| |
I just developed a web application for the iPhone called iPick-a-Brick:
http://www.brickbuildr.com/iPaB/
This is the current list of part on the PaB wall at the LIC in Orlando, FL... as
of yesterday (minus a few more parts I still need to enter into the
database... I really hate data entry).
Anyway, I’d like to enter PaB data from other LEGO stores. If anyone wants to
e-mail me some of that information, I would greatly appreciate it, but please
contact me first before sending data... I’d like for the part information to be
mapped back to a X/Y coordinate on the PaB wall -- this will make updating the
information much easier later...
In the mean time, over the next week or so, I’ll be working on a way for
‘trusted’ people to log into the web-site, and update a store’s inventory in
real time. If you live close to a LEGO store with a PaB and would like to help
keep this on-line inventory up-to-date, e-mail me. Will will be able to do it
on-line via a iPhone (or any mobile device with a web-browser).
Some Disclaimers: This web-site does not guarantee the accuracy of a store’s
inventory; some items may be sold out or the information on this web-site may be
inaccurate or out-of-date. Information for this web-site is only to be used for
reference. If you find this list to be out-of-date, please help us by e-mail us
with updates.
--Mike.
|
|
| |
In lugnet.announce, Michael Huffman wrote:
| |
I just developed a web application for the iPhone called iPick-a-Brick:
http://www.brickbuildr.com/iPaB/
This is the current list of part on the PaB wall at the LIC in Orlando, FL...
as of yesterday (minus a few more parts I still need to enter into the
database... I really hate data entry).
Anyway, I’d like to enter PaB data from other LEGO stores. If anyone wants
to e-mail me some of that information, I would greatly appreciate it, but
please contact me first before sending data... I’d like for the part
information to be mapped back to a X/Y coordinate on the PaB wall -- this
will make updating the information much easier later...
In the mean time, over the next week or so, I’ll be working on a way for
‘trusted’ people to log into the web-site, and update a store’s inventory in
real time. If you live close to a LEGO store with a PaB and would like to
help keep this on-line inventory up-to-date, e-mail me. Will will be able to
do it on-line via a iPhone (or any mobile device with a web-browser).
Some Disclaimers: This web-site does not guarantee the accuracy of a
store’s inventory; some items may be sold out or the information on this
web-site may be inaccurate or out-of-date. Information for this web-site is
only to be used for reference. If you find this list to be out-of-date,
please help us by e-mail us with updates.
--Mike.
|
Mike,
Great idea, now I have to buy a iPhone.
(planning to get the new version in June with 3G) :-)
-Abner
|
|
| |
In lugnet.announce, Michael Huffman wrote:
(snip)
| |
In the mean time, over the next week or so, I’ll be working on a way for
‘trusted’ people to log into the web-site, and update a store’s inventory in
real time. If you live close to a LEGO store with a PaB and would like to
help keep this on-line inventory up-to-date, e-mail me. Will will be able to
do it on-line via a iPhone (or any mobile device with a web-browser).
Some Disclaimers: This web-site does not guarantee the accuracy of a
store’s inventory; some items may be sold out or the information on this
web-site may be inaccurate or out-of-date. Information for this web-site is
only to be used for reference. If you find this list to be out-of-date,
please help us by e-mail us with updates.
--Mike.
|
This looks NICE on an iPhone! Good job!
Now I need to get the LEGO stores in my address book....
Joe
|
|
| |
In lugnet.announce, Michael Huffman wrote:
(Fixed the link)
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, David Gregory wrote:
| |
In lugnet.announce, Michael Huffman wrote:
(Fixed the link)
|
Thanks. Sorry about that. Was in a hurry. :)
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, Joe Meno wrote:
| |
In lugnet.announce, Michael Huffman wrote:
(snip)
| |
In the mean time, over the next week or so, I’ll be working on a way for
‘trusted’ people to log into the web-site, and update a store’s inventory in
real time. If you live close to a LEGO store with a PaB and would like to
help keep this on-line inventory up-to-date, e-mail me. Will will be able
to do it on-line via a iPhone (or any mobile device with a web-browser).
Some Disclaimers: This web-site does not guarantee the accuracy of a
store’s inventory; some items may be sold out or the information on this
web-site may be inaccurate or out-of-date. Information for this web-site is
only to be used for reference. If you find this list to be out-of-date,
please help us by e-mail us with updates.
|
This looks NICE on an iPhone! Good job!
Now I need to get the LEGO stores in my address book....
|
Thank you.
Yes, I need to get the LEGO stores’ addresses & phone numbers into the database
as well, then integrate it with the iPhone’s web standards... it’s on my ToDo
list. :)
--Mike.
|
|
| |
In lugnet.announce, Michael Huffman wrote:
Mike,
I have one word for this: AWESOME!
Works better than I had hoped.
Todd
|
|
| |
In lugnet.announce, Michael Huffman wrote:
| |
I just developed a web application for the iPhone called iPick-a-Brick:
http://www.brickbuildr.com/iPaB/
This is the current list of part on the PaB wall at the LIC in Orlando, FL...
as of yesterday (minus a few more parts I still need to enter into the
database... I really hate data entry).
Anyway, I’d like to enter PaB data from other LEGO stores. If anyone wants
to e-mail me some of that information, I would greatly appreciate it, but
please contact me first before sending data... I’d like for the part
information to be mapped back to a X/Y coordinate on the PaB wall -- this
will make updating the information much easier later...
In the mean time, over the next week or so, I’ll be working on a way for
‘trusted’ people to log into the web-site, and update a store’s inventory in
real time. If you live close to a LEGO store with a PaB and would like to
help keep this on-line inventory up-to-date, e-mail me. Will will be able to
do it on-line via a iPhone (or any mobile device with a web-browser).
Some Disclaimers: This web-site does not guarantee the accuracy of a
store’s inventory; some items may be sold out or the information on this
web-site may be inaccurate or out-of-date. Information for this web-site is
only to be used for reference. If you find this list to be out-of-date,
please help us by e-mail us with updates.
