Appendix A Overview of SpecLink-E Features - BSD · PDF fileAppendix A Overview of SpecLink-E Features ... standard is included under the Article “Quality Assurance.” ... and a

Appendix A

Overview of SpecLink-E Features

• Using BSD SpecLink-E on Design-Build Projects

• Using BSD SpecLink-E on Design-Bid-Build Projects

• Major Benefits of BSD SpecLink

• SpecLink-E Cloud Version

• File Menu and Ribbon Command Descriptions

A-2 Overview of SpecLink-E Features

Overview of SpecLink-E Features A-3

Overview of SpecLink-E Features

Using BSD SpecLink-E on Design-Build Projects

The Design Criteria sections and Outline mode are especially useful for design-build projects,

where documents can be produced to facilitate communications between an owner and a single

entity who will both design and construct a facility for that owner. The Short Form mode may

also be used by a design-builder to communicate with materials suppliers and subcontractors

during the proposal process or while refining the design after contract execution. And finally,

the Full Spec mode can be used by the design-builder to produce construction documents that

can be as sketchy or as detailed as necessary for project circumstances.

SpecLink-E promotes communication in the design-build arena by allowing the parties to

sequentially build a set of documents that will form the basis of their contract. In essence, and

no matter how formal or complex the process, they achieve agreement by exchanging a written

description of the proposed facility, which they alter until they can agree upon it.

The Design Criteria sections of SpecLink-E offer a relational database of performance-based

building descriptions that may be used to define:

• Requirements for entire buildings and their sites, which may be issued by the owner in a

requirements document or a more formal Request for Proposal (RFP).

• Proposals, prepared either in response to an owner’s requirements document or RFP or by a

design-builder working directly with an owner in a direct design-build relationship.

Because the objective of this process typically is execution of an agreement for design-build

services, SpecLink-E’s core of performance descriptions on the initial Design Criteria sections

are supplemented by a group of templates for producing a project manual. This project manual

incorporates—physically, electronically, or by reference—adjunct documents that delineate the

agreement and its conditions, as well as documents that further define the location, scope,

schedule, and cost of the work.

The Outline and Short Form modes include a comprehensive set of short form descriptive

specifications that can be used:

• By an owner to expand upon specific material requirements or prohibitions.

• By the design-builder to propose specific materials and systems to the owner in a proposal.

• By the design-builder to request materials suppliers’ and subcontractors’ proposals for

specific products or materials compliant with the project’s performance criteria and design

requirements.

The final Full Spec mode includes comprehensive construction specifications that can be edited

as necessary to produce very simple or highly detailed documents. Because data from all

previous decisions and text selections are retained as the SpecLink-E user moves forward from

one phase to the next, the specifications for each succeeding phase of the project are literally

built on top of the previous documents, thereby resulting in better coordination and reduced

production time for the construction specifications. In effect, the design-builder pre-edits the

construction documents in the final Full Spec mode through decisions that are made during

earlier phases of a project.


Using BSD SpecLink-E on Design-Bid-Build Projects

The final Full Spec mode includes data that has been used for years by thousands of

subscribers to produce specification construction documents—instructions to a contractor about

the quality of materials and workmanship required for a particular project. The first two modes

(Outline and Short Form) can now also be used for design-bid-build projects.

The Design Criteria sections are primarily useful to architects who provide programming

services, because the data on this tab is typically not tied to specific material and system

choices. Instead, it includes performance data on topics such as building security, energy

budget, aesthetics, maintenance issues, and environmental comfort. The Design Criteria

sections are therefore useful for producing a set of design criteria to accompany a schedule of

required spaces. The resulting documents typically do not specify particular materials or system

choices. Instead, the required performance of the various building elements is specified.

In some cases, users may choose to include lists of acceptable and/or unacceptable products to

augment the performance statements from the Design Criteria. For these lists SpecLink-E users

will utilize the Outline and Short Form modes.

Outline specifications are most useful for schematic design and/or design development

documents. In other words, they are primarily intended to establish with the owner the

project’s material and systems palette and the overall quality level. They are not intended to be

used for construction. As such, they consist primarily of the key Part 2 paragraphs that identify

and establish quality levels for major systems and materials. Part 1 paragraphs are almost

never used; the exceptions would include situations in which compliance with a broad quality

standard is included under the Article “Quality Assurance.” Similarly, it would be unusual to

include any Part 3 paragraphs in an outline spec. The exceptions would include situations where

a crucial installation standard or other quality consideration is specified.

