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| | | Author: | crazybirdman  | | Posted: | Aug 19, 2012 00:24 | | Subject: | Automatically add weight etc, for pbxx | | Viewed: | 125 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | | Status: | Open | | Vote: | [Yes|No] | |
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| Just curious if it's possible and/or practical to make it so the the weight/dimensions
etc
when parts with only a color variation are entered into the catalog?
For example, when this is added,
can is just take the attributes from this?
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| | | | | Author: | D.Rae.McCormick | | Posted: | Aug 19, 2012 06:26 | | Subject: | Re: Automatically add weight etc, for pbxx | | Viewed: | 46 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, crazybirdman writes:
| | Just curious if it's possible and/or practical to make it so the the weight/dimensions
etc
when parts with only a color variation are entered into the catalog?
For example, when this is added,
can is just take the attributes from this?
|
I'm sorry, but those two parts do not look identical to me.
Not just color, but the thickness and curvature of the tail,
as well as the shape of the "torso" look different. So I assume
the weight will be different as well. Which all makes my
originally-intended reply mute.
My original reply was going to be that, at least for plain bricks,
color can make a significant difference in weight. At least, that's
what I've seen posted before in the forum. I didn't go check the
catalog myself before posting 
The difference in weight on one, individual piece may not seem that
much, but when ordering in bulk, it can add up. This is already very
important for the German sellers who are being required by law to
calculate shipping at checkout. Who knows, eventually everyone might
have to.
~Rae
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| | | | | | | Author: | crazybirdman | | Posted: | Aug 19, 2012 12:34 | | Subject: | Re: Automatically add weight etc, for pbxx | | Viewed: | 37 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| | Those pieces are the same, just taken from a different angle. |
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| | | | | | | | | Author: | D.Rae.McCormick | | Posted: | Aug 19, 2012 12:43 | | Subject: | Re: Automatically add weight etc, for pbxx | | Viewed: | 41 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, crazybirdman writes:
| | Those pieces are the same, just taken from a different angle.
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OK. I looked at them again more closely, and I believe you.
But it sure says something about the difference camera angle
can make 
~Rae
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| | | | | | | Author: | FigBits | | Posted: | Aug 19, 2012 13:34 | | Subject: | Re: Automatically add weight etc, for pbxx | | Viewed: | 44 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, RaeMcCormick writes:
| | In Suggestions, crazybirdman writes:
| | Just curious if it's possible and/or practical to make it so the the weight/dimensions
etc
when parts with only a color variation are entered into the catalog?
|
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| | ...for plain bricks,
color can make a significant difference in weight. At least, that's
what I've seen posted before in the forum. I didn't go check the
catalog myself before posting
The difference in weight on one, individual piece may not seem that
much, but when ordering in bulk, it can add up. This is already very
important for the German sellers who are being required by law to
calculate shipping at checkout. Who knows, eventually everyone might
have to.
~Rae
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BL, though, doesn't have separate weights for each color. So, the problem that
you describe already exists -- this would not make it any worse.
Certainly, it would make sense for standard minifig parts to have standard weights
attached, even though they come out with new prints all the time.
--
Marc.
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| | | | | | | | | Author: | D.Rae.McCormick | | Posted: | Aug 19, 2012 13:59 | | Subject: | Re: Automatically add weight etc, for pbxx | | Viewed: | 31 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, FigBits writes:
| | In Suggestions, RaeMcCormick writes:
| | In Suggestions, crazybirdman writes:
| | Just curious if it's possible and/or practical to make it so the the weight/dimensions
etc
when parts with only a color variation are entered into the catalog?
|
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| | ...for plain bricks,
color can make a significant difference in weight. At least, that's
what I've seen posted before in the forum. I didn't go check the
catalog myself before posting
The difference in weight on one, individual piece may not seem that
much, but when ordering in bulk, it can add up. This is already very
important for the German sellers who are being required by law to
calculate shipping at checkout. Who knows, eventually everyone might
have to.
~Rae
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BL, though, doesn't have separate weights for each color. So, the problem that
you describe already exists -- this would not make it any worse.
Certainly, it would make sense for standard minifig parts to have standard weights
attached, even though they come out with new prints all the time.
--
Marc.
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OK, that'll teach me to post without checking the catalog first
(which I confessed I hadn't done). I'm wrong on all counts and will
tuck my tail between my legs and slink away.
However, if some sort of "automation" is being proposed, how would it work?
Wouldn't you have to provide the example whose weight/dimensions the new
one matches anyway? How would it know otherwise? And, if so, how hard is
it to simply go ahead and fill them in?
With the example first given, how would we know if it's going to be a
once-only part, or if LEGO is going to come out with a number of variations
differing only in the print? I don't know, it just seems like the "solution"
is, ultimately, going to be more difficult to implement than it's worth.