--Mike.
|
I would love to help you with the Oregon Store PaB list. I work at the store and
handle all the PaB ordering and stocking of the wall. So giving you updates will
be easy when parts are added. Our store gets lots of traffic so the wall
fluctuates a lot each week. For the most part 75% of the wall doesnt change to
much. I also have an iPhone and can test things out.
Just let me know.
Dave
GPLR.org
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, David VinZant wrote:
| |
In lugnet.announce, Michael Huffman wrote:
I would love to help you with the Oregon Store PaB list. I work at the store
and handle all the PaB ordering and stocking of the wall. So giving you
updates will be easy when parts are added. Our store gets lots of traffic so
the wall fluctuates a lot each week. For the most part 75% of the wall doesnt
change to much. I also have an iPhone and can test things out.
Just let me know.
|
Dave,
This sounds great! :) How big is your store’s PaB wall?
Once I get the ‘Sign In’ & ‘Edit what’s on the Wall’ interface done, you should
be able to do updates via your iPhone. Here’s what I’m thinking that will make
wall updates easier... start at the bottom left hand side of the wall, we’ll
call this our starting point of x=1,y=1. If you go up one container, it
becomes x=1,y=2; go up once more it’s x=1,y=3; and so forth until the top of
of wall.
If you move right one column along the bottom, it’s x=2,y=1. I hope you get
the idea... back to high school algebra. :)
If you can send me a list of parts/colors using this grid system, I’ll get them
entered into the database. Also, please let me know if a container is empty (it
happens here in Orlando) or if a part is duplicated within containers on the
wall.
NOTE: This becomes a little trickier if your store has the old PaB trees, but
the amount of containers on trees shouldn’t make the list of part too long or
hard to flick through to update the parts list, so I’m not too worried about it.
Until the interface is done, we’ll do a few updates via e-mail if that’s okay.
E-mail me if you have any questions. And I’m really looking forward to adding a
second to the web-site.
Also, for those who are thinking about it, I’ll be adding a RSS feed to iPaB, so
you’ll notified once new parts hit the walls. :) Now the question is, do you
want the feed for all stores or by individual stores?
Thanks again,
--Mike.
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, David VinZant wrote:
| |
In lugnet.announce, Michael Huffman wrote:
I would love to help you with the Oregon Store PaB list. I work at the store
and handle all the PaB ordering and stocking of the wall. So giving you
updates will be easy when parts are added. Our store gets lots of traffic so
the wall fluctuates a lot each week. For the most part 75% of the wall doesnt
change to much. I also have an iPhone and can test things out.
Just let me know.
|
Dave,
This sounds great! :) How big is your store’s PaB wall?
Once I get the ‘Sign In’ & ‘Edit what’s on the Wall’ interface done, you should
be able to do updates via your iPhone. Here’s what I’m thinking that will make
wall updates easier... start at the bottom left hand side of the wall, we’ll
call this our starting point of x=1,y=1. If you go up one container, it
becomes x=1,y=2; go up once more it’s x=1,y=3; and so forth until the top of
of wall.
If you move right one column along the bottom, it’s x=2,y=1. I hope you get
the idea... back to high school algebra. :)
If you can send me a list of parts/colors using this grid system, I’ll get them
entered into the database. Also, please let me know if a container is empty (it
happens here in Orlando) or if a part is duplicated within containers on the
wall.
NOTE: This becomes a little trickier if your store has the old PaB trees, but
the amount of containers on trees shouldn’t make the list of part too long or
hard to flick through to update the parts list, so I’m not too worried about it.
Until the interface is done, we’ll do a few updates via e-mail if that’s okay.
E-mail me if you have any questions. And I’m really looking forward to adding a
second to the web-site.
Also, for those who are thinking about it, I’ve added RSS feed to iPaB, so
you’ll notified once new parts hit the walls. :)
http://www.brickbuildr.com/iPaB/ipab-feed.php
Now the question is, do you want the feed for all stores or by individual
stores? Right now, it’s coded for all stores.
Thanks again,
--Mike.
|
|
| |
I had always wanted an easy way to have my parents pick up
stuff from the PaB wall, without knowing how to find out
what was there, or how to tell them what to get. If this
is updated anywhere regularly, it could help a bunch!
PaB seems much more ‘bricky’ then the last time I was there
(2 years ago?). Could be good, I like the look of all the
Dark Red! How often does the inventory change, I’ll probably
be there in a month if I can help it :)
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, Brett Kingery wrote:
| |
I had always wanted an easy way to have my parents pick up
stuff from the PaB wall, without knowing how to find out
what was there, or how to tell them what to get. If this
is updated anywhere regularly, it could help a bunch!
PaB seems much more ‘bricky’ then the last time I was there
(2 years ago?). Could be good, I like the look of all the
Dark Red! How often does the inventory change, I’ll probably
be there in a month if I can help it :)
|
To be honest, some days it changes daily... especially during ‘high-traffic’
seasons like spring break and holidays. And it depends on the type of part --
they once dumped some of the BaM (Build-a-Minifig) accessories on the PaB wall,
so those went fast. Other parts don’t sell so fast like the left wedge of
something that doesn’t have a mate. And the Orlando store goes through wheels &
axles like you wouldn’t believe... it’s just crazy.
From what I gather, there are normal PaB parts that the retail store can order
to refill spots on the wall. Then there’s also ‘special’ parts that the factory
dumps onto some of the retail stores that get sold through the PaB wall... some
of the dark red bricks are from the factory dumping parts -- so once they’re
sold out, they’re sold out.
--Mike.
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, Michael Huffman wrote:
| |
In lugnet.general, David VinZant wrote:
| |
In lugnet.announce, Michael Huffman wrote:
I would love to help you with the Oregon Store PaB list. I work at the store
and handle all the PaB ordering and stocking of the wall. So giving you
updates will be easy when parts are added. Our store gets lots of traffic so
the wall fluctuates a lot each week. For the most part 75% of the wall
doesnt change to much. I also have an iPhone and can test things out.