For design-bid-build projects, short form specs from the Short Form mode are primarily useful

for creating design development submittals. The resulting specs are three-part specs that will

typically include both general information such as submittal requirements and fairly simple

installation requirements. In addition, there will be more detail under the Part 2 product

descriptions, including accessories and minor products that may not have been included in the

Outline specs.

On residential or light commercial projects where the design professional believes that highly

detailed construction specifications would be unnecessary or inappropriate, the abbreviated

specs produced through the Short Form mode can be used as construction documents.

The Full Spec mode, as previously described, has always been used to produce detailed

construction documents in CSI’s 3-part section format. However, if the user has previously used

the Outline and Short Form modes to produce schematic design or design development specs,

because data from all previous decisions and text selections are retained as the SpecLink-E

user moves forward from one phase to the next, the specifications for each succeeding phase of

the project are literally built on top of the previous documents, thereby resulting in better

coordination and reduced production time for the construction specifications. In effect, the

design-builder pre-edits the construction documents in the final Full Spec mode through

decisions that are made during earlier phases of a project.


Major Benefits of BSD SpecLink

Valuable Knowledge Base

SpecLink offers a database of over 600 specification sections that are augmented by over

151,000 built-in links. It also includes 42,000-plus context-sensitive notes to the specifier and

information about hundreds of reference standards cited throughout the database. Even without

the automation features of the software, this knowledge base is a very valuable resource to

draw upon when defining requirements for building construction.

Standardization

The organization of the data in BSD SpecLink-E follows CSI standard formats. The Design

Criteria sections are organized by building element (substructure, shell, interiors, etc.), rather

than by building materials. Sections for construction specifications are organized according to

the 2004/2012+ edition of CSI’s MasterFormat™. Instead of providing huge broad-scope

sections that are difficult to edit for specific projects, SpecLink’s content is primarily organized

into smaller medium-scope and narrow-scope sections. The organization of the individual

sections closely follows CSI’s SectionFormat™. Each section is organized into 3 parts: Part 1 -

General, Part 2 - Products, and Part 3 - Execution. The titles and the order of the articles within

each part also follow CSI’s recommendations. This standardized organization helps users

maintain their orientation during the editing process and helps constructors by assuring that

similar provisions are always found in the same place within different sections. Finally, the

default page format provided with SpecLink is based on CSI’s recommended PageFormat™, but

you can easily customize this layout or replace it with one of the other formats provided.

Comprehensiveness

The BSD SpecLink database offers master text for a comprehensive array of sections that

encompass all building-related divisions of CSI’s MasterFormat, plus representative introductory

documents that precede the specification sections. The specification sections are divided into

“non-proprietary” and “proprietary” documents. Those labeled as non-proprietary are based on

industry standards and do not rely on information from particular building product

manufacturers. In the Tree Panel of the Main Window, the titles for non-proprietary sections

appear in blue. The proprietary sections are based on products by sponsoring building product

manufacturers, and their titles appear in black. Sections that you create or copy appear in

green. Sections that appear gray in the Tree Panel are sections that you do not have access to,

according to your subscription type.

Automation

While relational databases are commonly used for construction scheduling and cost estimating

tasks, the application of this powerful tool to specifications documents is unique to SpecLink.

Some of SpecLink’s additional benefits include the following:

Outline and Short Form Modes: Users can select the Outline or Short Form Mode to view and

print only the paragraphs pertinent for an outline or short form specification. One office master

can be used to print in any of the three available Modes: Outline, Short Form or Full Spec.

Compare Projects Feature: You can automatically compare projects in SpecLink-E to clearly

show the differences between them. The Compare Projects feature allows you to compare

individual sections, divisions, or whole projects. This feature is especially helpful for addenda,

because it allows the design professional to issue a document that clearly shows the differences

from the original document. Additions to the original document or documents are underlined,

and deletions still appear, but are stricken through.


