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How to Use Questions

 

 

 

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(Do this tutorial after completing the Getting Started Manual Tutorials.)

You might want to Print this message by going to the Help "File" menu and choosing "Print".

 

After selecting items from you master Price Book to go into your bid, how would you like to be asked a series of questions (or questions) that relate to just those items selected? Do not try to figure out which ones to answer from an extensive list but just let the computer do the work! That's the reasoning behind Questions.

 

Questions are another name for memories, values, or any numerical figure that can be used for the Bid Item Quantities or, by using the Calculator’s Recall Answer... button, in any other numerical column; i.e., Unit Cost, Price Total, etc. They have NAMES called Codes which can be stored in every Item for later matching. They have larger Descriptions which can be used as QUESTIONS. And they have an ANSWER attached to each Question. These answers are stored with EACH Bid so you can finish the Bid another day and start where you left off. The Question descriptions and stored in the Price Book so they are available for every Bid.

 

Note: If you press List (the F7 Key, from the F1 menu, List on the Tool Menu, or the List Icon) on the Item’s Question Column, the Question List will be displayed. If you then press the Use F8 Key on a Question, it's Code will be brought back into the item, Not the value. To bring back the value, be in the Bid Item Quantity column before going into the Question List.

 

Here's how to make them work.

 

o.  Let’s go to the Question List by clicking on the Question Icon on the left view bar

o.  Enter a few questions that you need to answer when estimating a bid, i.e., What is the square foot SF of the lawn?. While entering the description, also add on the same line, the Bid Item Unit of measure, e.g., LF or SF.

o.  Now, enter a short (less than 8 characters) but distinctive name for each Question. An example could be "SF Lawn". Do not be too particular, you are just playing around.

o  Let’s build some Items in your master Price Book by clicking on the "Select from Price Book Item List" Icon on the left view bar.

o.  Enter these short dimensional names that you just entered in the Questions in the Item Question column for all the Items that apply to these questions. Remember, you are just experimenting.

Hint: Use the Find command to search for certain type of items. You may enter both a Question and a formula but the last value to be entered when you are in those views will be the result in the bid.

o.  Tag several of those items so we can transfer (Use) them in the bid. Press the PageDN key while watching the Question column for the ones you entered. When you see one, click in the tag column to tag it.

o.  Let’s use these tagged items into the bid. Press the Right Mouse Button and select "Use" to transfer.

Note: If you have the "Questions after selecting Items" option turned on in Options (Tools then Options menu), then the Question List will automatically be displayed before going to the Bid Item List and you can answer the questions there. (If you are back on the Bid Item List then go to the next step). If you entered Bid quantities while tagging then they will override the answers to the questions. Press the Right Mouse Button and select "Use" to transfer. If the questions were asked and you just follow the steps in this note then you are finished so skip the steps below.

o You should now be in the Bid Item List with a some tagged items, including the ones with the question names. Move to the Quantity column and press the Right Mouse Button and select "Choose from Checklist". Then choose the "Tagged" option.

o  There it is, just what we have been waiting for, only the tagged item's questions waiting for your answers, not all the questions. Go ahead, give them what they want. Feed them some answers.

o  Now press the Help key, and select "Use". The items' quantities have been changed by matching the question codes. Practice with the concept and you will have an automated estimating system.

 

Important Note: If an item uses a question code and you "Use" (pullback) that value to that item, any previous entered quantity will be changed. Be sure you tag only the items that you want "Question/Answer" changed.

 

Formula Parameters: In the Level 4 and Level 5 Systems, you can also use a Question Name as part of a Formula which calculates a value. You could have a Formula which calculates the number of studs needed for a wall, based on the Questions of Wall Length and Stud Spacing.

 

 

See Also: How to Set Up Automatic Questions


 

 

 

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