SYSTEM PREFERENCES
The following dialog is presented when the option System->Preferences or Defaults->Preferences is clicked:

Backup Preferences

These settings refer to Project Backups and Worksheet Backups (described below). A Project Backup is either a 'ZIP' style single file compressed backup (with a '<jobcode>.estzip' file naming format), or a 'COPY' which is an exact copy of the Project Folder. A Worksheet Backup is a copy of the original file, and is given the same file name but placed in a 'Backup' folder in the Project Folder.

Backup To
Click this button to select where the Project Backups are to be stored. The operating system File Manager will open, and you will be required to 'Select' the folder into which the backups will be placed.

Restore From
Click this button to select where the Project Backups are stored. The operating system File Manager will open, and you will be required to 'Select' the folder into which the backups have been placed.

Backup Projects on Close
This option MUST be ticked for the project to get backed up when it is closed.  Furthermore, the Project Default 'Backup on Close' must also be ticked.

Confirm Project Backup first
If this is ticked, then you will be requested to nominate which folder the backup is to be placed in, and the name of the backup. If this is not ticked, then the backup with a default name based on the job code will be created in the default file format (ZIP or COPY) with a default name based on the job code.

COPY Project Backup
Produce the backup in a COPY format if ticked, and in a ZIP sytle compressed format if unticked.  See above for a description of each type

Do a TIMED backup of worksheets every nnn minutes
This option refers to Timed Worksheet Backups and not Project Backups, and specifies how many minutes should elapse between backups (snapshots) of worksheet that is being currently edited. 'keeping the last nn' refers to the number of the most recent backups that are to be retained.

Key Settings

Enter moves to same column on next row
If not ticked, then the cell on the next line in the left-most column will be selected.
Tick this and whenever you hit the 'Enter' or 'Return' key, the program will activate the cell on the next line in the same column. If the current cell is on the last line, then another line will be created.

Pressing '(' enters '()' and '{' enters '{}'
Self explanatory.
One advantage of having these settings 'ON', is that it reduces invalid expressions being entered.

Project Settings

Do NOT Confirm Adding New RC's
This setting is no longer used.

Ignore Rerating project Before Printing

When this is OFF (unticked - the Default) the project will be Recalculated before carrying out any Printing operations if there has been an alteration to the project since the last Recalculate.
It is strongly recommended that this option is left ON.

Ignore 'Unresourced Item' errors
Items which are costed without the use of a resource will generate an error flag  .

Enable background Recalculations
Worksheets when changed will be recalculated 'in-the-background'

Spring Load 'RCList' Panel
When on, the RCList panel will be displayed ONLY during entry into the RC column. The panel will disappear when exiting the entry of an RC.

Show Compressed Workup Dimensions
This option applies when the option to show Workup Dimensions in reports is also ticked,  and alters the presentation of the dimensions. These dimensions come from the Quantity Workup sheet OR the CALC column for the item.

e.g  here are the entries for the 'DIM1', 'DIM2', and 'DIM3' columns, respectively, in a Quantity workup sheet:


6 welders + 2 labourers

5 weeks

9 hourday

If this option is selected, the expression in each of the columns is evaluated, and the result is then used to represent that column's entry in the printout. The printed form in the report will be similar to:

>> 12 x 6 x 9 = 648

If this option is NOT selected, the exact expression in placed into the formula for the 'ValueColumn' and included in the printout. The printed form in the report will be similar to:

>> (6 welders + 2 labourers) x (5 weeks |1) x (9 hourday|1) x (|1) = 648


Other Settings


Exit VJ after 'nn' Minutes of Inactivity

VJ will close any Projects currently open and exit if the program has been inactive for 'nn' minutes.

The purpose of this is to prevent users leaving the program running, e.g. at work, then going home and attempting to log in at home. The Account Server will not permit the same user to log in concurrently on two different computers.


Default Template Name

Click the text box and choose the Project from a list of Templates which you want to use as the Default Template showing when you create a New project