One of Creative Force’s missions is to keep your sample management easy by not having to manage your samples via various spreadsheets manually. Scanning the samples into Creative Force makes the sample data visible and easy to access by anyone on your team.
Getting Started
Permissions
Before getting started with scanning samples, you should be aware of the permissions necessary to access the scan menu.
The following permissions will need to be set to 'Edit' under the User Role:
Role Permission | Allows Action |
Samples → Samples | Allows the user to scan Samples |
Samples → Global Scan Flow | Allows access to the Scan Flow |
Where to Scan
The Scan function is available in various screens.
Logistics → Samples
Logistics → Props
Logistics → Scan
Production → Products
Production → Jobs |
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By selecting the 'Scan' button in any of these views, you will be asked to verify the scope of the scan and then be brought to the Scan Flow screen.
Scan Scope
When initiating a scan, you will have one of two 'Scope' options— Job, or Unlimited.
Unlimited
When selecting Unlimited as the scope, you will scan for and return results for all Samples in Creative Force, regardless of their Job or Workspace.
Job Scan
When selecting Job as the scope, you will be asked to define a specific Job. Then, any items scanned will only be included if they exist within that specific Job.
When selecting the Job, you will be shown the number of Samples that are related before moving forward.
Scan Tab
No matter the chosen scope, after selecting continue, you will be brought to a new screen. This is the Scan Tab.
In the Scan Tab, you will have a number of configuration options that can affect how you move forward.
The table below contains a quick reference list of available actions. We will cover these options in detail in the following sections.
Option | Function | Visit Section |
Scan Flow | In the dropdown, select an existing Flow from the list. | |
Flow Settings | Configuration options for the selected Flow, such as Scopes, Sounds, & Alerts. | |
Flow Alerts | Set alerts for specific conditions during the scan. | |
Step Timeline | Add or remove actions to be performed as functions in the executed scan. | |
Sound On/Off | Turn on/off the sound for a specific action.
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Start Scan | Begin the scan with your selected actions & settings. | |
Search | Search through scanned samples for a specific value. | |
Actions | Execute an action for a selected item or group. | |
Finish | Exit Scan and return to the screen you entered from. |
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Scan Flows
In the top drop-down box, you can select a pre-saved Flow and take additional actions to save, share, duplicate, rename, or delete that flow.
Action | Function |
Save | Save the current Flow as a new Flow. |
Share | Share this Flow with other users in your studio. Select between:
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Duplicate | Copy all settings and actions in the current flow as a copy of the selected Flow. |
Rename | Rename the flow. |
Delete | Delete the Flow so it is no longer accessible. |
🗣️ Tip: Some Flows will not have all actions as available options. eg, 'Default' Flows can not be edited or deleted.
Flow Settings
Select the toggle Icon next to your selected Flow to view the Flow Settings. Here you can further adjust the scope and configure sound options.
Setting Option | Function |
Scope → Ignore Active Products | Toggle On/Off. When this setting is enabled, any Samples related to Products that are set as 'Inactive' in the system will not be scanned. |
Sounds → Enable Audible Responses | Toggle On/Off. When this setting is disabled, you will not hear the audible scan sound when scanning Samples. |
Flow Alerts
Within the Flow Settings is a separate tab to control Flow Alerts. Flow Alerts allow you to be notified when specific conditions are met.
Alert Option | Function |
Already Checked-In | Receive an alert when a scanned Sample is already checked in. |
Already Checked-In (Different Size) | Receive an alert when a scanned Sample under the same Product is already checked in. |
Existing Production | Receive an alert when a scanned Sample has completed a specific Workflow step.
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Property Value | Receive an alert when a scanned Sample has a value for a specific property. |
→ Defined Properties | Becomes available when enabling Property Value. Define the property the system is checking data for. |
New Samples from Checked-In Samples | Select the Default Sample Type when creating new Samples from already checked-in samples. Select between:
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Scan Behavior on Alerts | Define how the system handles barcode scans when an alert is active. Select between:
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Sample Types
When configuring the New Samples from Checked-In Samples option in the Flow Alert Settings, the logic of each option is listed below.
