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building intelligence for intelligent building
LinkLine: Spring 2009

Product Q&A

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Q. I am having trouble emailing a large project file. Any suggestions?
A. The first thing to try is saving the project file to a zip/compressed file by selecting that option from the File menu. This will make the file you are trying to email a lot smaller. If the file is still too large, you can use various sites on the Internet to transfer files. A couple of sites we can recommend are www.yousendit.com and www.transferbigfiles.com.

Q. How can I tell the file name and location of the project I have open?
A. From the File menu, choose Summary Info. The file name and location are listed at the top of the Summary Info dialog box.

Q. When I create new projects, I always want to save them in a certain folder on my server. Is there a way to make the software save to that folder automatically?
A. Yes, you can specify a default directory where projects will be saved. To specify a default directory, open the software and close any open projects. From the File menu, choose Registration and Settings for SpecLink and Permissions for CostLink AE. In the dialog box, click the System Settings tab. The fourth field down is called Project Location. Click the yellow folder icon to the right of that field and navigate to the folder where you want your new projects to be saved by default. The next time you create a new project, the project will save to the specified folder when you type the name in the Save New Project dialog. If you want to save the new project to a different location, click the yellow folder icon to the right of the New Project line and navigate to the alternative location.

BSD SpecLink+

Q. How is LEED used within the Performance portion of SpecLink?
A. The Performance Specifications refer to the LEED Rating System document for environmentally responsible design criteria; certification is optional. For RFPs and early design documentation, PerSpective identifies which credits are required, which are desirable, and which are not required. The Design-Builder can be given the responsibility for performing the Certification documentation, or the Owner can assume that responsibility.

Q. Can I turn off the formatting for just one section?
A. If you want to turn all the auto numbering off in a section (not globally for the project but for the section only), have your cursor in front of the section title in the Document panel. Click and hold the Control, Shift, and End keys. This will select the whole section. Then go to the Document menu and click No Autonumber.

CostLink AE

Q. How can I email my CostLink/AE reports to someone who does not have AE?
A. Export the report(s) to a PDF file, Excel file, Word file, or Rich Text Format file. PDF files can be opened on any computer using Acrobat Reader and cannot be edited easily. Excel files can be edited in Excel, but keep in mind that the formulas are not exported; just the final report text and numbers will be in the Excel file. Word files can be edited in Word, and Rich Text Format files can be opened and edited in any word processor. To export your reports, Print Preview a report you would like to email. In the Print Preview window, click the export report button on the toolbar. Choose PDF, Excel, Word, or Rich Text Format. Follow the onscreen directions, including entering a file name and location. Once the export is complete, you can email the exported file as an attachment.

Q. What is construction priced locally?
A. In the Summary Information, Cost Summary tab, construction priced locally totals all user-added line items, and divides that total by the Project Size to calculate the Per Unit Cost. (The quantity and unit of measure displays from the General tab of the Summary Information dialog box.) Note: Location Adjustments and Sales Tax are not applied automatically to user added line items.

Q. Is there a way to copy an old estimate and then just change the project size to update the estimate?
A. No, there is no easy way to do that. However, you can achieve the results you are seeking by using the linking features in CostLink/AE to link the quantity of tasks to their parent folders, and link the parent folders to their parent folders. You could also link to Excel where you would enter the size of the building and any other factors that would be used to determine the cost of a different building. See Chapter 8 of the CostLink/AE User Manual for more information on linking CostLink/AE to parent folder quantities and to Excel. The manual can be found on the CD or at our website here.

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