Collectify FAQ

Collectify Frequently Asked Questions

A: Certainly. Click here to download a free 30-day trial version of Collectify.

Q: Why do I need collection management software?

A: Take this test: Look around your home. Are you a collector? Stuff everywhere? Sit down and in your mind compose a list of some of your collectibles. When you’re done, go through your home and see what you’ve missed. With Collectify you’ll always know what you have, where you keep it, what it’s worth, its condition - the list goes on. Record the simplest details or create a detailed database that contains everything from the provenance of the object, to its location in your home, to shipping bills related to its restoration, to the policy insuring it, to the dealer who sold it to you... Collectify lets you become a seasoned curator for all your stuff.

Q: How can I import images of my objects into Collectify?

A: It’s easy. Digital cameras and scanners are the two most common ways to create digital images. Scanners are still commonly used to create digital images of drawings, photographic prints and other paper documents. However, most digital cameras can take the place of a scanner – and they are much faster. Collectify works directly with these devices – simply connect your digital camera or scanner to your computer and click one of the Scan buttons sprinkled throughout Collectify (e.g. in the Media module).

You can also click the Import button to bring an image (that is stored elsewhere on your hard drive) into Collectify. Collectify will accept virtually any image in almost any format. You can even store audio and video in Collectify. Of course, images can also be imported from a CD-ROM, DVD, thumb drive, or even in an email attachment.

Q: Where is the Save button in Collectify?

A: There is no Save button, because Collectify automatically saves your changes as you work. Whenever you make changes in Collectify, such as adding a new object or updating an address for a contact, that information is immediately saved to your computer’s hard disk. Should your computer suddenly turn off (due to a power failure, for example), all the changes you have made in your collection will be saved, except perhaps for those made in the few seconds before the computer turned off.

Q: I have already documented my collection in a spreadsheet. Do I need to re-enter my data into Collectify?

A: If you are currently documenting your collection in Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, other database files or text files, simply use our Import Wizard to map all your data directly into Collectify.

Q: My collection does not fit into any of the Collection Types that Collectify offers. How can I create my own Collection Type?

A: In the menu bar located at the top of the software click Tools. Select Collection Type Manager. In the Collection Type Manager screen, click the New… button and the Collection Type Editor will open. Use this editor to personalize a Collection Type that suits your needs. You can give your Collection Type a meaningful name and a unique icon. You can also personalize the New Object Wizard (see next FAQ), select the fields that are most relevant to your collection type, and much more.

Q: How do I customize the New Object Wizard?

A: In the menu bar located at the top of software click Tools. Select Collection Type Manager. If you have already created a new Collection Type (see previous FAQ), select it in the My Collection Types list and click Edit. In the Collection Type Editor screen, select the New Object button on the left.

If you wish to customize a New Object Wizard based on an existing Collectify Collection Type, select that type from the list and click the Copy… button. In the Collection Type Editor, give the copy a new name (e.g. copy “Books” and call the new collection type “My Books”). Select the New Object button on the left.

To edit the New Object Wizard, in the Available Fields column select a field that you’d like to have in the wizard and drag it to the New Object Fields column. (To select multiple fields, hold down the Control key while selecting the fields with your mouse). To remove fields from the Wizard, drag the unwanted fields FROM the New Object Fields column back to the Available Fields column. Notes: The New Object Wizard screens can hold approximately 5-7 fields each. Adding a Separator after every 5 or 6 fields will create a new wizard screen. The order the fields are presented in the wizard is controlled by selecting a field and clicking the Up and Down buttons. You cannot directly edit the built-in Collection Types in Collectify – but you can fully edit a copy.

Q: Is Collectify Collector’s Edition compatible with Vista?

A: Yes. Download the latest update/installer from our website. Once you’ve SAVED the file, run the installer on your machine. You will most likely encounter a message telling you that Collectify is incompatible with Vista (this is a Microsoft issue, not a Collectify issue).

Please follow these steps to ensure Collectify compatibility with the Vista OS:

From the Start Menu select Help and Support
Search “Compatibility” in the Windows Help and Support box
Select “Start the Program Compatibility Wizard” from the search results
Click Next
If Collectify installed correctly but will not run
1. Select “I want to Choose from a list of programs” and click Next
2. Locate and select Collectify from the program list and click Next
If the downloaded install file will not run correctly
1. Select “I want to locate the program manually”
2. Navigate to the location where you downloaded the file
3. Select the downloaded installation file
Select XP and click Next
Do not select any Color Settings. Click Next
Check the box “Run this program as an administrator” and click Next
Click Next to run the test of compatibility
If a “User Account Control” box appears, choose to “Allow” Collectify
Collectify may open. Close the program to return to the Compatibility Wizard
Ensure that the “Yes, set this program to always use these compatibility settings” is selected and click Next
Choose whether or not you want to send the changes to Microsoft (not necessary) and click Next
Finish the Wizard

Please note: In the event that you have performed an upgrade of an existing XP system (without reformatting the drive) to Vista you should verify that the location of the data files is not in “Program Files” You can verify this by checking under Tools, Options, File Locations from within Collectify.

