing was the big hassle.  I decided to tackle it the same way I organized my RL closet; Coats, Dresses, Gowns, Skirts, Pants, Jeans, Shorts &Capris, Tops, Undies, Socks & Stockings, etc, etc.  There are certain designers that have their own folders, since I had so many outfits from them.  I left them as they were.  Furniture and Decor folder was separated into sub-folders according to rooms (living room, bedroom, etc). My textures were placed into texture organizers a few years ago, so I didn't really have to deal with them, thank goodness.  Objects took a while to sort, and I have yet to sort all my houses and buildings that I've created over the years.  Anyone know what category an Ice Palace might fit in?  :smileywink:

Like everyone has said, you will just have to think about how you remember things.  For instance, do you remember a particular outfit as being from a certain designer or store, or do you think of it as "that black skirt with the silver buckles" and "that blue off the shoulder top"?  Think about how you organize in RL, and make that your template in SL.  It will take time, and you will get bored and tired of organizing, so just do it a little at a time.  Don't be afraid to toss or give away things.  Just for fun, I made one folder in my clothing and called it "Omg.  I wore that?"  Good luck!

 

[Torley Linden]

I just did a blog post focusing on spring-cleaning your inventory, so you can focus on what matters.

[Charolotte Caxton]

Ha ha! Great suggestions, tips and tricks so far! I just discovered something amazing, in viewer 2.x.y when you open Inventory, at the bottom there is a little white gear symbol. Well, click on that and a little menu appears. At the top of that list is New Inventory Window. OMG. Also, if you don't know, clicking on something in your inventory then holding down shift and clicking on something else will highlight everything in between.  Combine those two and you have easy Inventory moving around stuff! Yay. Now I gotta go watch Mr. Torley's Blog  

[Rhonda Huntress]

 

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Charolotte Caxton wrote:

Also, if you don't know, clicking on something in your inventory then holding down shift and clicking on something else will highlight everything in between. 

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You can Crtl-click to pick out certian ones from a list.  That way you can pick out just the ones you click on and not everything inbewteen.  Works just like files in windows.  You can even combine the two if you shift-click to highlight a group and ctrl-click to add others OR ctrl-click from the group you have selected to un-select just that one.

 

[Charolotte Caxton]

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Rhonda Huntress wrote:

 

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Charolotte Caxton wrote:

Also, if you don't know, clicking on something in your inventory then holding down shift and clicking on something else will highlight everything in between. 

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You can Crtl-click to pick out certian ones from a list.  That way you can pick out just the ones you click on and not everything inbewteen.  Works just like files in windows.  You can even combine the two if you shift-click to highlight a group and ctrl-click to add others OR ctrl-click from the group you have selected to un-select just that one.

 

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/me faints in delight

[Sion Pearl]

Inspired by this thread, I have spent the last three sessions logged on sorting, deleting and boxing my inventory. I have gone from over 16,000 items to abouot 8,400 and I still have a long way to go. I don't have a target number, but I BET I can get it under 3K.

[Sion Pearl]

I couldn't get it under 3k. I did manage to go from 17K to under 5K though.

[Ramblingal]

Brilliant idea about inventory boxes and making a pic of an outfit. Genius