• this shows an expanded 'tree list' of the items found in the project. Each entry found is listed with the 'path through each worksheet' necessary to locate the entry. 
• CTRL+click on any entry, and the program will open up all worksheets and sub-sheets necessary to locate the entry. Furthermore, in each worksheet and sub-sheet, the program will locate the entry for you

Search and Replace

If you want to find out where in the project you have used a particular resource or text phrase, and then replace it with another resource code or text phrase, carry out the SEARCH as described above, and then when the 'Location List' (as shown above) appears, do the following:

• Replacing Resource Codes
• Enter the replacement Resource Code in the text field at the bottom and click 'Replace' (your entry will automatically be converted to Uppercase if it is not already)
• Click 'Yes' to confirm the replacement or 'No' to abort
• Click 'Yes' if you want to replace the Resource Code in your Resource Library as well, or 'No' to skip that step
• A Message will then come up confirming that they have been replaced

• Replacing Text Phrases
• Enter the replacement Text (case dependent) in the text field at the bottom and click 'Replace'
• Select which entries you want to be replaced
• make no selection and ALL entries will be replaced
• click on an entry, and ALL entries at that level and down will be replaced
• click on an entry and then SHFT+click on another entry to select ALL entries between them, and ALL selected entries at that level and down will be replaced
• CTRL+click on non-contiguous entries, and ALL selected entries at that level and down will be replaced
• Click 'Yes' to confirm the replacement or 'No' to abort
• A Message will then come up confirming that they have been replaced

 

FINDING/DISPLAYING UNCOMPLETED ITEMS IN AN ESTIMATE

This can be accomplished in one of two ways.

OPTION 1:

This is the preferred option and revolves around the following worksheets containing a column headed as 'Completed':

Section Names (mandatory)

Estimate Section Worksheets (mandatory)

All other Worksheets (not supported)

Furthermore, there needs to be the formula "@COMPLETED()" in and only in the Section Names worksheet.

Initially ALL cost items and sections are marked as incomplete (the absence of a (tick) in the 'Completed' column).

Each time the user completes costing of an item in the estimate, the user simply clicks in the 'Completed' column on the same row as the item and a '' will appear - conversely if the tick is already in the cell then the tick will be removed.

A will appear in the Section Names worksheet against any Section where all the cost items in that Section have been marked as completed.

The following column characteristics are required for the 'Completed' column to function correctly:

OPTION 2:

It is a convenience in many cases to be able to 'mark' items as 'uncompleted'. The typical scenario is when you have started pricing an item and am unable to complete this due to waiting on some additional information to be supplied. Here you will leave this item and then move onto another item to commence pricing.

Later on, when the information becomes available, you will then revisit the item and complete the pricing.

However, you may end up with many items uncompleted, and not remember which ones and where.

This process is divided up into three steps - mark, find, unmark - each is described below.

Marking Uncompleted Items

All worksheets by default contain a 'F' column (Flag column) which is normally used with the flag '0' (zero) for 'omitting' items which have been priced in detail but are no longer required.

However, the 'F' column can have any entry you wish in there, so we suggest using the 'U' flag for UNCOMPLETED.

Consequently, if you start pricing an item, and need to leave it and move onto another, place the 'U' in the flag column next to this item.

Finding Uncompleted Items

When you need to find an uncompleted item or items, follow these steps:

1. Click the Projects->Search button
2. Turn ON the search for text option
3. Turn on the 'In Column' option
4. Enter 'F' in the column name text field
5. Click 'Search'

 

If any items marked as uncompleted are found, a window will open up listing these out. You can then click (while holding down the CTRL key) on any of the items listed, and the program will open up the Worksheet containing that item (and all parent worksheets if they exist), and activate the cell containing this entry 'U'.

You can then complete the pricing of that item, and when finished move onto another item in the list, by CTRL+clicking on it. This list will remain open and 'on top' until closed, so you may need to move it aside while working, or close it. When the list has been closed, you will need to re-execute the search to recreate the list.