Just let me know.
|
Dave,
This sounds great! :) How big is your store’s PaB wall?
Once I get the ‘Sign In’ & ‘Edit what’s on the Wall’ interface done, you
should be able to do updates via your iPhone. Here’s what I’m thinking that
will make wall updates easier... start at the bottom left hand side of the
wall, we’ll call this our starting point of x=1,y=1. If you go up one
container, it becomes x=1,y=2; go up once more it’s x=1,y=3; and so forth
until the top of of wall.
If you move right one column along the bottom, it’s x=2,y=1. I hope you
get the idea... back to high school algebra. :)
If you can send me a list of parts/colors using this grid system, I’ll get
them entered into the database. Also, please let me know if a container is
empty (it happens here in Orlando) or if a part is duplicated within
containers on the wall.
NOTE: This becomes a little trickier if your store has the old PaB trees, but
the amount of containers on trees shouldn’t make the list of part too long or
hard to flick through to update the parts list, so I’m not too worried about
it.
Until the interface is done, we’ll do a few updates via e-mail if that’s
okay.
E-mail me if you have any questions. And I’m really looking forward to
adding a second to the web-site.
Also, for those who are thinking about it, I’ve added RSS feed to iPaB, so
you’ll notified once new parts hit the walls. :)
http://www.brickbuildr.com/iPaB/ipab-feed.php
Now the question is, do you want the feed for all stores or by individual
stores? Right now, it’s coded for all stores.
Thanks again,
--Mike.
|
Okay I got all the parts down and the locations on the wall. It might take me a
day to get it emailed to you. I will be adding some more parts to the wall soon.
So I will give you an update to that as well. I would like to see color images
for the parts. I see you have the color border around the parts. But it would be
easier to see the color if the part image was the matching color. Also can you
make a webclip icon for when you save the page to the home screen. Here is a
page showing you how to do that.
http://vjarmy.com/archives/2008/01/howto_iphone_webclip_icons.php
Dave
gplr.org
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, David VinZant wrote:
| |
In lugnet.general, Michael Huffman wrote:
| |
In lugnet.general, David VinZant wrote:
| |
In lugnet.announce, Michael Huffman wrote:
I would love to help you with the Oregon Store PaB list.
snip
|
Also, for those who are thinking about it, I’ve added RSS feed to iPaB, so
you’ll notified once new parts hit the walls. :)
http://www.brickbuildr.com/iPaB/ipab-feed.php
|
Okay I got all the parts down and the locations on the wall. It might take me
a day to get it emailed to you. I will be adding some more parts to the wall
soon. So I will give you an update to that as well. I would like to see color
images for the parts. I see you have the color border around the parts. But
it would be easier to see the color if the part image was the matching color.
Also can you make a webclip icon for when you save the page to the home
screen. Here is a page showing you how to do that.
http://vjarmy.com/archives/2008/01/howto_iphone_webclip_icons.php
|
So I’ve been busy this morning... I’ve changed it so the parts now show up in
color (I had to fix the color of the ‘light blue’ parts; I think they were
actually ‘medium blue’). I still have the color border around the parts... I
can remove that now if people don’t like it.
I’ve added the tag to create a webclip. It’s a 1x1 bricks with a gradient back
ground... I need to add one for the iPhone BrickBuildr web site:
http://iphone.brickbuildr.com/
that will be my next step.
If someone wants to do a better job of making a webclip for me, e-mail it to me
and I’ll give you credit.
--Mike.
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, Michael Huffman wrote:
| |
In lugnet.general, David VinZant wrote:
| |
In lugnet.general, Michael Huffman wrote:
| |
In lugnet.general, David VinZant wrote:
| |
In lugnet.announce, Michael Huffman wrote:
|
|
|
|
...
| |
So I’ve been busy this morning... I’ve changed it so the parts now show up in
color (I had to fix the color of the ‘light blue’ parts; I think they were
actually ‘medium blue’). I still have the color border around the parts... I
can remove that now if people don’t like it.
|
Wow, fantastic!
Please do leave the color boarder (the redundancy helps).
Very nice, thank you for sharing,
Benn
|
|
| |
In lugnet.announce, Michael Huffman wrote:
WIll this work on an iPod Touch using WiFi to surf the web?
Paul Sinasohn
LUGNET #115
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, Paul Sinasohn wrote:
| |
In lugnet.announce, Michael Huffman wrote:
WIll this work on an iPod Touch using WiFi to surf the web?
Paul Sinasohn
LUGNET #115
|
Yes, you should have the same experience as on the iPhone. It has also been
updated to show the Oregon LEGO store.
Dave
GPLR.org
|
|
| |
How easy can we make it for someone to update this data?
I work with quite a few stores, but honestly getting a full run down on parts is
hard, if it was easy enough/brought in some extra business for the stores, I
could see them maybe updating it??
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, Michael Shiels wrote:
| |
How easy can we make it for someone to update this data?
I work with quite a few stores, but honestly getting a full run down on parts
is hard, if it was easy enough/brought in some extra business for the stores,
I could see them maybe updating it??
|
When I first got the idea for this project, I was standing next to the PaB wall
at the Orlando LIC with my wife’s iPhone in my hand. At the time, I was in the
store gathering information about what’s on the wall for a commercial project
our group just received -- we need to know what parts were up on the wall, what
was our color palette we could work with, and what was our supply of basic brick
was at the time. And I thought to myself, “wouldn’t it be neat if I could just
use my iPhone, flip through a list of parts, and have this inventory right at my
finger tips. And just think, it wouldn’t be too hard to be able to update that
inventory (pretty quickly) from my iPhone.”
So with that in mind, this project emerged, with those two thoughts: a simple
inventory list, and an easy way to update the inventory from a mobile device
(with a web-browser). I didn’t want to have to write something down, go home
and enter that information into the computer, but to be able to do it there from
the store....
