Brick Set Manager

A Windows desktop application for managing your brick set collection with automatic inventory tracking.

Features

• 📦 Set Management: Add, view, and organize your sets
• 🔍 Automatic Inventory Scraping: Fetches set details, parts, and images
• 🎨 Color Search: Find bricks by color across all your sets
• 📍 Location Tracking: Keep track of where each set is stored (up to 100 characters)
• 🔢 Quantity Management: Track multiple copies of the same set
• 📊 Multiple Views: Gallery view with images or sortable list view
• 🏷️ Version Tracking: Support for old and new inventory versions
• 💾 Local Database: All data stored locally in SQLite
• 🖼️ Image Caching: Set and part images stored locally for fast access
• 🔎 Smart Search: Word-based search across set names, numbers, and part names
• 📈 Statistics: Total sets counter showing unique sets and total quantity

Requirements

For Running the Installer

• Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
• No additional dependencies (self-contained)

For Building from Source

• Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
• .NET 7.0 SDK - Download
• Visual Studio 2022 (optional, recommended for development)
  • Workload: ".NET desktop development"
• Inno Setup 6 (for creating installer) - Download

Installation

Option 1: Using the Installer (Recommended)

1. Download BrickSetManagerSetup.exe from Installer/Output/BrickSetManagerSetup.exe in the repository

2. Verify the installer (optional but recommended):

   # Calculate SHA256 hash of the downloaded installer
   powershell -Command "Get-FileHash -Path 'BrickSetManagerSetup.exe' -Algorithm SHA256"

   Expected SHA256 Hash:

   1D87D3CD3AFC3CAD13BFE60EE0F5DB09393015AD6B4841F7C074B762DBA2CE8B
   

   The hash should match exactly. If it doesn't match, do not run the installer.

3. Run the installer

4. Follow the installation wizard

5. Launch "Brick Set Manager" from the Start Menu

Option 2: Running from Source

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/scotjam/BrickSetManager
   cd BrickSetManager

2. Navigate to the main project directory

   cd BrickSetManager

3. Restore dependencies

   dotnet restore

4. Run the application

   dotnet run

Building from Source

Debug Build

cd BrickSetManager
dotnet build

The executable will be in bin\Debug\net7.0-windows\BrickSetManager.exe

Release Build

cd BrickSetManager
dotnet build -c Release

The executable will be in bin\Release\net7.0-windows\BrickSetManager.exe

Creating the Installer

Prerequisites

• Inno Setup 6 must be installed at C:\Program Files (x86)\Inno Setup 6\
• The application must be published first

Quick Method (Command Line)

# From the repository root directory
cd BrickSetManager
dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained true
cd ..\Installer
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Inno Setup 6\ISCC.exe" setup.iss

Alternative (with full paths):

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Inno Setup 6\ISCC.exe" /O"<path-to-repo>\Installer\Output\" "<path-to-repo>\Installer\setup.iss"

The installer will be created at Installer\Output\BrickSetManagerSetup.exe (~49MB)

Step-by-Step Method

1. Publish the application (creates self-contained package):

   cd BrickSetManager
   dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained true

   This creates a self-contained release in:

   bin\Release\net7.0-windows\win-x64\publish\
   

2. Compile the installer using Inno Setup:

   Option A - Command Line:

   cd ..\Installer
   "C:\Program Files (x86)\Inno Setup 6\ISCC.exe" setup.iss

   Option B - GUI:

   • Open Installer\setup.iss in Inno Setup Compiler
   • Click Build → Compile
   • Wait for compilation to complete

3. Find the installer:

   • Location: Installer\Output\BrickSetManagerSetup.exe
   • Size: ~49MB (self-contained, includes .NET 7.0 runtime)

Why is the installer 49MB?

The installer is self-contained, meaning it includes:

• The entire .NET 7.0 runtime
• WPF framework libraries
• Your application and all dependencies

Advantage: Users don't need to install .NET 7.0 separately - just run the installer and go!

