Fields and roles
A field is one detail a record keeps: a title, an author, a price, a date. Every record in a collection has the same fields.
When you create a collection, Catchall looks at your photos and suggests fields that fit them. The screen that shows them is headed What Catchall found. These are suggestions - nothing's saved yet. Rename, add or remove fields before you continue, and every record will use them.
(When you add to a collection that already exists, this screen is skipped: the new records use the fields the collection already has.)
Changing a field
- Rename it by tapping its name.
- Delete it, or add instructions, from the ⋯ menu on the field.
- Add a field with Add Field at the bottom of the list.
- Choose its kind - what sort of value it holds:
| Kind | Holds |
|---|---|
| Text | Words: a title, a name, a description |
| Number | A whole number: a count, a year |
| Decimal | A number with a fraction: a price, a weight |
| Date | A date, a month, a year, or a range - "March 3–5" |
| Checkbox | Yes or no |
Dates can be partial. A poster that says "Saturday 14 June" with no year is kept as exactly that, rather than having a year guessed for it.
Saved automatically
Some things are kept for every record without needing a field: the photo itself, and - when your photos carry them - where and when each photo was taken. The note headed Saved automatically tells you which of these this collection will keep.
Splitting each photo
Split each photo into several records decides whether each photo is expected to hold many things or one. Turn it on when a photo shows a grid, a list, or several separate things. See Checking the outlines.
Roles
Catchall invents field names from what it sees, so it also notes what each field means. That's the role - it decides how the field is shown. Tap the ⓘ beside Fields for a summary in the app.
Most fields don't need a role, and leaving one unset is never wrong - Catchall falls back to sensible guesses about which field to headline and which date to use. Only roles that suit a field's kind are offered: a Number can't be an Event Date.
What identifies a record
| Role | What it does |
|---|---|
| Title | The headline that identifies a record at a glance - on cards, in map pins, and in the first column of a table. |
| Subtitle | A supporting line under the headline, like an author, a venue, or a brand. |
| Summary | A paragraph describing the record. Shown under the headline, shortened until you tap More. |
A collection has at most one of each. Giving Title to a second field takes it from the first.
How records are organized
| Role | What it does |
|---|---|
| Category | A value from a small repeating set, like a genre or a type. Used for grouping and filtering, and offered back as suggestions when you fill the field in. |
| Event Date | The date the content itself is about - when the event happens, when something is due. This is the date the calendar view uses. |
| Place | A place the content names. Becomes a button that opens Maps. |
Things you can tap
| Role | What it does |
|---|---|
| URL | A web address printed on the thing itself, copied out as it appears. Becomes a tappable link. |
| Looked-Up Link | A page about the thing, looked up on the web - its IMDb, BoardGameGeek or Amazon page, say. See below. |
| An email address. Becomes a tappable link that starts a new message. | |
| Phone | A phone number. Becomes a tappable link that starts a call. |
Numbers
| Role | What it does |
|---|---|
| Quantity | A count of something. |
| Price | An amount of money. Shown with your currency symbol. |
| Identifier | A code identifying the thing itself - an ISBN, a catalogue number, a barcode. |
Looked-up links
Most fields are filled from what's in the photo. A Looked-Up Link is different: the page it points to isn't in the photo at all, so Catchall searches for it while your records are being made.
Give a field the Looked-Up Link role and a Site picker appears. Choose one of:
IMDb · Rotten Tomatoes · Metacritic · Letterboxd · BoardGameGeek · Goodreads · Steam · Discogs · Wikipedia
…or leave it on Whichever fits, and Catchall picks the right site for each item from the field's name. A mixed shelf of films and board games is a good reason to leave it there. A shop link, such as an Amazon page, needs it left on Whichever fits.
This is the only time Catchall contacts a website while making records. See Privacy.
Instructions for a field
If a field keeps coming back wrong in the same way, tell Catchall how to fill it in. Open the field's ⋯ menu, tap Add Instructions, and write what you want, in plain words - for example, "the price in pounds, not the crossed-out one", or "surname only".
Instructions apply to records made from then on. They never rewrite records you've already saved. Once written, an instruction stays visible on the field, so you can always see what's in force.
Changing fields later
You can change a collection's fields any time from the collection's More menu → Edit Collection…. See Collections and views.