Bins

Bins are the core objects in OpenBin. Each bin represents a physical storage container — a box, drawer, shelf, or bin — and holds a structured list of items along with tags, notes, and visual appearance settings.

What is a Bin?

A bin has a name, an auto-generated short code used in its QR label, and a collection of fields that describe its contents and appearance. Every bin belongs to one location and optionally to one area within that location.

Creating a Bin

1. On the bin list page, tap the + button or New Bin.
2. Enter a name — this is the only required field.
3. Optionally fill in items, tags, notes, icon, color, and area.
4. Save.

The short code is auto-generated from the bin name and appears on printed QR labels.

Items

Items are a discrete, ordered list of things inside the bin. Each item is a separate entry — not a freeform block of text.

• Add: type a name and press Enter or tap Add.
• Remove: tap the delete icon next to an item.
• Rename: tap the item name to edit it inline.
• Reorder: drag and drop items to rearrange them.

TIP

Items are searchable. Searching "screwdriver" will find bins that have "screwdriver" in their items list.

Tags

Tags are short labels for categorizing bins. A bin can have any number of tags.

• Tags are shared across the location — adding a new tag makes it available to other bins.
• Tags can be assigned custom colors per location (see Settings → Tags).
• Filter the bin list by one or more tags using the filter panel.

Notes

The notes field is a freeform text area for any additional information about the bin — purchase links, instructions, warnings, or context.

Icon

Each bin can have an emoji or icon displayed on its card and printed label. Pick an icon from the icon picker when creating or editing a bin.

Color

The color field sets the background tint of the bin card. OpenBin uses a hue-based continuous color picker:

1. Select a hue from the gradient bar.
2. Choose a shade from the swatches below it.

The chosen color is applied to the bin card background and affects the label in colored-card print mode.

Card Styles

Card style controls the visual treatment of the bin card beyond just color. The style is configured in the appearance section when editing a bin.

Style	Description
glass	Default frosted-glass look. No extra configuration.
border	Colored border accent around the card. Configurable style (solid, dashed, dotted, double) and width (1–8 px).
gradient	Two-color diagonal gradient. Pick a primary color and an end color.
stripe	Colored stripe on one side of the card. Configure position (left, right, top, bottom) and width (1–10 units).
photo	Uses one of the bin's attached photos as the full card background image.

Visibility

Value	Who can see it
location	All members of the location
private	Only you (the bin creator)

Set visibility when creating or editing a bin. Admins can see all bins regardless of visibility.

Short Code

Every bin has a 6-character alphanumeric short code auto-generated from its name at creation time. The short code:

• Appears printed on QR labels alongside the QR code itself.
• Can be typed manually into the scanner or search bar to look up a bin without a camera.
• Is stable — it does not change if you rename the bin.

Editing a Bin

Tap any bin card to open its detail page, then tap Edit. All fields are editable. Changes are saved on confirmation.

Soft Delete and Trash

Deleting a bin moves it to Trash — it is not permanently removed. From Trash (Settings → Trash), you can:

• Restore — returns the bin to the active list.
• Permanently delete — removes the bin and all its photos. This cannot be undone.

Bins in Trash are automatically purged after the location's configured retention period.

Related

• Photos — Attach photos to bins and use them with AI
• Print Labels — Generate QR labels for your bins
• QR Scanning — Scan bin labels to find contents
• AI Features — AI photo analysis and natural language commands
• Items & Tags — Browse all items and tags across your location
• API: Bins — Bins REST API reference