~Rae
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| | | | | | | | | | | Author: | FigBits | | Posted: | Aug 19, 2012 14:29 | | Subject: | Re: Automatically add weight etc, for pbxx | | Viewed: | 25 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, RaeMcCormick writes:
| | With the example first given, how would we know if it's going to be a
once-only part, or if LEGO is going to come out with a number of variations
differing only in the print? I don't know, it just seems like the "solution"
is, ultimately, going to be more difficult to implement than it's worth.
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I see it as something that should be inherent in the way the new catalogue system
should work. But, I have never really gotten around to describing how I imagine
this working in detail.
This probably isn't the thread to give that detailed description, though. Very
quickly: we need something like Super-Parts. These would be basically what we
currently sometimes call "undetermined" types. The Super-Part would include all
the sub-parts. Not as inventories, but as potential variations within the Super-Part.
This would easily allow for the current suggestion -- the Super-Part could define
any number of characteristics of variant Parts, including weight.
--
Marc.
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| | | | | | | | | | | Author: | crazybirdman | | Posted: | Aug 19, 2012 16:26 | | Subject: | Re: Automatically add weight etc, for pbxx | | Viewed: | 33 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| The pieces with different paint applications have the same base part number.
So once one of them has the weight added, all the others variations, (or all
the future ones entered) would just populate that field automatically.
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| | | | | Author: | goshe7 | | Posted: | Aug 19, 2012 13:51 | | Subject: | Re: Automatically add weight etc, for pbxx | | Viewed: | 25 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, crazybirdman writes:
| | Just curious if it's possible and/or practical to make it so the the weight/dimensions
etc
when parts with only a color variation are entered into the catalog?
For example, when this is added,
can is just take the attributes from this?
|
This is an incredibly good suggestion.
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| | | | | | | Author: | viejos | | Posted: | Aug 19, 2012 22:12 | | Subject: | Re: Automatically add weight etc, for pbxx | | Viewed: | 29 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, goshe7 writes:
| | In Suggestions, crazybirdman writes:
| | Just curious if it's possible and/or practical to make it so the the weight/dimensions
etc
when parts with only a color variation are entered into the catalog?
For example, when this is added,
can is just take the attributes from this?
|
This is an incredibly good suggestion.
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I don't think so. The advantage to having individually submitted weights is that
if somebody submits a weight that is wrong, it can be checked by weights of similar
items. Sure, it's more work, but it means more accurate data in the long run.
There are submitters who have "copied" weights from entry to entry in the past
(minifig heads come to mind). Not only did it make the catalog less interesting
and less "confirmed", it also angered a lot of people who felt the credit for
adding weight should be given to the person who had the item in hand and took
the trouble to weigh it.
The weight field isn't just about weight, either. It demonstrates the validity
of an entry, and can be used to cross check for errors or duplication in other
catalog fields.
Same comments concerning dimensions and other fields. More incoming data is better.
Russell
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| | | | | | | | | Author: | crazybirdman | | Posted: | Aug 20, 2012 10:36 | | Subject: | Re: Automatically add weight etc, for pbxx | | Viewed: | 35 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| That data can always be updated if it is incorrect. That's how it works now,
if you see something that is incorrect, just change it.
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| | | | | | | | | | | Author: | viejos | | Posted: | Aug 20, 2012 13:46 | | Subject: | Re: Automatically add weight etc, for pbxx | | Viewed: | 35 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| In Suggestions, crazybirdman writes:
| | That data can always be updated if it is incorrect. That's how it works now,
if you see something that is incorrect, just change it.
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Once wrong data is entered into a field, it is much harder to spot, and the effect
of this is of course multiplied when data is copied. The Cat Admins screen weights
and other data for obvious errors, but once it's in the catalog, people can be
using it for years before it's discovered to be wrong. Often the only reason
I check a submitted weight is because it is significantly different than one
I have submitted for a similar item.
If weights were submitted automatically to all similar items (like mini catalogs,
for example), I and other submitters would not have the impetus to recheck entries
for accuracy. We would all likely still be thinking that mini catalogs weighed
2 grams, when they usually weigh about 5.
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | Author: | crazybirdman | | Posted: | Aug 21, 2012 19:28 | | Subject: | Re: Automatically add weight etc, for pbxx | | Viewed: | 41 times | | Topic: | Suggestions | |
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| Catalogs are a bit different then parts, but I see your point. Perhaps maybe
put the weight in, but have it show in red if it was entered automatically. I
would like to think that it would be correct more often then not, but this way,
if you see a weight or dimension in red, then you know it was just copied, and
you can verify it, and enter it if you choose to.
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