Asset Pages

Every asset in Shelf gets its own dedicated page — a single source of truth that brings together everything you need to know about an item. Photos, custom fields, custody history, location, availability status, notes, and a printable QR label all live in one place. No more switching between spreadsheets, email threads, and shared drives to piece together asset information.

Asset detail page showing overview tab with ID, category, tags, value, custody, reminders, and QR code

Why Asset Pages Beat Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets are where asset data goes to decay. Teams that manage equipment in spreadsheets encounter the same problems:

Coordination issues: Multiple people editing the same file leads to overwritten data and version conflicts.
Unreliable data: Fields go stale because updating a spreadsheet feels like a chore. No one knows if the information is current.
No context: A spreadsheet row cannot hold a photo, a custody timeline, a location history, and a QR code. Critical context lives somewhere else — or nowhere at all.
No access control: Everyone sees everything, or the sheet is locked down so tightly that no one can update it.

Asset pages solve these problems by giving each item a structured, always-current profile that the right people can view and update from any device.

What's on an Asset Page

Photos

Every asset carries a main photo, so people recognize the item before they read the record. Upload one per asset, or upload it once on the asset model and let a whole fleet of identical units show it without storing 40 copies of the same file. An asset's own photo always overrides the model's.

Condition evidence is captured where it happens rather than on the record: during an audit, the person scanning can attach several photos per item to document damage, wear, or a wrong label, and those stay attached to that audit.

Custom Fields

Define any fields your organization requires — purchase date, warranty expiration, condition rating, vendor, cost center, or anything else. Custom fields appear on the asset page alongside built-in fields, fully searchable and filterable.

Custody History

See the complete timeline of who has had the asset and when. Every check-out, return, and transfer is logged automatically with timestamps and user identities.

See: Custody

Location

View the asset's current location and its location history. Every scan of the asset's QR code, barcode or SAM ID is recorded on its Last scan card, with map coordinates when the scanning device shares them, and View all scans opens the full history of who scanned it, when, from which device and where, so managers always know where equipment is, or where it was last seen. See Where an Asset Was Last Scanned.

See: Location Tracking

Last Audit

When your workspace has the Audits add-on, the asset page answers "when was this last counted?" on its Last audit card: the most recent completed audit the asset was in, its completion date and whether the asset was Found, Missing or Unexpected in it, a few earlier audits, and any audits still to come. An asset nobody has counted says This asset has never been audited. The advanced asset index carries the same date as a Last audit date column. Both are shown to Owners, Administrators and Managers. See Where to see an asset's audit history.

Availability Status

The asset page shows whether the item is available, checked out, reserved, or in maintenance. This status updates in real time as bookings and custody events occur. For assets you track by quantity — supplies and consumables managed by count — the page shows available versus total stock and the unit of measure, so you can see how much is on hand at a glance.

Bookings tab on an asset page showing every reservation this item has been part of

Notes and Activity

Add free-text notes to capture anything that does not fit a structured field — maintenance observations, usage tips, or special handling instructions. Notes are timestamped alongside every scan, reminder, and custody event, giving you a full activity log for each asset.

Activity tab on an asset page with scan history, reminder events, and a note input

Reminders

Per-asset reminders cover anything time-based — calibration, warranty, disposal, seasonal checks. Each reminder shows status at a glance (Pending / Sent) and can be assigned to one or more team members so the right people get notified when the alert fires.

Reminders tab on an asset page with calibration, warranty, and yearly check reminders

See: Asset Reminders

QR Label

Every asset page includes a printable QR code that links directly to that page. Scan the label with any phone to pull up the full asset profile instantly. No app installation required.

Inline Editing

Update fields directly from the asset page — no need to open the full edit form. Hover any field, click the pencil icon, and the asset's description, category, location, value, or any custom field becomes editable in place. Validation, change history, and permissions all behave exactly as they do in the full edit form, so quick fixes don't trade off audit quality for speed.

See: Editing Asset Fields Inline

Step Through a List

Open an asset from the Assets list, in the same tab, and its page has two arrows in the top right, next to Book. They open the previous and next asset of that same list, with your search, filters and sort still applied, and they carry on past the end of a page. The [ and ] keys do the same when you are not typing in a field and no menu or dialog is open. Booking, kit and location pages opened from their own lists have the arrows too; on a booking they sit in the title row, next to Add to calendar.

A page opened from a link, a bookmark or a new tab has no list behind it, so both arrows are greyed out and say "Open from a list to step through it".

An asset page opened from the Assets list, with the previous and next arrows highlighted in the top right

Archive and Reinstate

Retired equipment does not have to be deleted. Archive it from the asset's Actions menu and it leaves your Active asset lists, the booking picker and the Asset Inventory, Asset Distribution and Idle Assets reports, while its page, history, ID and QR code stay. The page shows an Archived badge, and its details are read-only until you Reinstate it. You can still add a note on its Activity tab, or delete it for good.

See: Archive and Reinstate Assets

Display Modes

Full view: Shows every field, photo, custody timeline, and note in a single scrollable page. Ideal for detailed review and asset management.
Compact view: A condensed layout that highlights key information — name, status, custodian, and location — for quick reference in list contexts.

Common Use Cases

Conference rooms and AV gear: Each projector, screen, and microphone has a profile with setup notes, location, and booking status.
Vehicles: Fleet assets carry maintenance history, mileage logs, insurance details, and assignment records on a single page.
Lab equipment: Instruments display calibration dates, safety instructions, and custody chains for compliance.
Tools and field equipment: Condition photos, warranty information, and location history help field managers track distributed assets.