AvailableMajor update
Version 1.5.0
More room for your collection, better ink stock management and a faster way to find the right pen or ink.
The app remains usable locally without an account. The optional collection website is currently being trialled by invitation. Connecting uploads an online copy of your collection and photos to NibVault; this is separate from your personal iCloud or Google Drive copy.
New features
- Optional website collection and sync. Connect a compatible NibVault app to my.nibvault.app using guided phone linking, then manage pens, inks, filling history, maintenance, reminders, storage, wishlist items and photos in a browser. Website access is currently an invitation-only trial; using the app locally still needs no account.
- Ink stock management. Keep matching bottles together, add newly purchased stock, mark individual vessels finished, and adjust or refill your supply. Different capacities, formats and samples stay separate: two 50 ml bottles do not become interchangeable with a 20 ml bottle or a sample. You can still choose separate entries for matching supplies.
- Optional collector specifications and filters. Record measurements, grip and nib details, construction, compatibility and edition information. Search the pen collection, wishlist and wishlist catalogue picker using the available specification filters. Personal values take priority over catalogue defaults.
- Catalogue reference images where provided. View available reference images with their source credits and edition information. Images load on demand into a separate cache; they do not replace personal photographs.
- Connected catalogue contribution history. See website submissions alongside local catalogue suggestions when connected, with local history still available offline.
- An Archive area on the collection website for pens and inks, with restore controls and protection for ink filling history.
Improvements
- Faster catalogue selection. Search brands first, or go directly to a model or ink by name. Selecting a matching product skips redundant brand/model steps. Model and ink lists have their own search fields, sort alphabetically, and use manageable pages in the app.
- Less clutter in collection forms. Collector specifications are at the end of the forms and collapsed by default, so you only see them when you want to.
- Clearer catalogue editions. Select the intended variation rather than automatically taking the first result. Edition-specific catalogue details can fall back to model information while preserving your personal overrides. Existing collection links retain their recorded identities.
- Simpler website connection. Guided phone linking checks approval and starts the initial transfer, with progress and photo-by-photo feedback. Existing online collections go through merge and conflict checks instead of being overwritten by a new connection.
- Independent sync controls. Personal iCloud/Google Drive sync and NibVault website sync have separate switches and status information. Use either, both or neither. Turning off a service stops future sync on that device without deleting existing copies.
- More responsive foreground sync. Saved edits are batched, connectivity recovery prompts another check, and unchanged collections use a small revision check. Incoming changes wait while you are editing. Website sync runs while the app is open and online; background refresh is not included.
- Clearer recovery and conflict review. Connection problems, account mismatches and competing edits have distinct explanations and actions. An explicit confirmation is required before copying a phone collection into a newly connected empty account.
- Photo transfer improvements. New collection photos are resized and compressed for transfer without modifying the original photo-library images. Transfers are checked, and temporary Google Drive photo-upload failures can be retried.
- Physical Labels now brings Pens, Inks and Locations together, with storage-location management alongside labels.
- Updated collector fields, image guidance and specification-filter labels across all nine interface languages: English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish and Traditional Chinese.
- A more consistent companion website: app-style collection screens, catalogue selection, ink stock controls, an Archive area, compact QR/archive actions and clearer remaining-ink percentages.
- Website trial administration: owner-managed invitations, searchable collection reports with distinct collector counts, registration controls and maintenance mode. A My collection link and live trial-availability notice connect the public website to the collection service. These are website changes and do not require another app build.
Bug fixes
- Fixed excessive result rendering during ink catalogue searches that could freeze or crash the app with large catalogues. Brand searches no longer expand into every ink from that maker.
- Fixed misleading website collection counts by excluding archived items from active collection totals.
- Fixed excessive decimal places in website remaining-ink displays; values show at most one decimal place.
- Protected ink filling history. Finishing or archiving an ink keeps its recorded fills, and permanent deletion is blocked for inks with filling history. Unused duplicate inks can still be deleted. Archive actions offer the relevant archive/delete choices directly.
- Improved stock-change validation, including changes made while a stock screen is open and conflicting stock edits between the phone and website. Older quantity and remaining-ink data stays compatible.
- Improved handling of expired or revoked website connections, interrupted setup, account-check failures and Android connection errors, with clearer retry guidance and local records retained.
- Fixed unnecessary repeated syncs after applying downloaded changes. Unsynced local work remains pending after a temporary failure, and retries back off rather than looping rapidly.
- Improved coordination between personal-cloud and website sync: received changes invalidate stale previews and remain eligible to reach the other enabled service. New local edits and deletions advance beyond received versions.
- Preserved supported collector fields when older clients omit them during website sync, and retained legacy catalogue IDs and existing collection links. Compatible catalogue content is delivered through WordPress.