Another aspect that made this project cool, a few of our LUG members had phones
that you could surf the internet with... even though I live the closest to the
LIC, I don’t go in every day... or week. But I’ll hear about so-and-so was in
the store last weekend and I missed out on some really great parts. We all
would have a habit of hitting the store, finding something cool on the wall, and
then sometimes calling other members to let them know about it... or not. So in
the back of my mind, I thought if you made the interface for updating the
inventory simple enough, maybe members might do it & the rest of us would know
what was new up on the wall.
Now going forward, it shouldn’t be too hard to update inventory... I’ve been
working on some site enhancement since I first announced iPaB: adding a RSS
feed; the ability to sign-in/sign-off the web-site; coming up an admin strategy;
adapting BrickBuildr for the iphone; adding webclips; David was kind enough to
send me part data within a few days and in-turn I quickly got them into the
database; and have been working on the back end to allow trusted users to edit
PaB inventory.
Once you sign-in, you’ll be able to select your store, hit ‘order by wall
order’, you’ll be shown a list of parts based on the X,Y coordinates. You’ll
visually compare this list of parts against what’s up on the wall. Next to each
part (or think of it as a container) you’ll be giving the option to edit the
container.
Like David said, somewhere between 60-75% off the wall stays about the same...
if you have a 1x2 blue brick in a container & just got a shipment of 1x2 blue
bricks, the tendency is replenish parts to the same container,... sometimes
inventory gets ‘spread out’ to help fill in holes if PaB inventory in the back
runs low... so sometime you end up with 1x2 blue bricks in 2 or more
containers... but for the most part, the only time when you need to edit a
container is when the container has gone empty and is filled with new parts or
from stock in the backroom to make the wall not look so barren.
With that said, updating the inventory (once it’s been initially entered)
shouldn’t be too hard to keep updated on a regular basis.
Now that I’m about 90% done with the back end, what I’m planning to do with the
next store we bring on-line -- I’ll enter into the database a bunch of empty
containers set to the X,Y coordinates of the wall. Then turn the ‘admin’ loose
on updating the wall, and working with that individual on how to make that
process easier.
Right now, there 100-odd parts to choose from within the database. I didn’t
feel like there needed to be every part from the LEGOpedia in the database.
However, if there’s a part on the PaB wall that’s not iPaB’s current inventory,
I’ll have add it manually.
Every color is in the database, but the site only shows you the more common
colors -- even though light orange would be a cool color to have up on the wall,
I’m not holding my breath to see if parts in that color to show up on the wall.
So unless someone from California wants to add inventory from Legoland...
Anyway, it’s he same with part categories -- all of them have been entered into
the database, but the site is only showing you a smaller, more common subset.
For those interested, here’s my road map for the web-site for now:
- Finish up the back end for editing inventory.
- Improving navigation around the site... showing only 7-10 items at a time to cut down on scolling.
- Cleaning up buttons & graphics to be more compatible with other web browsers.
- Improve the look of the web-site for when iPhone users turn the web-site from portrait to landscape view.
- Take more suggestions & make improvements.
And like you, Michael, I’d be interested in seeing if this makes a difference in
PaB sales for stores, now that this information is out there... David, I didn’t
know your store still had red round castle windows... I’ll have to put an order
in. ;)
--Mike.
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, Michael Huffman wrote:
| |
In lugnet.general, Michael Shiels wrote:
| |
How easy can we make it for someone to update this data?
I work with quite a few stores, but honestly getting a full run down on
parts is hard, if it was easy enough/brought in some extra business for the
stores, I could see them maybe updating it??
|
snip
Once you sign-in, you’ll be able to select your store, hit ‘order by wall
order’, you’ll be shown a list of parts based on the X,Y coordinates. You’ll
visually compare this list of parts against what’s up on the wall. Next to
each part (or think of it as a container) you’ll be giving the option to
edit the container.
snip
Now that I’m about 90% done with the back end, what I’m planning to do with
the next store we bring on-line -- I’ll enter into the database a bunch of
empty containers set to the X,Y coordinates of the wall. Then turn the
‘admin’ loose on updating the wall, and working with that individual on how
to make that process easier.
|
Sorry to respond to my own post, but there’s a few more thoughts I had...
I want to keep iPaB’s information up-to-date and accurate; I really DON’T want
to cause issues for LEGO retail stores. I can see LEGO retail stores getting
phone calls from people looking for items that don’t exists or might not be
in-stock... if it’s a part in high demand, I will not be able to control
out-of-stock problems, but I might give everyone the option of setting a
container to “out-of-stock” if they call the store and it ends up being sold out
-- something to add to my To-Do list -- but I can also see malicious users
taking advantage of this feature.
Some stores, like Orlando’s LIC, have a lot of active AFOLs in the area, so
keeping inventory up-to-date isn’t an issue for us. Other store might be a
problem... If a LEGO retail person wants to get involved in updating their iPaB
inventory, I’m all for it... bottom line is, it can turn into phone sales & help
cut down on inventory misunderstandings.
But I’m wondering if we should treat remote stores somewhat like how Wikipedia
treats information... anyone can edit a remote store’s iPaB information, but it
must be reviewed & verified by someone before being published. Or certain
stores would have different levels of confidence (ie. iPaB inventory being
edited by LEGO store employee or a group of 2 or more AFOLs would be given a
higher level of confidence in iPaB’s inventory accuracy, then a store being
edited by the public).
Anyway... I’m still milling some of these ideas around. Opinions or other ideas
are welcomed.
--Mike.
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, Michael Huffman wrote:
| |
I want to keep iPaB’s information up-to-date and accurate; I really DON’T
want to cause issues for LEGO retail stores. I can see LEGO retail stores
getting phone calls from people looking for items that don’t exists or might
not be in-stock... if it’s a part in high demand, I will not be able to
control out-of-stock problems, but I might give everyone the option of
setting a container to “out-of-stock” if they call the store and it ends up
being sold out -- something to add to my To-Do list -- but I can also see
malicious users taking advantage of this feature.