➕ Add-On: The "Styling Item Samples" option is only available if your account has the Advanced Sample Management feature enabled in your subscription plan. Please reach out to your CSM for more information.
By Sample Selection: The new sample will inherit the same type as the original sample it was created from. For example, if the original sample was a Product Sample, the new one will also be a Product Sample. If it were a Styling Item, the new one would be a Styling Item.
🗣️ Tip: This is considered the default and safest option. Best for studios that work with a mix of both product and styling item samples and want to preserve the original type automatically.
Product Sample: Every new sample created from an already checked-in sample will always be set to Product Sample, regardless of what the original sample's type was.
🗣️ Tip: Use this if your studio primarily deals with product photography and you want to save operators from having to manually select the type each time. Best when the majority of new samples being created should be product samples.
Styling Item Samples: Every new sample created from an already checked-in sample will always be set as a Styling Item Sample.
🗣️ Tip: This is useful if your workflow frequently involves creating styling/wardrobe items from existing checked-in samples. Best when operators are frequently splitting off styling items from checked-in samples.
Step Timeline
Moving on from the settings, we will see a long line connecting different points. This is the Step Timeline, and each point corresponds to a different action.
To add a new action, hover over the line in a space between two points.
To remove an action, hover over the point corresponding to the action.
To enable or disable the audible alerts when the step is executed.
The first point on the timeline will always be Scan Sample, and it is up to the user to decide the order of operations for additional actions.
When adding a new action as a step, there will be a number of options available. We can classify those actions into three distinct categories: Location Steps, Label Steps, and Data Steps. Review the sections below to learn more.
Location Steps
Action Step | Function |
Check In | The scanned Sample will be checked in ↓
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Check Out | The scanned Sample will be checked out ↓
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Change Location | The scanned Sample will have its location changed ↓
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Assign to Wardrobe | The scanned Sample will be moved to the Wardrobe ↓
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Add to Container | The scanned Sample will be added to a Container ↓
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Label Steps
Action Step | Function |
Detect Label | This option is only available if your studio has the Label Recognition add-on enabled for your studio.
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Print Label | The scanned Sample will have a label printed for it. ↓
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Print Label Settings
Selecting the toggle icon next to the action step will open an additional menu to configure how labels are printed for each sample during the scanning flow.
Print Setting | Function |
Print a Single Label per Sample | Print just the Sample label for each scanned Sample. |
Print a Label per Product | Select to print a product label for each Product related to each Sample scanned. ↓
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Data Steps
Action Step | Function |
Review Data | After scanning the Sample, go to an additional menu where specific data will be available to review. |
Update Property | After scanning the Sample, update values from a specific property. |
Data Review
Selecting the toggle icon next to the action step will open an additional menu to configure what data will be reviewed when the action is executed.
Once the scan has been started, during this step, a menu will appear showing the selected data properties and values.
Values for the selected properties can also be manually overwritten and saved.
Update Property
Selecting the Add button next to the action step will open an additional menu to select the property to be changed. With the property selected, you will then be able to define the value that the property should be changed to.
🗣️ Tip: Toggle 'Overwrite existing value' to change the value for all scanned items. Leave it untoggled to only change the value for scanned items with empty values.
Start Scan Flow
Once you start a configured Scan Flow, you will be able to scan labels and move through the selected actions in the order they were configured in the timeline.
Once you have completed all steps for one scanned Sample, you will be brought back to the scan menu, where you can scan additional items.
The steps will cycle through until the user opts to 'Close' the scan menu. At this point, you will be brought back to your Scan Flow, with a list of processed items in the right-hand column.
Processed List
When your Scan Flow has been executed for Samples, they will be added to the processed list. You can exit your current scan to navigate items in the list, or use the search box to look for specific codes.
Additionally, you can click on any entry in the list to see the Overview menu for it.
Actions Menu
Once scanned items have been saved to the processed list, you will be able to execute additional actions from the 'Actions' button in the top right-hand corner.
Action Option | Function |
Actions → Print Sample Label | Manually retrigger label printing, with the additional option to print in order of value grouping for a specific property.
The options are otherwise the same as described here. |
Actions → Export CSV | Export a list of all the processed items into a CSV file.  |