Frequently asked questions

An example is often better than a long explanation, imagine you own a collection of Roman coins composed of different emperors. First, start with creating a collection in the section "Coins /Antique Coins/ Roman". Now that your collection has been created, you can add your Julius Caesar coin. Then, you can refine the classification of your coin by selecting the sections "Coins /Antique Coins/ Roman Republic / Julius Caesar"".

You can create as many collections as you wish, each collection also containing an unlimited number of objects. It is therefore important to think out the way you want to organize your collection. We advise you, for example, not to publish more than a few hundred objects in the same collection. It will be easier to manage if you separate your collection into several sub-categories of collections.

It should be noted that we are responsible for making the classification sections and can update them on request. If some sections are missing, incomplete or contain errors, we are at your disposal. Do not hesitate to ask!

Click on "Collections > My collections" in the menu on the left then click on the button:   Add a collection

You can then type a title and a description for your object and any information (category, characteristics, internet link...).

When creating a collection you must define the level of confidentiality yourself. There are three levels: "Public", "Connections" or "Private" You may also change this confidentiality level if you wish. Please note that if you change the level of confidentiality of a collection, the level of confidentiality of all of your objects in this collection will be modified automatically (so you do not have to repeat the operation for each object).

There are 2 possibilities for sorting your collections amongst themselves. Automatically your collections will be sorted by alphabetical order but you can define the order manually using the "Display order" field on the collection sheet being modified. You can also sort your collections directly from the collection list using the button "Sort your collections".

You cannot add or complete a category yourself. We will do it for you. All you have to do is contact us using the contact form at the foot of this page.

Click on the spanner on the top left-hand-side of the collection then click on the button "Generate a PDF". You can then choose the format of your PDF book and confirm with the button "Generate a PDF".

The PDF creation may take some time. You will be notified by mail when it is ready. You can also download your PDF from the "My catalogs" button present above your profile.

The CSV is an extraction file format like the format XLSX for Excel. Your collections will be imported without photos in the form of a table with basic data. You can open this document with your Excel or equivalent software.

Go to your collection then click on the "New object" button. You can then type a title and a description for your object and any information (category, characteristics, internet link...)

When you have created your collection, you will have chosen a section, for example "Shells & fossils". During the creation of your object, this section will be applied to the object but you may refine the classification by choosing additional categories: for example "Shells & Fossils / Shells / Gastropods" .

You can choose a maximum of 5 photos for your object. For this, there are several ways of adding a picture, either by selecting an image on your computer or by taking a photo.

The first image uploaded for an object is automatically defined as the main image. This image will represent your object in search results or in your collection. When several images of an object are available, you can modify the main image representing this object by clicking on the star above the chosen image.

When creating an object, you must define the level of confidentiality yourself. There are three levels: "Public", "Connections" or "Private" The level of confidentiality attributed to any new object added to this collection is automatically the one defined initially for this collection.

There are two ways of putting your objects into order. Automatically the objects will be put into alphabetical order but you may define the order manually in the field "Sort display" present on your modify object sheet. You may also sort your objects directly from the list of objects using the button "Sort your objects".

On each object sheet there is a "Private information" tab enabling you to stock private information about the object in an encrypted form (purchase date, purchase price, valuation, seller, invoice...) Only you will have access to this tab no matter what level of confidentiality the object has.

By pressing the little wheel on the object sheet or the list of several objects, you can access the "Duplicate an object" function. All the information about the object will be duplicated except the photos and the private part. This function is very practical for those objects with common features.

In certain sections you will be able to access additional characteristics for your object. For example, in the section "Coins", you will find the characteristic "Metal" which contains the values "Gold, Silver, Bronze..."

We will be responsible for creating it for you. All you have to do is contact us using the contact form at the foot of this page to request the creation of the new characteristic.

You can choose the level of visibility of your profile in "Public", "Connections" or "Private". The public part of your profile essentially contains your username (pseudonym), your description, your collection themes, your public objects and collections, and your groups.

In your profile, in the private part, you can access the function "Change password".

In your profile, in the private part, you can access the function "Unsubscribe". Beware, unsubscribing is a permanent action and your entire collections and objects will be removed permanently and you will not be able to restore them if you decide to subscribe again.

If you wish to modify your user name, all you have to do is request it. (you cannot do it yourself). Contact us by using the contact form at the foot of this page.

If you are familiar with forums, it is common practise to add a "signature" to your messages. The banner enables you to incorporate in your signature an image with your user-name and the number of your objects and collections.

By getting connected with someone on CollecOnline you will be able to follow their activity. You will receive notifications on our wall about each new object or new collection created by your connection .

You can also consult the objects with a "Friend" confidentiality level whilst these objects are invisible to the general public.

Click on the menu "Network" on the left, type the name of the person then click the button "Connection request". A notification will be sent to the person requested which can be accepted or declined.

Groups make it possible to co-manage a collection, in other words, it makes it for several usuers to keep an inventory of objects. They also allow a sharing of your objects to measure. You can choose exactly who will have access to the objects in the group, regardless of your network.

A "Group" can enable a group of people to set up collaborative projects. For example the project "Fakecoins" aims at identifying a maximum of antique fake coins. It is possible to imagine all sorts of groups: referencing all types of Gallic coins, creation of a database for champagne bottle tops, ...

Just like all other collections there are three levels of rights: Public, Member or Private. Administrators and contributors have access to all objects, members to objects to "Members" objects, and simple visitors to "Public" objects.

You simply have to make the request through the button "Contact us" at the bottom of the page. Once the request is received, we will be able to create your group, and we will name you administrator of it.

The administrator has all rights to a group. It can add new administrators, publish articles, create collections and manage members.

Contributors in a group have access to objects posted at the "Private", "Member", and "Public" visibility levels. They will also be able to publish objects and collections, as well as follow the news of the group on their wall of news. They will not be able to modify the objects of the other contributors.

Members of a group have access to objects posted at the "Member" and "Public" visibility level. They will also be able to follow the news of the group on their wall of news. However, they will not be able to publish objects in the group.

Followers of a group have access to objects posted at the "Public" level of visibility only. They will be able to follow the news of the group on their wall of news.

On your wall, you can see your connections' and your associations' activities (new objects or new collections).

You are also notified when a member leaves a comment about one of your objects or collections.

Note that you can control the contents displayed on your wall by choosing , in the private part of your profile, the types of notifications you want to display on your wall.

By default all notifications will be displayed on your wall. You may, however, choose the types of notifications you want to display on your wall. By accessing the notification "My comments" you can find all the comments that you have made.