COUNTBENCH GUIDE
Counting modes, zeroes and recounts.
A count is only useful if everyone reads it the same way. CountBench keeps a few distinctions explicit so that a total, a zero and an uncounted item always mean what they say.
Enter total or Scan each unit
There are two counting modes, and the active one is always visible.
- Enter total, the default: scan or select an item, then enter how many are at this location. This sets the total. Entering a new total for the same item and location replaces the old one after you confirm it and give a reason; it never adds the two together.
- Scan each unit: every completed scan of a matching item adds one to the current pass. Choose this deliberately when items are scanned one by one.
Quantities are whole numbers. There are no pack or unit conversions: if you count boxes and singles, use separate item codes for each.
Zero is not the same as uncounted
An explicit zero means someone looked and found none. Uncounted means nobody has recorded that item at that location yet. CountBench shows them separately in review and in every export. When you finish, uncounted items must be counted, recorded as zero individually or left uncounted in a count closed as incomplete with a reason.
Unknown codes
In a catalogue count or a comparison, a scan that does not match a known item goes to review instead of being counted. Resolve it to the right item, or leave it unresolved. Unresolved scans are excluded from quantities and listed in a separate exceptions file.
Recounts
A recount starts a separate pass for the chosen item and location. The previously accepted total stays visible until you explicitly accept the recount, and the two passes are never added together. You can also discard a recount with a recorded reason. Both passes remain in the project history.
Blind and visible comparison
When you compare with a stock file, choose one of two ways of working:
- Visible: expected quantities and differences are shown as you count.
- Blind: expected quantities and differences stay hidden until someone chooses Reveal comparison. Revealing pauses scanning, is recorded and cannot be undone for that count.
Blind counting is a way of working, not a security control. Anyone with the original stock file, a project backup or the browser's developer tools can still see the expected values. Results exported before a reveal leave out expected quantities and say so.
Variances
A variance is the difference between the counted and expected quantity. CountBench labels it a variance, not a loss, theft or shortage, and does not decide whether your stock records should change. That decision stays with you and your stock system.
