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Uploading Photos ​

What this guide covers ​

The desktop photo upload workflow: dragging files onto the Uploads page, how QR detection and box assignment work, and how the system handles duplicates.

Prerequisites ​

  • Logged in
  • At least one box created (so you have somewhere to assign photos)
  • Photos on your computer (JPEG, PNG, HEIC, and most common image formats are supported)

Opening the Uploads page ​

Click Uploads in the top nav. The page shows:

  • A drag-and-drop zone ("Upload Files")
  • A BoxAutocomplete selector for box assignment
  • A file list (empty at first)
  • Three buttons: Upload All, Clear List, Clear Successful

Adding files ​

Drag one or more image files onto the drop zone, or click the zone to open a file picker. Files appear in the list immediately — each entry shows:

  • A small image preview
  • The file's MD5 hash
  • A status badge:
    • Ready — not yet uploaded
    • Already Uploaded — the system has seen this exact file before (hash match); it will be skipped
    • Complete — successfully uploaded in this session

Box assignment ​

Auto-detect from QR code ​

If your photos contain a QR code that encodes a box ID, ItemChaos reads it automatically. The box is identified from the QR data and the photo is routed to that box.

QR codes in the image must be readable (well-lit, not blurred, not partially cropped). If detection fails, the photo falls through to the manual box selector.

Manual box selection ​

Use the BoxAutocomplete dropdown (labelled "Auto Detect QR" by default) to pick a destination box. Typing in the field filters the box list by ID or name. This assignment applies to all files in the current list that do not have a QR-detected box.

Uploading ​

Click Upload All. The system processes files in order:

  1. Calculates each file's MD5 hash.
  2. If the hash already exists in the database for that item, the file is skipped (status: Already Uploaded).
  3. Otherwise, sends the file to the backend.
  4. The backend creates an Item if one does not exist for that import_id/QR combination, associates the photo, and saves it.

Watch the status badges update to Complete as each file finishes.

After uploading ​

  • Go to Boxes → your target box → View Items to see the newly created items.
  • Items created from photos have no name yet — they show in the "Processed" count as unnamed.
  • Go to Name Unnamed Items on the box row (or click View Items → navigate to labeling) to start naming them.

Clearing the list ​

  • Clear List — removes all files from the list, including ones not yet uploaded.
  • Clear Successful — removes only files with status Complete, leaving any failures or pending files.

Troubleshooting ​

"Already Uploaded" on a photo I changed Even a small edit (crop, resize, metadata strip) changes the MD5 hash, so the file should upload. If the original and the edited file have the same hash, they are truly identical.

Upload fails with no error shown Check that the backend API is running. Go to / (home) — if the overview stats load, the API is up.

QR code not detected The QR scanner reads codes embedded in the photo. If the photo is of an item (not a box label), there may be no QR code. Assign the box manually with the BoxAutocomplete.

No boxes in the BoxAutocomplete You need to create at least one box first. Go to Boxes → Create New Box.

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