Some stores, like Orlando’s LIC, have a lot of active AFOLs in the area, so
keeping inventory up-to-date isn’t an issue for us. Other store might be a
problem... If a LEGO retail person wants to get involved in updating their
iPaB inventory, I’m all for it... bottom line is, it can turn into phone
sales & help cut down on inventory misunderstandings.
But I’m wondering if we should treat remote stores somewhat like how
Wikipedia treats information... anyone can edit a remote store’s iPaB
information, but it must be reviewed & verified by someone before being
published. Or certain stores would have different levels of confidence (ie.
iPaB inventory being edited by LEGO store employee or a group of 2 or more
AFOLs would be given a higher level of confidence in iPaB’s inventory
accuracy, then a store being edited by the public).
Anyway... I’m still milling some of these ideas around. Opinions or other
ideas are welcomed.
--Mike.
|
I was at the Mall of America store a few Saturdays ago. In my less than
half-hour there, I saw them have to bring out three new boxes of PaB parts to
fill empty ‘holes’ in the wall.
Keeping this data timely is going to be very difficult.
(dream mode ‘on’)
If there was only a way for the stores themselves to keep their PaB online
inventory up to date. Perhaps when they bring out a new box, they could scan
the code using their cash register scanner, and that would update their
inventory webpage. That way people like us could see just what they have
available. Heck, we could even set up ‘alerts’ so that if a particular element
became available, we’d be notified. (dream mode ‘off’)
JohnG, GMLTC
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, John Gerlach wrote:
| |
In lugnet.general, Michael Huffman wrote:
| |
I want to keep iPaB’s information up-to-date and accurate; I really DON’T
want to cause issues for LEGO retail stores.
snip
|
I was at the Mall of America store a few Saturdays ago. In my less than
half-hour there, I saw them have to bring out three new boxes of PaB parts
to fill empty ‘holes’ in the wall.
Keeping this data timely is going to be very difficult.
|
Agreed, for LEGO Imagination Stores, yes this will be difficult; they’re very
high traffic. But for some of the smaller stores, no.
But it comes down to some information vs. no information at all. In my case,
I’d rather have some information that’s about 50-70% accurate vs. no information
at all. And to empower fans (and others) to update that information when they
find it inaccurate...
And I’ve visited similar sites in the past before making trips out to
Legoland... I understood that the information was out-dated & inaccurate, but it
helped in planning my purchases when I arrived. I think the benefits will
outweigh in the end.
And I remember have ‘fun’ asking people to pick up parts for me when they went
to the LIC Mall of America. About half way through my friend’s vacation, I’d
get a call saying, “I’m here at the store, now what do you want?” I’d be nice
to print off a list ahead of time, mark the parts I’d like for them to pick up
for me (if they have them in stock), and asking them to pick up a few cups for
me -- it’d make shopping via friends much easier. :)
| |
(dream mode ‘on’)
If there was only a way for the stores themselves to keep their PaB online
inventory up to date. Perhaps when they bring out a new box, they could
scan the code using their cash register scanner, and that would update their
inventory webpage. That way people like us could see just what they have
available. Heck, we could even set up ‘alerts’ so that if a particular
element became available, we’d be notified. (dream mode ‘off’)
|
You’re talking about an inventory control system with a way to push out
information from the front end... no, in theory, this wouldn’t be hard to
implement, but not knowing the details of LEGO retail’s computer systems, it
might be a nearly impossible task -- larger companies’ computer systems aren’t
agile enough, and have a lot of legacy systems to deal with. Older systems
weren’t designed with the web in mind... but it would be a fun project.
I’d more opt to do a handheld scanner like the ones you’d see at Target over
using the cash register’s scanner, but the idea is the same.
The alerts are a little tricker, but that’s what RSS is for. :)
(dream mode ‘on’)
And heck, I’d go one step further, why not allow someone to order part directly
from LEGO based on current production runs & have them shipped to you local LEGO
store -- buy them up front and by the box. With the understanding that there
might be a lag time before they show up at the store; but we do this with
pre-orders now...
Or better yet, let local shopper vote on-line what they’d like to see show up on
the PaB walls -- the idea of building local “LEGO communities” around LEGO
stores.
But you have to weigh development costs for a system like this vs. potential
profit made via this new type of business model. And that’s where we’re back to
(dream mode ‘off’).
--Mike.
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, Michael Huffman wrote:
| |
(dream mode ‘on’)
And heck, I’d go one step further, why not allow someone to order part
directly from LEGO based on current production runs & have them shipped to
you local LEGO store -- buy them up front and by the box. With the
understanding that there might be a lag time before they show up at the
store; but we do this with pre-orders now...
|
There are certain elements that I’d pay a nice premium to be able to get in
specific colors.
Do you hear that, LEGO? You have customers that want to spend lots of money
on your product, if you can figure out a way to make it happen. We want you
to make a nice profit from us. You’ve come so far, just keep moving forward and
you’ll make us AFOLs very happy.
JohnG, GMLTC
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, John Gerlach wrote:
| |
In lugnet.general, Michael Huffman wrote:
| |
(dream mode ‘on’)
And heck, I’d go one step further, why not allow someone to order part
directly from LEGO based on current production runs & have them shipped to
you local LEGO store -- buy them up front and by the box. With the
understanding that there might be a lag time before they show up at the
store; but we do this with pre-orders now...
|
There are certain elements that I’d pay a nice premium to be able to get in
specific colors.
Do you hear that, LEGO? You have customers that want to spend lots of
money on your product, if you can figure out a way to make it happen. We
want you to make a nice profit from us. You’ve come so far, just keep
moving forward and you’ll make us AFOLs very happy.
JohnG, GMLTC
|
When our local Store manager went back to Enfield for a management meeting, a
similar request was one of the suggestions that he took to TLG from BAYLUG.