Global Options: You can replace the specific terms "Owner," "Architect," “Contractor,”

"Design-Builder,“ as well as the actual names for the Owner, etc., and many other terms

throughout your project, with terms of your choice -- automatically. User Defined Global

options can be created, modified, and inserted anywhere within your project. With one mouse

click, you can also establish the units of measure (English, Metric, or a combination) used

throughout the project. You can even change the formatting of your Section IDs from 00 0000

to 000000 or 00 00 00, with an optional separator between the digits.

Table of Contents: At project completion, the last document you print is typically the Table of

Contents (TOC). In BSD SpecLink-E there are two options, which are generated automatically.

There is an automatic Table of Contents report, and a separate section called “Table of

Contents.” The TOC report optionally includes page counts for all sections. The TOC section is

linked from all others so the titles of selected sections are automatically included.

Requirements Reports: There are over 30 special requirements reports available for project

management during the construction administration phase. Paragraphs within sections that

require Product Data Submittals or Shop Drawings, for example, are tagged with a special code.

When you have completed your specifications for a project, you can print a list of all sections in

the project that include paragraphs with the special code. You can also add tags to paragraphs

you have added to the project, assuring that data from those sections will be included in the

reports you generate.

Manufacturer Features: Hyperlinks are provided to the websites of the manufacturers listed

in SpecLink-E’s master database. The hyperlinks are located in the master note for each

manufacturer paragraph. When a spec is complete, the Manufacturer Listing requirements

report can be printed. This report lists by section and by product every acceptable

manufacturer listed in the specs. In addition, some manufacturer listings include an enhanced

listing or advertisement, in the notes window, with additional information about that

manufacturer’s products and multiple hyperlinks to various locations with relevant information.

Word Processing Features: You can choose an automatic paragraph-numbering scheme or

design your own. You can add customized headers and footers, using optional keywords for

variables such as section number and section title. You can change the font and other text

characteristics by paragraph level for your entire specification, using a custom Project

Template. You can select portrait or landscape page orientation. A find/replace feature allows

you to search for any word or phrase and replace it, if necessary. A spell checker allows you to

find errors in any text you add.

Notes that Don’t Get in the Way: Context-sensitive notes to the user are designed to give

you additional information about choices in the text, helping you make decisions appropriate for

your project. The notes do not affect your ability to read and understand the document text,

because they appear in separate Notes panels that can be turned on and off or resized. You can

also attach notes of your own to any paragraph, including paragraphs you have added. Notes

included in the SpecLink-E master can consist of text, graphic images, hyperlinks, or a

combination of text, hyperlinks, and graphic data. User added notes can also consist of text,

hyperlinks, and graphic data. Since notes will print only when you specifically request them,

there is no danger that they will be added unexpectedly to a printed document.

On-Line Help and Electronic User Manual: On-line Help in SpecLink is probably the best

way to get answers about the software quickly. Using Help, you can find information from the

Table of Contents or by using the index of Help topics. Much of on-line Help has been excerpted

from the User Manual, which is available in electronic format and may be accessed from the

BSD website. You can also load it onto your hard drive. Using the “find” feature in the edit

menu offers you a quick way to “thumb through” the manual electronically, to find something

you might remember reading but can’t find quickly in the hard copy. The most up-to-date

version is available on our website (www.bsdsoftlink.com) in the Download Center.


The benefits of SpecLink described above will improve the quality of your documents. The built-

in linking and the many productivity features also will gradually improve your speed. For further

information and suggestions on how to realize these gains, read the other chapters in this

manual, especially Navigating the SpecLink-E Environment, Link Concepts, File Maintenance,

and Master Project Concepts.

SpecLink-E Cloud Version

The SpecLink-E Cloud version is the same as SpecLink-E, except that all the software is

installed remotely. Subscribers to the cloud-based version can access SpecLink-E from any

device that provides Internet access, including iPads and iPhones. There are no known firewall

issues, and multiple users can easily collaborate on any project, regardless of where they

happen to be located on the globe. Another major advantage of SpecLink-E Cloud is the fact

that all hardware, software, and data maintenance and updating are the responsibility of BSD,

so all IT expense is included in the annual subscription price -- which also provides unlimited

telephone support. With that said, there are a few differences as noted below.

