23 · Admin · Assets config

Admin pages for the asset register: categories (with auto-numbered tag schemes) and locations.

Asset categories

/admin/assets/categories

A category groups similar assets and defines their tag scheme.

+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| New category   Icon  Name  Description  Prefix  Pad  Start at  |
|----------------------------------------------------------------|
| Icon  Name     Description   Tag scheme   Next tag  Assets     |
| 💻    Laptops   Work laptops  LAPTOP-0000  LAPTOP-43   42       |
| 🪑    Desks     Office desks  DESK-0000    DESK-0015   14       |
| 🔌    Network   Switches      NET-0000     NET-0009     8       |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+

📷 Screenshot placeholder: screenshots/admin-asset-categories.png

Creating a category

1. Fill the New category row at the top:
   • Icon — optional emoji shown next to the category
   • Name — display label (e.g. "Laptops")
   • Description — optional free text
   • Tag prefix — optional; upper-case A–Z0–9 (e.g. LAPTOP). Leave blank to skip auto-numbering for this category.
   • Pad — digit count, 1–8 (e.g. 4 → 0001)
   • Start at — usually 1, but you can start higher to match an existing scheme
2. + Add category.

Tag scheme rules

• The tag scheme is optional. A category with no prefix doesn't auto-mint tags.
• Prefix can be set on creation and edited freely until the first tag has been issued; after that it is locked.
• Padding can only be changed while the counter is still at its starting value (no assets tagged yet). Once the counter has advanced, the padding input is disabled.
• Next number is monotonic. Deleting an asset does not roll it back. This guarantees old printed labels resolve.

Next-tag preview

Each category row in the admin shows a Next tag preview, e.g. LAPTOP-0043, so you can see what the next created asset will get.

When edits lock

In the edit row, the prefix input is disabled once the category has any tagged assets, and the padding input is disabled once the counter has advanced past its starting value. To "fix" a mistake after that, you'd need to:

1. Create a new category with the right scheme.
2. Migrate assets across (each gets a new tag from the new category).

The platform does not provide a one-click fix — re-tagging is rare enough that we keep it manual.

Asset locations

/admin/assets/locations

A curated list of physical sites, kept for reporting. (Note: the asset create/edit forms currently capture Location as a free-text field and do not offer a dropdown from this list — see Assets → Locations.)

+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| Name  Address  Notes  Assets  Status  [Edit][Archive][×]  |
|-----------------------------------------------------------|
| London HQ            …         12   Active                |
| London HQ — Server   …         34   Active                |
| Manchester office    …          8   Active                |
| Edinburgh DC         …          5   Archived              |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+

📷 Screenshot placeholder: screenshots/admin-asset-locations.png

Creating a location

Fill the row at the top of the page:

1. Name (display label, required).
2. Address (optional, free text).
3. Notes (optional).
4. + Add.

Editing

Edit lets you change the name, address, and notes — assets reference locations by ID, so renaming doesn't break links.

Archiving

Use the Archive / Un-archive button to flag a location as decommissioned. Archived locations are de-emphasised in the list and sorted to the bottom; existing assets keep their reference.

Deleting

Delete is allowed only if no assets reference the location (the Delete button is disabled while the asset count is above zero). Attempting it on an in-use location returns:

"Location is used by N assets. Archive it instead, or re-point those assets first."

⚠️ Caution. Don't delete a location after a fire/move just to "tidy up" — archive instead, so the historical record on each asset stays meaningful.

Permissions

These screens live under /admin/assets/*, so they're reached through the admin area. The underlying category and location API endpoints require an authenticated session but do not enforce a specific role — any signed-in user who can reach the endpoints can create, edit, and delete categories and locations.

Common workflows

Add a new asset class

1. Categories → fill the New category row ("Monitor", prefix MON, pad 4) → + Add category.
2. The Next tag column shows MON-0001.
3. Users go to /assets and start creating monitors.

Add a new office

1. Locations → fill the row → + Add "Bristol office".
2. Optional address.

Retire an old office

1. Re-point or check in any assets still recorded at that site.
2. Locations → Archive the old office.
3. Or Delete it once no assets reference it.

See also

• Assets — using the register