If this is the case, you will need to move the data files to My Documents and change the default location under “File Locations” in Collectify.

Q: Is Collectify Collector's Edition compatible with Windows 7?

A: Yes. Download the latest update/installer from our website. Once you’ve SAVED the file, run the installer with administrator rights on your machine.

Right click on Collectify_CURRENT_VERSION.EXE and select Run as Administrator.
You will receive a publisher unknown message, click Yes to continue.
Click Next (use the Collectify Defaults).
Click Yes to All to replace any existing Collectify install files.
You will/may get an unknown OS error and a message to run the program using the recommended settings. Select Yes, and click on Next for the following few screens.
Enter your registration key and information.
Click Next a few more times.
You should now be at the end of the installation.

If t his isn't the first time you are running the Compatibility Trouble Shooter, then the steps will appear slightly different and some may no longer be required. Generally, click on Yes, Next, etc. to accept the defaults and you should be fine.

***Please note we have received a report of a compatibility issue with screen resizing in Windows 7 64 bit. It may be best to run Collectify in XP Mode(rather than XP Compatibility mode) if you are using Windows 7 64-bit.

Q: Where is my registration key?

A: Your registration key was sent to you via e-mail when you placed your order. It starts with MO-1000-01.

If you placed your order on Amazon, the registration key is on a sticker on the CD case.

Q: Can I run Collectify on my Mac?

A: Yes, with the use of Windows emulation software and a copy of Microsoft Windows.

By default, all Macs since 2007 have the emulator Bootcamp installed. This software allows users to boot into either the Mac operating system or the Windows operating system (if installed). To change operating systems you must reboot your computer.

Other emulators exist that allow you to run the two operating systems simultaneously. These include Parallels and VMware Fusion.

Remember, a copy of Microsoft Windows is still required. Please contact your local Apple retailer for system requirement information.

Q: How do I backup a collection?

A: To backup your collection:

Go to the File menu and select Backup... The Backup Database Wizard dialog will open.
Click Next to arrive at the Database to Backup page, from the list, select the name of the database you wish to backup. Click Next.
On the Destination Folder and File page you may change the location where the file will be saved or change its name by clicking on Browse. Otherwise, to accept the defaults, click Next. If you have previously backed up this collection you will likely receive a message that the file already exists, if you don’t wish to overwrite your previous backup, click No and then click Browse, change the file name and click Next.
The Backup Wizard will display moving blue bars. When it completes, click the Finish button to exit the Wizard.
You may wish to copy the backup file (e.g. Your_collection.cbk) to an external drive/CD/Flash drive for safekeeping in the event of a computer failure.

Q: How do I restore a collection?

A: To restore your collection:

Go to the File menu and select Restore... The Restore Database Wizard dialog will open.
Click Next. From the Source Folder and File page click Browse...
The Restore Database dialog will open. Navigate to your backup file (.cbk) Select the file. Click Open.
Click Next. If the database already exists in the current location, you will be asked to overwrite it. When the restore is complete, click Finish to exit the Wizard.
You should now see the database on the Open Screen.

Q: My Report is too large to e-mail, what can I do?

A: You have a few options:

Run the report again; but, this time edit your report template. On the Report Format screen, check Use Thumbnail Images (to minimize report size.) If you are using one of Collectify's included reports, you will need to select the report and click on Copy on the Report Template screen.
If your report is still too large, you can try one of the many File Sharing sites available on the Internet.
You could also save the report to a flash drive or other media and then send that out by mail or courier.

Q: How do I share a collection?

A: Here are a few ways to share your collection data:

Run a report and send a copy of the resulting PDF file to whomever you wish. This allows you to send as much detail as you want.
Create a slideshow of a virtual catalog and send the resulting slideshow file to any Windows based computer. Normally, this will show an image of the object, if available, and the data normally visible on the Quick View screen.
Create a backup of the database and e-mail it or, if it is too large, upload it to a file sharing site (see How do I backup a collection? for assistance on backing up.)

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Collectify Frequently Asked Questions

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