Edit Spreadsheet Layout Details window
You use this window to customize the appearance of the spreadsheet
to suit your needs.
In addition to the width, font, color, and other properties
of each column, you decide which columns are visible, how many columns
to lock (to prevent them from scrolling), and whether to show grid lines. After you set
up a layout for a particular purpose, you can save it to apply at a later
time.
Example
Example: You can set up an unlimited number of custom layouts to make
working in the spreadsheet more convenient. For example:
- Labor-only, material-only,
and subcontract-only layouts showing just the columns in a particular
category.
- A layout showing just the Location and WBS columns.
- An executive review layout
showing just the Takeoff Quantity, category amount, and Total Amount columns.
Open the Edit Spreadsheet Layout Details window in one of these ways:
- On the ribbon, on the Home tab, click [Edit].
- In the Spreadsheet Layouts window, click [Add] or [Edit].
- On the spreadsheet, right-click the sequence tab, and then click on the shortcut menu.
- In the Insert Columns window, click [Edit Layout].
For more information, click 
on the title
bar of the window, and then click a field or button.
Tips:
- To display the spreadsheet using a particular layout, select the layout
by name from the list box.
- When you display a , Sage Estimating (SQL) uses the layout you last applied to the sequence.
- You can change the order of the spreadsheet columns from this window. Select the column name you
want to move, and then click Reposition Column to move the column to a new location.
Items in this window
Grid elements
| Order |
Use these cells to establish the order in which you want the columns to appear in the spreadsheet. |
| Label |
Displays the name (up to 30 characters) of each column in
the spreadsheet. To enter a different name, double-click in the cell and
type in the new name. After renaming a column, you can use the original name or the new name.
You can also change the labels of converted columns in spreadsheet layouts.
Column headings for converted columns are marked by asterisks (*). The asterisks are replaced by the converted unit name in the spreadsheet and on reports.
We recommend that you do not use the asterisk for another purpose when labeling headers for converted columns in layouts, or you may obtain unexpected results.
Tips:
- To see the original name,
hold the cursor on that cell for a moment.
- To switch between the original
name and the new name, right-click and choose either of the names in the
shortcut menu. A ü appears next to the name being
used.
- To apply a different font
to the column name, right-click and choose Column Header Font. The Font
window opens so you can choose the font, style, size, effects, color,
and script.
- To change the font for everything
in a column except the header, click its Font button.
|
| Visible |
Determines whether a column appears on the spreadsheet or
prints on the Spreadsheet report. It is easier to review the information
in the spreadsheet if you hide columns that are unused or unrelated to
what you are doing.
Visibility of Grid Columns
|
o
|
Hides the column.
|
|
þ
|
Shows the column.
|
- You cannot change the visibility of Unit columns directly. Unit columns are visible on the spreadsheet and Spreadsheet reports only if the associated Quantity column is visible.
|
| Width |
Controls the width of a column on the spreadsheet or Spreadsheet
report. The width is given as a number of characters based on the system
font. Text and numbers are treated differently if an entry exceeds the
specified cell width:
- Text is cut off at the cell
border or moved to the next line based on the Wrap text option.
- Numbers are shown as pound
signs (###). To see the entire number, increase the column width.
Tip: On the spreadsheet, you can drag
the right border of the column header in either direction to change the width of a column.
|
|
Background color
|
Opens the Color window to choose a background color for a
column on the spreadsheet or Spreadsheet report.
Color is useful
for making a column more noticeable or highlighting the group of columns
within a category. You can choose a standard
color or define a custom color.
[Background color] or [Background] appears on the following
windows:
- Column Properties
- Edit Spreadsheet Layout Details
- Spreadsheet Report Options
- The Spreadsheet tab in the Options window.
|
| Font |
Opens the Font window to choose a font, style, size, effect,
color, and script for the selected parts of the spreadsheet
or a report.
Tip: You
must select a font to make the style, size, effects, color, and script
take effect.
|
| Override level font |
Select this check box if you want the column font settings to override the level font. This option is selected automatically when you change the column font.
|
| Number of decimals |
Select how many digits appear after the decimal point for
the selected numeric column. Values are truncated (not rounded) at the
specified number of digits.
Default numeric values
|
Quantities
|
2
|
|
Currency amounts
|
0
|
|
Conv/Productivity
|
3
|
|
Rate (Totals window)
|
3
|
Tip: Choose
Column Settings on the shortcut menu for the column header and click  to increase or decrease the number of decimals by one.
|
| Negative numbers in red |
Controls the color of negative numbers in a column on the
spreadsheet or Spreadsheet report. A red font can help negative numbers
to stand out.
Setting a Red Font for Negative Numbers
|
☐
|
Uses the column color.
|
|
☑
|
Uses red.
|
|
| Wrap text |
Controls what happens on the spreadsheet or Spreadsheet report
if the contents of a cell exceed the specified column width.
Truncating or wrapping cell contents
|
o
|
Cuts off text at the cell border.
|
|
þ
|
Continues on the next line.
|
Tip: To
see the wrapped text of an overline row in the spreadsheet, pull down
the bottom border of that row.
|
| Spreadsheet Grouping Column Settings (Visible, Width, Background color) |
You can set the width, background color, and visibility separately for spreadsheet grouping columns. |
Buttons
| Advanced |
Opens the Modify Advanced Settings window where you can specify fonts for each overline level for the layout. You can also select options to display horizontal and vertical grid lines.
|
| Restore Defaults |
Restores the layout to the default settings that come with Sage Estimating (SQL).
|