Differences between SpecLink-E Cloud and SpecLink-E

Using SpecLink-E Cloud is very much like using the desktop version of SpecLink-E. Because the

application is in the cloud, there are some differences in the way certain parts of the application

are handled. When you start the 2X client, in addition to the SpecLink-E icon, you will see an

icon for the SpecLink-E Cloud Help. This is an online file that outlines some of the differences in

using SpecLink-E Cloud, as well as additional instructions.

The primary differences are included in this list:

• Importing and Exporting Files: Because the application is on a remote server, you will need

to navigate to your local computer or server to find files that you want to import (such as a

section or an image, for example). You will also need to navigate to your local computer or

local network drive when exporting your sections. To find your local drive, you will need to

find the computer called tsclient under the Network icon. Once you navigate to the tsclient

folder, you can then navigate to any location available to your local computer. This will be

necessary when creating a new section from an RTF or DOC file, inserting an image into

your document or a project note, Saving to or Loading a Project from File, and exporting

sections. For details on how to navigate to this folder, see the SpecLink-E Cloud Help that is

available when you start the 2X Client.

• Some of the functionality that is normally handled by your IT department will be handled by

BSD, including installing updates to the software, backing up the projects database,

restoring the projects database, scheduling online updating for the BSD Master, running

Maintenance on the database, as well as running Repair Data, if necessary. Changes

typically made in the Registration dialog box will be made by BSD, including adjusting the

number of licensed users and allotted database size.

• All logs, including trace, error, update, etc., are stored in the Cloud and are not available to

you.

• Upon occasion, there may be times when the server is processing a request, but there is no

hourglass. This may happen when printing the entire project, importing a lot of sections

from another project (and then rebuilding project links), or updating a project. If you get a

message saying that the SpecLink-E Windows Client is not responding, click on Wait for the

program to respond and then wait for the program to respond.


File Menu and Ribbon Command Descriptions

File Menu

New Project… Use New Project to create a new project. The New Project dialog box opens with a field to enter the project name. Enter the project name, and click OK.

Open Project… Use Open Project to open an existing project. Projects that have been opened

on this computer are listed. If the project file you want to open is not listed,

click Open Project from the File menu to find it.

Copy Project… Copy Project allows you to reuse previous work without re-selecting master

text or options. The Copy Project dialog box opens. Choose the project to

copy. In the Specify a Name field, input the name for the new project. Click Copy.

Copy from

SpecLink+

BSD will need to convert your SpecLink+ projects for use in SpecLink-E.

Clicking this button opens a dialog box that contains instructions for contacting BSD Customer Support to begin the conversion process.

Delete Project… Use Delete Project to remove a project from the projects database. The

Project Selection for Delete dialog box opens. Choose the project to delete, and then click Delete. You are prompted to verify the deletion.

Summary Info Opens the Summary Info dialog box, which is where you enter the name and

number of the project, and establish global options. See the “Starting a New Project” lesson for details about the Summary Info dialog box.

Print Preview Use Print Preview to view how the currently active section appears when

printed with the current settings. To preview a section other than the

currently active one, choose Print from the File menu, choose the section to

preview, and then click the Preview button.


Print… Use Print to open the Print dialog box, where you can choose the section or

sections you wish to print or preview. To print a section other than the

currently active one, or to print more than one section, choose the project,

branch, or section to print, and then click the Print button. To print or

preview the draft copy or master text copy, first click the Document Drafts

tab, select the type of draft you want to print and then select the section

desired. Click the Print or Preview button. See the "Printing" lesson for details about printing sections.

Close Project Use Close Project to close the current project. If you have any sections

checked out, you will be presented with the Pending Check-ins dialog box. Click OK to check in all sections.

Recent Projects This area of the File menu displays recently used project files. You can open

one of these files by clicking on it.

Home Tab

Cut The Cut command removes blocked text to the Windows clipboard. Or if the

cursor is blinking in a user added paragraph, the Cut command removes

the entire paragraph including any subparagraphs, notes, target links, and

choices. You can also use the key combination CTRL+X to cut.

Copy This command copies the current selection to the Clipboard. Or if the cursor

is blinking in a paragraph, the Copy command copies the entire paragraph

including any subparagraphs, notes, target links, and choices. You can also use the key combination CTRL+C to copy.

Paste This command pastes the current content of the Clipboard to the cursor

location. You can also use the key combination CTRL+V to paste.

