The Start View is Estimator's landing page - the first thing you’ll see when the application launches, and the first contact you will have with your estimates.
It features a search function and filtering options designed to help you locate and your organize projects in an intuitive way.
NOTE: In the Estimates tab, the Filter and Search buttons are only available after you enter a search term into the search bar.
In the first section, we’ll offer a few simple ways to find your estimates faster. Then, in section 2, we’ll move on to the filtering tools and how to make the most of them.
Click here to skip to Section 2: Filtering Your Estimates.
1. Locating Estimates With the Search Feature
Keep Search Terms Short and Specific
When searching for estimates, it's best to keep your search terms as short as possible. A single word is best, but two or three are acceptable.
Database search does not work like Google. The search function will pull up all estimates with titles that contain any of the words or numbers in your search, regardless of the order you searched them. So, each additional word that you include in your search effectively widens the net, and will result in more estimates showing up in the results.
Pick Unique Words
When considering the word or words to include in your search, it's important that you try to search the most specific terms possible to find the estimate you desire.
Avoid generic terms like 'building' or 'office' since those are words that could turn up hundreds of projects.
Implement Estimate Numbering
In light of the above two points, some clients implement a system of assigning each estimate a unique estimate number that is included in the estimate name (Eg. Bank Office Project #1765).
Then, when the they need to pull up that project at a later date, they simply search the estimate number '1765'.
Estimates Vs. Recent Tabs
Users can search for estimates in the Recent tab or via the Estimate tab, and each can yield differing results.
Estimates Tab: The Estimate folder is a database-wide search. All estimates containing the words or numbers entered will be displayed. Read section 2 of this article for tips on optimizing your searches.
Recent Tab: When searching in the Recent Folder, the results will be restricted to estimates that exist in your recently accessed projects list.
The search data and subsequent results are narrowed in scope to only those estimates which you have previously accessed, which makes it fast and efficient.
Just remember that this is not a database-wide search, so if an estimate is not on your recent list, it will not be displayed in the results.
NOTE: Templates are not searchable in the Estimates Folder and can only be found under the Templates folder.
Searchable Data
Here is a list of the components within an estimate that are searchable (and those that are not):
- Name (Estimate) – searchable
- Project Name – searchable
- Client - searchable
- Address - searchable
- City - searchable
- State – searchable
- Zip – searchable
- Estimate Number - searchable
- Project Type – where is this entered (Project View) searchable
- Project Status (aka Estimate Status) - searchable
- Create Year - (2024, 2023, etc...) - searchable
- Version – not searchable
- Notes – not searchable
- Created – not searchable
- Updated – not searchable
- Updated By – not searchable
- Total Cost - not searchable
- Total Cost/Area - not searchable
- Direct Cost - not searchable
- Direct Cost/Area - not searchable
2. Filtering Your Estimates
Filtering options are accessible via the Filter button (highlighted below).
Click the Filter button to reveal a list of filter properties.
To filter your estimates by a specific property, use the left mouse button to drag-and-drop it into the header above the estimate tiles.
You can add multiple filter properties to further organize the list.
To remove a property from the header, simply drag-and-drop it back into the filter list, or drag it up to the main menu ribbon to discard it.
Note that when you do the latter, discarded properties will also be removed from the Filters list. To restore discarded properties back to the Filters list, right-click anywhere in the list and click Show Column Chooser.
In the Column Chooser, click the checkboxes next to any unchecked properties to restore them to the Filters list.
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