What is a Tag in Shelf and What Can They Be Used For?

What is a Tag?

In Shelf, a tag represents a labeled attribute attachable to assets or bookings. Each tag includes a name, optional description, and a setting that determines whether it applies to assets, bookings, or both. This enables organizations to categorize items using flexible keywords that extend beyond standard fields like category or location.

What Can Tags Be Used For?

• Organizing and searching: Tags facilitate grouping items by custom attributes (such as "needs-calibration" or "high-priority") and enable quick retrieval without depending solely on categories or locations.
• Advanced filtering: The asset index supports tag-based filters utilizing operators like "contains," "contains all," and "contains any," permitting precise searches based on single or multiple tags, including identification of "untagged" items.
• Bulk operations: Tags can be assigned or removed across numerous assets simultaneously using the bulk tagging workflow, which respects active filters to update large item sets efficiently.

Creating Tags on Mobile

You can create tags from the Shelf Companion app as well as the web. When adding or editing an asset, admins and owners can type a new tag name in the tag picker and tap Create tag "…" to mint it on the spot — no need to switch to the web app first. The new tag is added to your workspace, applied to the asset, and available everywhere tags are used. Self-service members pick from existing tags but don't see the create option, matching their web permissions.

Why Tags Matter

Tags provide flexible, organization-specific context that complements standard fields. They enable refined searches, accelerate workflows, and support scalable bulk updates, helping teams maintain discoverable and consistent inventories.