Categories, sets, and series
KolleK gives you three ways to group items, and they look similar until you know the question each one answers. This page untangles them so you reach for the right one every time.
The three questions
- Where does this item file? That is a category.
- Which finite list am I trying to complete? That is a set.
- Which franchise does this belong to, across everything I collect? That is a series.
Categories: filing within one collection
A category files items inside one collection, and categories can nest. Emma's "My Comics" collection has a Marvel category, with Spider-Man and X-Men nested inside it. Browsing a category shows just its items, with their own counts and statistics.
A category belongs to its collection and cannot reach outside it. Deleting a category never deletes the items in it; they simply become uncategorised.
Sets: a finite list to complete
A set is a checklist with an end. Emma wants the first ten issues of a run, so she creates a set with a target count of ten. As she adds items to the set, KolleK shows owned versus target, and the completion rolls up into her collection statistics.
Like categories, a set belongs to one collection. Only a set with a target above zero counts towards completion statistics; a set without one is just a named grouping.
Series: a franchise across collections
A series ties together everything from one franchise, wherever it lives. Harry Potter spans Emma's books, her films, and her LEGO, which are three different collections. A series reaches across all of them, and its page shows the linked items grouped by the collection each lives in, along with how many collections it touches.
A series does not track completion. It answers "show me everything Harry Potter", not "am I done yet".
Side by side
| Category | Set | Series | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope | One collection | One collection | The whole account |
| Nests | Yes | No | No |
| Tracks completion | No | Yes, with a target count | No |
| Question it answers | Where does this file | Which list is this part of | Which franchise is this |
An item can use all three at once: filed under Marvel, part of the "First ten issues" set, and linked to the Spider-Man series.
If you want something even lighter than these, cross cutting labels with no structure at all, that is what tags are for.
Where to next
- Build a filing tree in Organize items with categories.
- Chase a complete run in Track a set to completion.
- Tie a franchise together in Group a franchise with series.