Basically, I asked them to roll an extra tub of pellets through and put the
stock in the online PaB, especially for new parts.
Paul Sinasohn
LUGNET #115
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In lugnet.general, Michael Shiels wrote:
| |
How easy can we make it for someone to update this data?
I work with quite a few stores, but honestly getting a full run down on parts
is hard, if it was easy enough/brought in some extra business for the stores,
I could see them maybe updating it??
|
Here’s how easy we can make it... Once you sign in, your search result screen
looks like this:
Each part can be ‘Edit’ed, ‘Update’d, or ‘Empty’ed. If you edit a part, you are
presented with this screen:
On the edit screen, you can move the part to a different container by changing
the X or Y coordinate. You can update the color, part type and part within the
container -- the images actually updates if you change the color or select a
different part. I’ve tested it on my iPhone and it works, I haven’t tested it
on a BlackBerry.
Back on the previous screen, if you hit ‘Update’ you update the timestamp on the
part that indicates ‘freshness’ of the part. Blue and green are good, red is
bad. You’ll see parts go bad after a month... doesn’t mean that there’s
anything wrong, but the part may or may not still be on the wall after a month.
Clicking on ‘Empty’ just deletes the part from inventory and empties out the
container.
--Mike.
|
|
| |
In lugnet.announce, Michael Huffman wrote:
(snip)
| |
Anyway, I’d like to enter PaB data from other LEGO stores. If anyone wants
to e-mail me some of that information, I would greatly appreciate it, but
please contact me first before sending data... I’d like for the part
information to be mapped back to a X/Y coordinate on the PaB wall -- this
will make updating the information much easier later...
|
I would like to provide brickfo for the PaB wall at Bel Square, WA as soon as I
get to go there again.
Suggestion:
Instead of X/Y, use R/C, R for Row, C for Column. Even for those of us
familiar
with X/Y, it’s a bit confusing which is which, since X and Y
don’t literally
stand for anything that pertains to a PaB wall.
If you do implement R/C, keep
X/Y until everyone becomes familiar with R/C
and X/Y is no longer used.
Another suggestion:
Have an option to display the entries in an images-only
grid, corresponding to
the wall, with each space filled with its respective
brick/piece in the wall.
Similar to the
Thumbnail Gallery display option in Bricklink’s catalog.
And another suggestion:
Those PaB trees... Have a grid for each tree. Number the trees depending on
their position in the store, left-to-right (as seen from the entrance) or
front-to-back.
The sides of each tree would be numbered clockwise, assign 12
o’clock to the
side farthest from the store entrance, unless there’s a better
way, say, the
trees might be numbered themselves, and each tree might have its
own “north”
side, or each tree has its own color.
Or even have store personnel
visibly assign each tree a number and a north side.
Geographical north may also
be used.
sjf
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In lugnet.announce, Michael Huffman wrote:
> I just developed a web application for the iPhone called iPick-a-Brick:
Michael-
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You are THE MAN.
This is a fantastic idea. Nice work.
Brian
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, Brian Korte wrote:
> In lugnet.announce, Michael Huffman wrote:
> > I just developed a web application for the iPhone called iPick-a-Brick:
>
>
>
>
> Michael-
>
> I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You are THE MAN.
> This is a fantastic idea. Nice work.
>
>
> Brian
You're very welcome! Still need people to help keep the inventory up-to-date...
Any more takers?
--Mike.
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, Michael Huffman wrote:
> You're very welcome! Still need people to help keep the inventory
> up-to-date... Any more takers?
How does it work currently? Depending on how much effort it is, I'd be all for
updating the Burlington store's inventory when I happen to be there (and
remember), but I'm not sure if I'd continually keep it updated. Would it be
feasible to give unique userids to Lego stores, or Lego store managers so they
could help keep things up to date?
Is it currently something like a pick-list of "yes they have these, no they
don't have these", or is it more of a "list the part numbers and colors
available"? Just thinking aloud, since keeping information updated ultimately
means making it REALLY simple (and therefore often more complicated on the
programming side) to update inventories. Especially since the web interfaces on
phones are more limited than those on desktops or laptops, and the best way to
do these is to update the inventories when you're sitting in front of the PAB
wall.
DaveE
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In lugnet.general, David Eaton wrote:
| |
In lugnet.general, Michael Huffman wrote:
| |
You’re very welcome! Still need people to help keep the inventory
up-to-date... Any more takers?
|
How does it work currently? Depending on how much effort it is, I’d be
all for updating the Burlington store’s inventory when I happen to be
there (an remember), but I’m not sure if I’d continually keep it updated.
Would it be feasible to give unique userids to Lego stores, or Lego store
managers so they could help keep things up to date?
|
Basically, you sign-in:
Then you select your store, making sure include empty containers & duplicate
parts, and order by “columns down”:
You are then presented with the store inventory:
You can “update” the part (meaning it’s still on the wall as of when you updated
it), “empty” the container (meaning there’s nothing there on the wall now), or
“edit” the part, which will take you to this next screen:
From here, you can move the part around on the wall (not advisable, but possible
to change a part’s X,Y coordinates), change the color, type & part. Changing
the color will change the color of the image, changing the type will change
what’s displayed in the “part” drop down” (did this so you wouldn’t have to view
a lot of unneeded parts) and by selecting a part, it will change the image as
well to the part you selected. Then hit “update” when you’re done.
| |
Is it currently something like a pick-list of “yes they have these, no they
don’t have these”, or is it more of a “list the part numbers and colors
available”? Just thinking aloud, since keeping information updated ultimately
means making it REALLY simple (and therefore often more complicated on the
programming side) to update inventories. Especially since the web interfaces
on phones are more limited than those on desktops or laptops, and the best
way to do these is to update the inventories when you’re sitting in front of
the PAB wall.
|
Talking with Joe Meno, his idea was to take a “grided” baseplate into the store
& stick parts down on the baseplate corresponding to their position on the wall,
then snap photos. Once home, he downloads the photos to his computer, then
updates the inventory that way... The Orlando store (the one I live near) has a
40x6 wall, the grided baseplate idea might be better than trying to stand there
and update the inventory via the iPhone & tripping over kids. :)
--Mike.