Delete Use this command to delete the current selection. If text is blocked, the

blocked text will be deleted. If the cursor is blinking in an edited master

paragraph, the edited version of the paragraph will be deleted. If the cursor

is blinking in a user-added paragraph, the entire paragraph including notes,

target links, subparagraphs, and choices will be deleted.

Undo The Undo function allows you to undo typing and certain other changes to

your section. To undo your edits, choose Undo from the Home tab or Quick

Access Toolbar. The software maintains a separate Undo Stack for each

open section that remains in effect until you close the section. You can also

use the key combination CTRL+Z to undo.

Find/Replace Use Find to locate or replace a particular word or phrase in a section or the

project. The command opens the Find dialog box. Enter the text you want

to find in the Find What field, and the replacement text, if applicable, in the

Replace With field. Choose the direction of the search and click on the

Match Case modifier, if necessary. Choose Find Next to move to the first

and subsequent occurrences, choose Replace, as applicable, to substitute

occurrences with your replacement text. Change the Look in to change the

scope of the search from Current Document to Current Project.

Spelling The Spell Check allows you to check the spelling for the active section.


First Clicking this button moves the cursor to the beginning of the section in the Document Panel, regardless of the current cursor location.

Previous Clicking this button moves the cursor to the immediately preceding

paragraph of the same hierarchy level of the section in the Document

Panel. For example, if the cursor is on an article title, this button moves the cursor to the previous article title.

Next Clicking this button moves the cursor to the immediately following

paragraph of the same hierarchy level of the section in the Document

Panel. For example, if the cursor is on the title of the Performance part of a section, this button moves the cursor to the Products heading.

Last Clicking this button moves the cursor to the last paragraph of the section in the Document Panel, which is normally the “End of Section” notice.

Restore

Paragraph

From Master / Project

Available only when the cursor is on an edited paragraph, this command

restores master text when a user-modified paragraph exists. Once this

option is chosen for a given paragraph, the command toggles to Restore Paragraph from Project.

Add Paragraph The Add Paragraph command inserts a blank paragraph in the document at

the cursor location, moving current text downward. The new paragraph

inherits the hierarchy level of the paragraph at the original cursor location.

To change the hierarchy level, see the last group of commands on this menu or click on the Demote or Promote toolbar buttons.

Remove Paragraph

This command deletes a user-added or a user-edited paragraph. In the

case of an edited paragraph, the master text is restored. In the case of an

added paragraph, any user-added subparagraphs are also deleted. You are

asked to verify the deletion before proceeding.

Auto Select New

This command is a toggle. When selected (default setting), when you add new paragraphs they will automatically be selected by a checkmark.

Demote Paragraph

This command increases the hierarchy level of a paragraph by one, unless

the change would result in an illegal gap between adjacent paragraphs (a level 3 paragraph cannot be followed by a level 5 paragraph, for example).

Demote Branch This command increases the hierarchy level of all paragraphs in a branch by

one, unless the change would result in an illegal gap between adjacent

paragraphs (a level 2 paragraph cannot be followed by a level 4 paragraph, for example).

Promote Paragraph

This command decreases the hierarchy level of a paragraph by one, unless

the change would result in an illegal gap between adjacent paragraphs (a

level 5 paragraph cannot be preceded by a level 3 paragraph, for example).

Promote Branch

This command decreases the hierarchy level of all paragraphs in a branch

by one, unless the change would result in an illegal gap between adjacent

paragraphs (a level 4 paragraph cannot be preceded by a level 2 paragraph, for example).

Copy Note Copy Note will place a Project or Master Note, if one is present for the

currently-selected paragraph, into the paste buffer for pasting into other paragraphs.

Paste Note Will paste a Project or Master Note (if one is currently in the paste buffer)

into the currently-selected paragraph as a Project Note. Any current Project Note will be replaced.

Delete Note Will delete a Project Note in the currently-selected paragraph.


Show The Show button will open the System Monitor, which will display the status

of the following: SpecLink-E Version; Renewal Date; SQL Server Service

status; Available Disk Space; Available memory; Number of projects in your

Projects Database; Active Users who have sections checked out; and any Critical Warnings (currently under development).

Insert Tab

From Template This command creates a new section built on a template organized into

CSI's Three Part Format, with all major article headings and standard "boilerplate" text for many articles in Part 1.