UnMarking Uncompleted Items

Unmarking an item is the simple process of deleteing the mark 'U'

Corollary

The process described above can be applied to any number of scenarios.

e.g. You may mark items with a Subcontractor code requiring prices to be entered later when provided

 A report will then be printed listing all the items which do not have a 'C' entered in the Flag column.

DISPLAYING COST CATEGORY BREAKDOWNS ON-SCREEN

Where desirable, Worksheets can be set up to dynamically display ALL or SOME of the Cost Category breakdowns on-screen at the Section Level and/or below.

Requirements

Every worksheet shown below must have a Column for each of the cost categories to be displayed  (Note: You do not need to have a column for ALL, only the ones in which you are interested):

Section Names
Cost
Rate (especially composites)

NOTE: If the CC breakdown is required only on the Summary Sheet, then you only need to do the following to the Section Names worksheet.

Setting up the Worksheet(s)

All that is required to achieve this is the columns displaying each of the Cost Categories need to have the following attributes:

Displaying/Hiding made Easy

All the columns displaying the 'CC' totals (if present) can be hidden/shown all at once by clicking the 'Hide CC Totals' in the Project Window as shown below:



The option toggles between show/hide each time it is clicked.

PROCESSING ACCOUNT CODES

Generally

This option is used to code the estimate into a set of account codes, and generate a file which can be used by external applications to set up the initial Project Budgets for Project Cost Monitoring.

The file generated either:

• contains a series of line items in 'TAB separated value' format - '.txt'
• is an Excel Workbook - '.xls'
  Each sheet in this workbook represents one of the Account Code
  Click the option 'Create an Excel Workbook....' to choose this file type

Each line in the file generated represents a cost item in the estimate, and contains the following fields:

• Code of the source Estimate Section
• Account Code
• The Estimate Worksheet BQREF
• Resource Code
• Cost Category
• Item DESCRIPTION
• Item UNIT
• Item QTY
• Item RATE
• Item COST

Coding

Coding is carried out by either using an existing column, or adding a special column (Account Code Column), to each of the worksheets within the project. This column MUST exist at each worksheet level if the report is to include a breakdown of each cost item at that level.  If subsheets do not include the Account Code column, then all items in that subsheet will maintain the Account Code of the parent worksheet item.

The Account Code of the parent worksheet item can be overridden in subsheets by entering a different Account Code in the nominated Account Code Column. If a subsheet contains an Account Code Column, but no Account Code, then the Account Code of the parent worksheet will be used.

Coding Requirements

All items must be coded at least at the Estimate Worksheet level.

Coding at the subsheet level is ONLY required for those items in the subsheet that have a different Account Code.

If an item is not coded at the Estimate Worksheet level, a report will be generated and displayed at the end of the Account Code collection phase. These offending items will be required to be coded before this bridging file can be created.

The Account Code can be anything as long as it is alphanumeric - the program does not check these codes against a lookup list for validity.

Incorrect Account Codes can be easily found using the 'Project->Search' for text option.

Generating the Account Code Bridging File

1. Make sure that each Estimate Worksheet contains the column you will be using to code the items with
2. Click the 'Edit->Account Codes' button.
3. Click the Drop Down list on the right hand side and choose the column containing the Account code. The selected column will apear in the left hand text panel.
4. Click the option 'Create an Excel Workbook...' to generate a file type '.xls' or leave unchecked for file type '.txt'
5. When satisfied, click 'Use Selected' to proceed or 'Cancel' to abort.
6. If an error report appears, correct the offending items and then start at step 1. again
7. Done.

SECURING A PROJECT FROM ILLEGAL ACCESS

Projects can now be made 'SECURE' by allowing access to it by only those users of the 'Account Name' that created it.

Securing a project is achieved by ticking the  option 'Secure Project' in the Project Window adjacent the 'Backup on Close' option. If this option is ticked, this Project can only be opened by a user logged in with the same 'Account Name' as that which was active when this option was selected. NOTE: If you need to log in as TRIAL, then the project will not be available for opening.