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, David Eaton wrote:
> In lugnet.general, Michael Huffman wrote:
> > You're very welcome! Still need people to help keep the inventory
> > up-to-date... Any more takers?
>
> Would it be feasible to give unique userids to Lego stores, or Lego store
> managers so they could help keep things up to date?
In answer to this, yes it's possible to give each store manager a different
login that allows them to edit only their store. I invite store managers to
help out -- just send me a quick e-mail letting me know you're interested.
I've designed it so that a person can edit the inventory of one store, multiple
stores or all stores. So people living in an area where there are multiple LEGO
stores can have the ability to edit inventory for each of those stores.
--Mike.
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, Michael Huffman wrote:
| |
You can “update” the part (meaning it’s still on the wall as of when you
updated it), “empty” the container (meaning there’s nothing there on the wall
now),
|
Hm. So is that ajax-based, or is that something that submits the whole form?
Basically, I’m hoping that it’s a really simple click to set a particular
element, so that I can merrily tromp my way down the page with a single, fast
clicks, saying “yes this is still here” or “no it’s not still here”. (Hopefully
not reloading the whole page each time with a page submission) If ajax isn’t an
option, could it be done with checkboxes?
| |
or “edit” the part, which will take you to this next screen:
|
Is the X/Y coordinate necessary? For the most part, I think as a user I probably
wouldn’t care too much about where it was on the wall, and as an inputter, it’s
an extra step that I might screw up. Oh! And how would this work for, say, the
Legoland parks, where there are actually several different walls, each with a
separate X/Y? Is there a way of marking “Wall #2” perhaps?
| |
changing the type will change what’s displayed in the “part” drop down” (did
this so you wouldn’t have to view a lot of unneeded parts) and by selecting
a part, it will change the image as well to the part you selected.
|
Hmm... How many parts are in PAB walls all-told? I’m wondering if it might make
sense to have a “quick-list”. Essentially, I’m thinking it could be a dropdown
that covered *both* part type AND color. The contents could be determined by
seeing what parts were available in ALL PAB’s across the world, removing
anything that’s already selected as being on the wall. I’m just wondering if
this might make things easier, since at any given time, there probably aren’t
all that many different parts scattered across the PAB universe (I dunno
though-- I guess the Legoland parks might have a large selection making this
idea rather useless).
Another thought might be: are part lists and colors restricted to remove
anything that’s not currently in production, and/or to BrickLink or LDraw part
numbers? Is it possible to enter a part # (or description) for something that’s
not in the dropdown list? Could it be cross-reffed with any data that would
strip out anything we’ll never see? Like, say, finger hinges, minifig torsos,
monorail track, etc)
| |
Talking with Joe Meno, his idea was to take a “grided” baseplate into the
store & stick parts down on the baseplate corresponding to their position on
the wall, then snap photos. Once home, he downloads the photos to his
computer, then updates the inventory that way...
|
Heh, that was my thought too :)
Dan Boger set up something to update the PAB inventories on Peeron (dunno if
it’s still there?), and I recall trying to do it that way, but it ended up with
me just saying “meh”. Basically, it seemed like more work than necessary to
completely photograph and/or transcribe while at the store, and more work at
home since Dan’s interface just took part #’s (IIRC), which I had to look up
myself.
Anyway, it occurred to me that I’d probably be more likely to do the updates if
I had a really easy-to-use interface on my phone, because then I could do it
while I was in the store. Heck, even if I only updated 2 or 3 parts while I was
there, it was better than nothing (especially since I was more likely to update
interesting parts rather than 2x4 blue bricks or something)
| |
The Orlando store (the one I live near) has a 40x6 wall, the grided
baseplate idea might be better than trying to stand there and update the
inventory via the iPhone & tripping over kids. :)
|
Definitely a factor for the busy stores! Oftentimes, it seems like when I’m just
filling up a cup I’m still tripping over kids, let alone if I was trying to
enter data!
DaveE
|
|
| |
In lugnet.general, David Eaton wrote:
| |
In lugnet.general, Michael Huffman wrote:
| |
You can “update” the part (meaning it’s still on the wall as of when you
updated it), “empty” the container (meaning there’s nothing there on the
wall now),
|
Hm. So is that ajax-based, or is that something that submits the whole form?
Basically, I’m hoping that it’s a really simple click to set a particular
element, so that I can merrily tromp my way down the page with a single, fast
clicks, saying “yes this is still here” or “no it’s not still here”.
(Hopefully not reloading the whole page each time with a page submission) If
ajax isn’t an option, could it be done with checkboxes?
|
Yes, the “update” and “empty” buttons are Ajax based.
| |
| |
or “edit” the part, which will take you to this next screen:
|
Is the X/Y coordinate necessary? For the most part, I think as a user I
probably wouldn’t care too much about where it was on the wall, and as an
inputter, it’s an extra step that I might screw up. Oh! And how would this
work for, say, the Legoland parks, where there are actually several different
walls, each with a separate X/Y? Is there a way of marking “Wall #2” perhaps?
|
Actually, since I’m a super-user on the web-site, I think I turn off the X/Y
coordinates for everyone, but myself (that’s why it’s in the picture)... I need
to double check this & turn it off if it isn’t.
The X/Y coordinates is needed however, and do come into play with the iPaB wall
view:
http://www.brickbuildr.com/?u=view&m=pab
But you’re right, for someone who’s just updating the inventory, you shouldn’t
need to move containers of parts around on the wall.