Project Structure

BrickSetManager/                  # Repository root
├── BrickSetManager/              # Main WPF application
│   ├── Database/                 # SQLite database layer
│   │   ├── DatabaseManager.cs   # Database initialization & migrations
│   │   ├── SetRepository.cs     # Set data access
│   │   ├── InventoryRepository.cs
│   │   └── BrickRepository.cs
│   ├── Models/                   # Data models
│   │   ├── BrickSet.cs
│   │   ├── BrickDetail.cs
│   │   └── InventoryItem.cs
│   ├── Services/                 # Business logic
│   │   ├── Scraper.cs           # Web scraping service
│   │   ├── ImageDownloader.cs
│   │   └── SetQueueProcessor.cs # Background queue processing
│   ├── Windows/                  # Additional windows
│   │   ├── AddSetWindow.xaml
│   │   ├── SetDetailsWindow.xaml
│   │   ├── SearchColorWindow.xaml
│   │   └── BricksWindow.xaml
│   ├── Converters/              # WPF value converters
│   └── MainWindow.xaml          # Main application window
├── Installer/                    # Inno Setup installer configuration
│   ├── setup.iss                # Installer script
│   └── Output/                  # Generated installers
├── DebugScraper/                # Standalone scraper testing tool
└── README.md                    # This file

Database

The application uses SQLite for local storage. The database is automatically created on first run at:

%APPDATA%\BrickSetManager\BrickSets.db

Database Schema

SetsOwned: Stores set information

• SetNumber (PRIMARY KEY)
• SetName
• SetImage (BLOB)
• DateAdded
• BrickLinkURL
• Quantity
• InventoryVersion
• ReleaseYear
• PieceCount
• HasMultipleVersions
• SetLocation

BrickDetails: Stores unique brick information

• PartNumber (PRIMARY KEY)
• ColorID (PRIMARY KEY)
• ColorName
• PartName
• PartImage (BLOB)
• PartURL
• PriceGuideURL
• Length
• Width

SetInventory: Links sets to their bricks

• SetNumber (FOREIGN KEY)
• PartNumber (FOREIGN KEY)
• ColorID (FOREIGN KEY)
• Quantity

Usage

Adding a Set

1. Click "Add Set" button in the toolbar
2. Enter the set number:
   • Format: 21044 or 21044-1
   • If you omit -1, it will be added automatically
3. The application will automatically:
   • Fetch set details
   • Download set and part images
   • Parse the complete inventory
   • Detect if multiple inventory versions exist
   • Extract release year and piece count
   • Store everything in the local database

Viewing Sets

Gallery View (Default):

• Large set images with badges
• Shows quantity badge (e.g., "x2" if you own 2 copies)
• Shows version badge (vOld/vNew) only if multiple versions exist
• Click any set to view details

List View:

• Sortable table with columns:
  • Image thumbnail
  • Set Number
  • Set Name
  • Pieces
  • Year
  • Version
  • Location
  • Date Added
• Click column headers to sort
• Double-click a row to view details

Toggle Views: Click the "Toggle View" button in the toolbar

Viewing Set Details

1. Click on any set (gallery view) or double-click (list view)
2. View complete inventory with:
   • Part images
   • Part names and numbers
   • Quantities
   • Colors
   • Total part count
3. Search within the inventory using the search box
4. Click set name or number to open on BrickLink
5. Edit location directly in the details window

Searching by Color

1. Click "Search" button in the toolbar
2. Select a color from the dropdown:
   • Choose "Any color" to search across all colors
   • Or select a specific color
3. Optionally filter by part name/number in the search box
4. Click "Search" to view results
5. Results show total count (e.g., "Found 45 brick(s) in Red")

Managing Quantities

Right-click any set (works in both gallery and list view):

• Add Copy: Increase quantity by 1
• Remove Copy: Decrease quantity by 1
• Set Quantity...: Enter a specific quantity

Setting Locations

Track where each set is physically stored (up to 100 characters):

Method 1 - Context Menu:

• Right-click any set → "Set Location..."
• Enter location (e.g., "Shelf A3", "Basement bin #5")

Method 2 - Set Details:

• Open set details window
• Edit the location field directly
• Changes save automatically when you leave the field

Searching Sets

Use the search box in the toolbar to find sets:

• Searches set names and numbers
• Word-based search: Each word is searched independently
• Example: "castle dragon" finds any set containing both "castle" AND "dragon"
• Results update as you type

Managing Database

Clear Database:

1. Click "Clear DB" button (red button in toolbar)
2. First confirmation: Review what will be deleted
3. Second confirmation: Final warning
4. All sets, inventory, and bricks are permanently deleted

Note: This action cannot be undone! The database will be empty but the structure remains.

