Once a device's tag is attached to the correct Spot, users can open the Spot's details by reading the tag in the mobile app. The tag may contain an NFC identifier, a QR code or both. The attachment determines which item's details are found when the tag is read.
These instructions cover attaching, replacing and detaching a tag already added to Spotilla using the browser interface. An alternative workflow is described in Attaching a tag in the mobile app.
Before attaching a tag
You need permission to edit the Spot, and the tag must be available to you. View permission alone is not enough to save changes. Attaching a tag does not grant users any new permissions: reading it in the mobile app still requires permission to view that Spot.
Surface number is the visible number marked on the physical tag, which you use to select the tag in the browser form. Internal ID is a separate identifier used to recognize an NFC identifier or QR code read in the mobile app. A correct surface number alone therefore does not guarantee that reading the tag in the mobile app will work. If the tag has not yet been added to Spotilla or its identifiers need checking, see Managing the tag register.
A Spot can have one tag, and a tag can be attached to only one item at a time. The selection list shows unattached tags available to you, along with the Spot's current tag as a separate option. A tag attached to another Spot, folder or warehouse slot cannot be selected from this list until it has been detached.
Attach a tag or replace the current tag
- In the browser interface menu, open Assets, devices, tools and select Default table.
- Find the Spot using the Search by spot name field in the table's name column, then click the Spot's name to open the form. Check the name and folder location to make sure you are working with the correct device.
- Open the Basic info tab on the Spot's form and find the Tag field. Check any current tag shown there.
- Enter the physical tag's surface number in the field and select the correct tag from the list that opens. The field's search hint is Search by tag, but the search uses the surface number. Verify the full number before saving.
- Select Save at the bottom of the form.
If you replace the current tag with a new unattached tag, the old tag becomes available and the new one is attached to the Spot. The old tag remains in the tag register and can later be attached to another item. Reading it no longer finds this Spot; any later attachment determines which item it opens.
Detach a tag without deleting it
Open the same Tag field, select the blank, unnamed option in the list and press Save. Make sure the field remains empty. Simply clearing the search text does not replace checking the list selection.
Detaching removes the link between the tag and the Spot. The tag remains available in the register, and reading it no longer opens this Spot. Simply replacing or detaching a tag does not delete the Spot's details, tasks or previous read events, or change the Spot's status. Previous read events remain associated with the Spot that was read.
Verify the saved attachment
Reopen the Spot's form and check the Tag field. After attaching or replacing a tag, it should show the surface number you selected; after detaching a tag, it should be empty. Check this after a save error as well. When replacing a tag, the old attachment may be removed before the new one is made, so you cannot assume that the old tag remains attached if an error occurs. A success message alone does not confirm that the correct tag is attached either.
Once the form's details are correct, read the physical tag using the mobile app's normal tag-reading function and check the name and details of the Spot that opens. Follow Opening a Spot with an NFC or QR tag, which describes the reading functions on Android and iOS and the phone and camera requirements. A normal read verifies the attachment; it is not a tag attachment function. A successful read that identifies a Spot also records a new read event.
Why can't I find the tag, or why does it open the wrong details?
The surface number is not in the list. Check the full number and wait for the list to load. The tag may already be attached elsewhere, it may not yet have been added to Spotilla, or your permissions may not cover it. Ask an administrator to check the tag's details and current attachment before making a change.
The tag opens another Spot or folder. Check both the tag attached to the physical device and the tag selected in the reopened form. If the surface number is correct but the read opens the wrong item, ask for the tag's Internal ID to be checked as well. Do not enter information in the item that opens until you have confirmed that it is the correct one.
Reading the tag reports missing permissions. Ask an administrator to check your permission to view the Spot. A tag attachment does not bypass permissions. A Spot marked as deleted cannot be opened by reading a tag either.
The saved selection is missing or incorrect. Check the attachment in the reopened form and ask an administrator to find out which item the tag is currently attached to. Do not assume from the save message alone that the replacement succeeded or that the old attachment was retained.