I don’t have a simple solution for a Legoland PaB... if someone volunteers to
help keep the inventory of one up-to-date, then I might have to do a little
redesign of the back-end. :)
| |
| |
changing the type will change what’s displayed in the “part” drop down” (did
this so you wouldn’t have to view a lot of unneeded parts) and by selecting
a part, it will change the image as well to the part you selected.
|
Hmm... How many parts are in PAB walls all-told? I’m wondering if it might
make sense to have a “quick-list”. Essentially, I’m thinking it could be a
dropdown that covered *both* part type AND color. The contents could be
determined by seeing what parts were available in ALL PAB’s across the world,
removing anything that’s already selected as being on the wall. I’m just
wondering if this might make things easier, since at any given time, there
probably aren’t all that many different parts scattered across the PAB
universe (I dunno though-- I guess the Legoland parks might have a large
selection making this idea rather useless).
|
Currently, there are 181 unique parts that can show up on a PaB wall. That’s
still a lot to scroll through; and that’s unique parts found just at the Orlando
& Tigard stores. When I went out to Legoland, CA this past June, what I found
there was pretty much the same what I found at the Orlando store; still 181
parts is a long list.
A little bit of background, all colors are in the database, but I only display
the most common ones in the drop down list. All part types are in the database,
but I only show the ones that would commonly show up on the PaB wall -- so I’m
hiding part types like Duplo, Electrical, Train, etc.
And by selecting a part type, only parts relating to that part type are
displayed in the next drop-down list -- there’s a little Ajax on the back-end of
that edit screen as well. So I do keep the amount of search you have to do,
down to a minimum.
I’ve used it in a busy store... it works great for updating a few parts at a
time. It’s not the ideal tool for entering the inventory of a store for the
first time; but it’s ideal for doing small, casual updates!
| |
Another thought might be: are part lists and colors restricted to remove
anything that’s not currently in production, and/or to BrickLink or LDraw
part numbers? Is it possible to enter a part # (or description) for something
that’s not in the dropdown list? Could it be cross-reffed with any data that
would strip out anything we’ll never see? Like, say, finger hinges, minifig
torsos, monorail track, etc)
|
Drop-down lists were easier to use, I (for one) don’t have every part #
memorized & thought it would be a PITA to try to read them at the store. The
color restriction is a little hard to do as well -- was at the Olando store last
night and saw lots of parts in Medium Blue (bricks 1x1, 1x2, 1x4, 2x2 2x4),
which is uncommon, but would have been missed, and it means a more complicated
tracking system.
Oh, and finger hings have been on the PaB wall in black. :)
For those that do memorize part #’s, I can add that to the edit screen, so all
you’d have to do is pick a color and enter the part #. *scribbling on my To-Do
list*
| |
| |
Talking with Joe Meno, his idea was to take a “grided” baseplate into the
store & stick parts down on the baseplate corresponding to their position on
the wall, then snap photos. Once home, he downloads the photos to his
computer, then updates the inventory that way...
|
Heh, that was my thought too :)
Dan Boger set up something to update the PAB inventories on Peeron (dunno if
it’s still there?), and I recall trying to do it that way, but it ended up
with me just saying “meh”. Basically, it seemed like more work than necessary
to completely photograph and/or transcribe while at the store, and more work
at home since Dan’s interface just took part #’s (IIRC), which I had to look
up myself.
Anyway, it occurred to me that I’d probably be more likely to do the updates
if I had a really easy-to-use interface on my phone, because then I could
do it while I was in the store. Heck, even if I only updated 2 or 3 parts
while I was there, it was better than nothing (especially since I was more
likely to update interesting parts rather than 2x4 blue bricks or something)
|
True... That’s how the project got started. I’m in the store often enough, that
I can update it a little at a time, when I had the time.
| |
| |
The Orlando store (the one I live near) has a 40x6 wall, the grided
baseplate idea might be better than trying to stand there and update the
inventory via the iPhone & tripping over kids. :)
|
Definitely a factor for the busy stores! Oftentimes, it seems like when I’m
just filling up a cup I’m still tripping over kids, let alone if I was trying
to enter data!
|
Anyway, the bottom line, I’ve tried to make this as simple as possible to
update/maintain. I’m open to user-interface changes that would make it easier.
I’ve tried to keep the page refreshes down to a minimum and the amount of data
you have to sift through. One improvement I could see doing is turn the edit
interface to be 100% Ajax (with support for browsers that don’t support Ajax).
I could see about limiting the data you see based upon known part/color
relationships, but allow for “exceptions” when they do show up.
I do need to find a easier way to handle multiple types of parts in the same
container, multiple colors of the same part in the same container, and “extra”
areas where PaB inventory can be found in the store -- someone reported red &
black 1x1 bricks in the same container; recently in the Orlando store, there
were 5-10 types of parts found in the same container (they were dumping
Build-a-Minifig accessories on the PaB wall); and some stores have extra PaB
stock that is thrown into a area that people can pick through to fill their PaB
cups... And the whole Legoland PaB problem that you pointed out above.
--Mike.
|
|
| |
Michael Huffman wrote:
> I do need to find a easier way to handle multiple types of parts in
> the same container, multiple colors of the same part in the same
> container, and "extra" areas where PaB inventory can be found in the
> store -- someone reported red & black 1x1 bricks in the same
> container; recently in the Orlando store, there were 5-10 types of
> parts found in the same container (they were dumping Build-a-Minifig
> accessories on the PaB wall); and some stores have extra PaB stock
> that is thrown into a area that people can pick through to fill their
> PaB cups... And the whole Legoland PaB problem that you pointed out
> above.
Some thoughts on handing this issue:
Since build a minifig is probably a common way to mix stuff, just create a
new "part" "minifig parts". Other mixes may be more of a pain.
The "too small to be worth a bin" quantities might just be best ignored,
they probably won't last all that long. Though an easy interface might be to
just have a list of "limited quantity parts" with a simple way to say "dump
this bin into limited quantity."
You could use column 0 for "bins not on the wall"
As a user, I am most interested in the set of parts available at a
particular store, so I don't care so much how any of these issues are
resolved.
Frank
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