Development

Debug Scraper

The DebugScraper project is a console application for testing the scraper independently:

cd DebugScraper
dotnet run

This will:

1. Fetch a test set
2. Display extracted data (name, year, pieces, multiple versions)
3. Save the HTML to a file for inspection
4. Count the number of parts found
5. Show sample inventory items

Project Dependencies

• System.Data.SQLite.Core: SQLite database for .NET
• HtmlAgilityPack: HTML parsing and web scraping
• .NET 7.0 Windows Desktop Runtime: WPF framework

Adding Features

The codebase follows a clear separation of concerns:

• Database layer: All database operations in *Repository.cs files
• Business logic: Services for scraping, image downloading, and queue processing
• UI: XAML for layout, code-behind for event handlers
• Models: Simple POCOs for data transfer

Database Migrations

The database automatically migrates on startup. To add new columns:

1. Edit DatabaseManager.cs
2. Add column check in MigrateDatabase():

   bool hasYourNewColumn = false;
   // Add check in the while (reader.Read()) loop

3. Add migration logic:

   if (!hasYourNewColumn)
   {
       string addColumn = "ALTER TABLE SetsOwned ADD COLUMN YourColumn TEXT";
       using (var cmd = new SQLiteCommand(addColumn, connection))
       {
           cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();
       }
   }

4. Update CreateTables() to include the column for new databases

Troubleshooting

Application Won't Start

• Ensure you're running Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
• Try running as administrator
• Check Windows Event Viewer for error details

Sets Won't Download

• Check your internet connection
• Verify the set exists (try opening the URL manually)
• HTML structure may have changed
• Try again later (site may be temporarily unavailable)

Images Not Displaying

• Images are downloaded on first add
• If images fail to download, they won't display
• Delete the set and re-add it to try downloading again

Database Issues

• Close the application
• Delete the database file: %APPDATA%\BrickSetManager\BrickSets.db
• Restart the application (it will recreate the database with the latest schema)

Build Errors

• Ensure .NET 7.0 SDK is installed: dotnet --version should show 7.0.x
• Clean and rebuild: dotnet clean && dotnet build
• Restore packages: dotnet restore
• Check that all NuGet packages are restored

Installer Creation Fails

• Verify Inno Setup 6 is installed at the expected path
• Ensure the publish step completed successfully
• Check that bin\Release\net7.0-windows\win-x64\publish\ exists and contains files
• Try running ISCC.exe directly to see detailed error messages

Technical Details

Web Scraping Behavior

The scraper mimics natural browser behavior:

• Downloads HTML pages sequentially (set page, then inventory page)
• Natural delays between requests (500-1500ms)
• Downloads images in batches of 6 (like browser parallel connections)
• Small delays between image batches (100-300ms)
• User-Agent header matches common browsers

HTML Entity Decoding

Set names with special characters are properly decoded:

• & → &
• á → á
• é → é
• All other HTML entities

Multiple Version Detection

The scraper automatically detects if a set has multiple inventory versions by:

• Checking the latest inventory page for "Older version" links
• Setting HasMultipleVersions flag in database
• Showing version badges only when multiple versions exist

License

This project is provided as-is for personal use. BrickLink and LEGO are trademarks of their respective owners.

Acknowledgments

• BrickLink: Data source for set and part information
• HtmlAgilityPack: HTML parsing library
• SQLite: Embedded database engine
• Inno Setup: Installer creation tool

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Disclaimer: This application is not affiliated with or endorsed by the LEGO Group or BrickLink. It is an independent tool created by fans for managing personal LEGO collections. Please respect BrickLink's terms of service and use the scraping functionality responsibly.