General master data

Open Settings > Data > General to maintain the shared selections used by vehicles, accessories, decoder data, and exhibitions. Stable v0.1.20.3 provides eight data types.

Data-type reference

Data type	Used for	Type-specific fields
Manufacturers	Vehicle and article manufacturer selection, search-source matching	Name, nominal scales, website, search domains, aliases, source URL
Vehicle categories	Broad vehicle classification and inventory-number selection	Name, source URL
Vehicle types	More specific vehicle type or Gattung	Name, source URL
Epochs	Vehicle and exhibition era selection	Name, source URL
Gauges	Vehicle and article gauge selection	Name, source URL
Railway companies	Vehicle and exhibition operator selection	Name, source URL
CV8 manufacturers	Decoder manufacturer identity from CV8	Name, decimal, binary, hexadecimal, country
Function symbols	Images and descriptions for vehicle functions	Name, description, image

Every entry also has an active state, sort order, origin, immutable key, and timestamps in storage. The form exposes the fields relevant to the selected type. A new ordinary key is derived from the label. Editing a label does not change that key.

Search, sort, and inspect entries

Select a type, then use the local search box. It searches the displayed name, key, source values, and the type-specific manufacturer, CV8, or symbol metadata. It does not search vehicle or article records.

The table initially sorts by name. Select a sortable column to switch the sort key and select it again to reverse the order. It always shows active and inactive entries, their Bundled or Custom origin, and only the lifecycle actions allowed for that entry.

Use refresh after another administrator changes the same type. Loading a different type resets the current edit, search, and sort selection.

Deactivate multiple entries

Selection checkboxes appear only for active entries that may be deactivated. Select individual rows or use the table-header checkbox to select all eligible entries currently visible through the search. Existing selections remain selected when the search term changes, so the action bar always shows the total selection within the current data type. Changing the data type clears the selection.

Deactivate selected opens a confirmation with the data type and count. Only confirming sends the complete set to the server. RailKeeper processes it atomically: if an entry is missing or the operation fails, none of the selected entries changes and the selection remains available for correction. A successful operation clears the selection. Bulk reactivation is not available; reactivate inactive entries individually.

Maintain manufacturers

The manufacturer entry controls both selection labels and article-search hints:

• Nominal scales accepts the scales associated with the manufacturer.
• Website is the canonical manufacturer site.
• Search domains narrows preferred article-search sources. If the list is empty and the website is valid, the form derives its domain automatically.
• Aliases provide alternative manufacturer spellings for matching.
• Source URL records the provenance of the master-data entry itself.

Separate multiple scales, domains, or aliases as indicated by the field. Keep only manufacturer or catalogue domains in the preferred-domain list. Dealer, marketplace, redirect, and SEO domains reduce search quality. A warning in the table marks manufacturer entries that still need a proper website review.

Changing a manufacturer label does not rewrite the free-text manufacturer value already stored on vehicles, accessory articles, or exhibition entries. Review those records when correcting a label that is already in use.

Maintain CV8 manufacturers

CV8 identifies the decoder manufacturer through a decimal value from 0 through 255. Entering the decimal value derives the binary and hexadecimal representations; both remain visible and are normalized before saving. The optional country value is uppercased and limited to eight characters.

New entries receive an immutable key in the form cv8-NNN, for example cv8-151. The displayed name omits a redundant leading decimal number. RailKeeper links the official NMRA manufacturer-ID appendix above the list. Use that source before adding or correcting an identity.

Maintain function symbols

RailKeeper supplies 94 independently authored Werkstatt-Linie symbols. Eight are general fallbacks and 86 retain numeric ECoS function-description codes solely as compatibility metadata. The graphics themselves are part of RailKeeper and are not copied from the command station.

A symbol consists of a name, optional description, and optional image. Administrators can still create their own symbol keys and upload SVG, PNG, JPEG, or WebP images up to 1 MiB. The image is stored inside the entry's metadata, so it is included in master-data export and application backup.

Removing the preview from the form removes the image only when the entry is saved. Existing vehicle functions keep the symbol key. Deactivating a symbol prevents new normal selections while existing references remain readable. The exhibition workspace can retrieve active symbols without gaining general Settings access.

Create, edit, and retire an entry

1. Select the required data type and search for an existing equivalent.
2. Enter the name and the relevant source or type-specific values.
3. Select Add. RailKeeper creates a local Custom entry.
4. To correct an entry, select its edit action, change the form, and save.
5. To retire it, use Deactivate and confirm. Existing stored uses remain unchanged.
6. Reactivate the entry when it should return to new selections.
7. Use permanent deletion only when RailKeeper offers it for an unused custom entry.

Bundled entries can be edited and deactivated but not deleted. A referenced custom entry also cannot be deleted. If a write is rejected for Viewer or Planner, sign in with Admin or Editor authority instead of retrying the visible control.

Related pages

• Master-data administration
• Article master data and storage locations
• Inventory-number schemes
• Article search, web documents, and spare parts

Documented RailKeeper version

This page documents stable RailKeeper v0.1.20.3 and was last reviewed on 2026-08-28.