> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.qrtub.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What Is a Collection?

> The entity that groups Items under one shared field schema, one link-generation rule, one scan default and one page design — and what deliberately sits outside it

A Collection is a group of Items that share the same set of fields, the same page design, and
the same rule for how new Links get created.

A Collection is more than a folder. Putting Items in the same Collection is what makes them
share a structure — add a "Service Hours" field to the Collection and every Item in it has that
field. That shared structure is the point; the grouping is a side effect.

Every Item belongs to exactly one Collection. An Item cannot exist without one, which is why
creating a Collection is the first thing you do in QRtub.

## What a Collection owns

Five things are set once on the Collection and then apply to every Item inside it:

| Setting             | What it decides                                                                                                                                                                       |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Fields**          | The columns every Item carries — the four core fields plus any custom fields you define. See [Core Fields vs. Custom Fields](/fields/core-vs-custom).                                 |
| **Link generation** | Whether a Link is minted automatically when an Item is created, and how its address is built. See [Link Generation for New Items](/collections/link-generation-modes).                |
| **Scan behavior**   | Whether a new Item starts in Direct Mode (straight to one Destination) or Page Mode (opens a page of several). See [Scan Behavior for New Items](/collections/scan-behavior-default). |
| **Page template**   | The one page design every Item in the Collection renders when scanned, unless that Item has its own override.                                                                         |
| **Details**         | Name, description, what to call one Item, and a cover image. See [Collection Details](/collections/collection-details).                                                               |

Two of these are defaults rather than rules: scan behavior and field default values can be
overridden on an individual Item. The field schema, the link-generation rule and the page
template apply Collection-wide.

## What sits outside a Collection

**Links live at the team level, not inside a Collection.** A Link can be created, printed and
deployed before any Item exists, and later assigned to an Item in any Collection on the team.
That separation is what makes the print-first workflow possible — and it is also why deleting a
Collection does not destroy its Links.

**Teams own Collections.** A Collection belongs to one team, and everything team-scoped —
members, billing, reserved numbered link patterns — is shared across all of that team's
Collections.

## Typical Collections

* **Heavy Equipment** — fields for serial number, make, model, service hours, site
* **Meeting Rooms** — room number, floor, capacity, AV equipment
* **Fire Safety Equipment** — type, location, inspection due, certification number

Splitting by Item type rather than by site or client is usually right: Items in one Collection
have to make sense sharing one set of fields and one page design.

## Related

* [Creating a Collection](/collections/creating-a-collection)
* [Starter Templates](/collections/starter-templates)
* [Collection Details](/collections/collection-details)
* [Deleting a Collection](/collections/deleting-a-collection)