Estimate Categories

Residential Estimator associates a category with each estimate you save. Categories display as follows:

To select a category, click the

button in the category display box to display a list of available categories, then click on the desired category to select it.

Residential Estimator is delivered with two standard category, ESTR and Examples. Categories correspond to the multiple databases available in previous versions of the program.

Adding Categories
You can add a new category at the following times:

When initially saving an estimate using the Save option in the File menu.
When saving an existing estimate using the Save As option in the File menu.
When importing estimates using the Import option in the File menu.
When changing estimates from one category to another using the Change Category option of the Category Maintenance option of the Tools menu.

To add a category:

Click the Add Category button next to the category name:
Type the new category name, then click OK:
The new category automatically displays:

Deleting Categories
To delete a category:

Select the Category Maintenance option in the Tools menu, then select the Delete Category option:
When the following displays, use the drop-down list to select the category to delete:
When the message "Are you sure you want to delete this category?" displays, click OK.
If any estimates have the category you are deleting, the following message displays: "You cannot delete this category since it currently contains estimates. To delete this category, you must first use Delete/Archive to delete all estimates in the category, or use Change Category to mofe the estimates to a different category."

Click OK in response to this message. Before deleting the category, you must do either of the following:

In the Tools menu, select Category Maintence, then Change Category to move the estimates to another category.
In the File menu, select Delete/Archive to delete the estimates.

Changing Categories
To move estimates from one category to another:

Select the Category Maintenance option in the Tools menu, then select the Change Category option:
When Residential Estimator displays the Category Maintenance: Estimate Selection screen, select one or more estimates to move from one category to another as follows:
- Select a Category: Use the category name drop-down list to select the category containing the estimates to move.
- Search for Estimates: Use the Estimate Search Tabs at the bottom of the screen to enter any appropriate selection criteria, and click Find Now to display estimates matching the criteria.
- Select Estimates to Move: In the Estimate Listing Grid at the top of the screen, click anywhere in the row of an estimate to select it. Then, Shift-click or Ctrl-click on the rows of additional estimates to select groups of estimates or other individual estimates. You can also click Select All to select all estimates in the Estimate Listing Grid. Residential Estimator highlights the estimates selected. If you wish to remove the highlighting from an estimate, simply Ctrl-click on that estimate.

Click OK to continue.
Residential Estimator displays the Category Maintenance screen:

Use the "To This Category" drop-down list to select the category to which you want to move the estimates. If the desired category is not in this list, use the Add Category button to create a new category.

Click OK to begin the move.
When the move is complete, Residential Estimator displays the message "Estimates were moved successfully. Click OK to continue.