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RE: Complete assemblies
2020-05-02, 18:46
I have 2 major concerns:
1.) We need some good way to cross reference our part number for a pattern with that of the other part cataloging sites. This makes a users life significantly easier as they can look up a set inventory (official or MOC) and easily be able to find the part in our library. Have you ever tried to find a specific minifig head in the library with nothing to go on but a picture? It's tough.
2.) For those parts that are separable but do not typically come separate, we should have a good way to correlated the patterned and plain parts needed to recreate the assembly. I asked Rebrickable if there were plans to have an inventory for the individual parts in a patterned torso assembly (torso/arms/hands) (or hips/legs assemblies) and was tolds that this would probably never happen. This spurred my work cross-reference file which I'm trying to make generic enough that programs other than my PBG generator can use it.
Both of these are solved by have all LEGO produced assemblies in the library. If this is not the route we want to take (and honestly, after a little bit of reflection, I'm not as strongly for it as I was) then here are my proposed solutions:
1. Is solved by embedding some sort of external identifier in the KEYWORDS. Right now that is typically the Bricklink number. The concern is, rightly, that this number may change. Heck, we've changed our number using MovedTo's lots. So my new proposal is that we embed at least one set number for every patterned part. This will at least allow a user to dial down to a specific set and from there figure out the pattern for the set inventory.
2. The solution is already in the works. Philo wants to push it out even further to encapsulate entire minifigs, minidolls, etc... which I'm fine with. I'd like to see official support for the cross-reference file. I'm working on a web interface to add/change entries. This could be easily modified to allow anyone to submit an entry or correction and have it approved/denied by a single person