From .Doc This command creates a new section by importing a Word document.

From .RTF This command creates a new section by importing a rich text format (RTF)

file.

Import from

Project

This command opens a dialog box that allows you to import one or more

sections from any other project into the current project.

Look for Choice

Fields

This command is a toggle. If toggled on, when using From RTF or From

.Doc, brackets and “greater than” and “less than” signs will be used to create new choices in the imported text. See Lesson 5 for details.

Table Use this command to insert or delete a table.

Row Can be used to insert a new row into the table either above or below the current row. The row can also be deleted with this command.

Column Use these commands to insert or delete columns, or to align the contents of the column left, center or right.

Cells Use this to merge and split table cells.

Select Selects a table, row, or cell to apply text formatting.

Split Use this to split the table into two or more tables.

Gridlines Adds or removes a border for the table.

Make Header Row

Allows you to designate one or more table rows as the header for this table.

If the table spans more than one page, the header row will be repeated at the top of subsequent pages.

Image Inserts a .bmp, .wmf, .png, .jpg, .jpeg, or .gif file into the section above where the cursor is positioned.

Hyperlink Use this command to insert a hyperlink into a user added paragraph or into

an edited master paragraph.

SpecLinks The Links command opens the Links floating window. You can resize and

move the window to suit your needs. Use the Links window to check the

status of links to and from the current paragraph, and create user links with

the Target Links tab. Clicking the Close button removes the Links window

from the screen, but the next time you select the Links command, the window reopens in its most recent size and location.


View Tab

Full Spec The Full Spec dropdown may show Full Spec, Short Form, or Outline Spec. Clicking the dropdown allows users to switch to one of the other modes.

All paragraphs are included in the Full Spec view, including the Outline and

the Short Form tagged paragraphs. Use this dropdown to change the view to Full Spec, Short Form, or Outline Spec. Full Spec displays all paragraphs.

Short Form Short Form specifications may be used for design development submittals.

Use this dropdown to change the view to Full Spec, Short Form, or Outline

Spec. Short Form shows only paragraphs tagged as Short Form and Outline

Spec.

Outline Spec Outline specifications are most useful for schematic design and/or design

development documents. Use this dropdown to change the view to Full

Spec, Short Form, or Outline Spec. Outline Spec shows only the paragraphs tagged as Outline Spec.

Normal The Normal dropdown may show Normal or Selected. Clicking the dropdown

allows users to switch between Normal and Selected view.

In the Document panel, Normal view shows all text, regardless of status.

Selected In the Document panel, Selected view hides all inactive paragraphs (those that will not print).

All Levels The All Levels dropdown may show All Levels, To Level 1, To Level 2, or To

Level 3. Use this dropdown to select the paragraph levels that will show in the document panel.

Use this button to expand the current section in the Document panel to its

full extent, showing all paragraphs regardless of level.

To Level 1

To Level 2 To Level 3

These three options expand or collapse the current section in the Document

Panel to the specified hierarchy level. For example, the To Level 3 button

shows all paragraphs with hierarchy levels 0 through 3 and conceals all paragraphs of levels 4 through 8.

Zoom 100% Zoom view allows you to temporarily change the percentage zoom of the

display of your section in the Document panel. 100% is the default zoom.

Project Tree The Project Tree command is a toggle that hides and reveals the tree panel

only. Choose this command to hide the tree panel, leaving the notes panels visible. Choose it again to turn the tree back on.

Master Notes The Master Notes command is a toggle that hides and reveals the master

notes panel only. Choose this command to hide the master notes panel,

leaving the tree panel visible. Choose it again to turn the master notes

panel back on.

Choices Choices is a command to toggle the display of the Choices flyout panel. If the panel is toggled off, the Project Notes flyout panel will still be visible.


Project Notes The Project Notes command is a toggle that hides and reveals the project

notes flyout panel. Choose this command to hide the project notes panel,

leaving the choices flyout panel visible. Choose it again to turn the project notes panel back on.

Reference Standards

Reference Standards is a command to toggle the display of the Reference Standards flyout panel.

Origin This column indicates the origin of each paragraph. If a master paragraph

has been edited or if the paragraph is user created various icons will appear

in this column. Click to conceal this column; click again to reveal the origin column.

Paragraph Level

Each paragraph in the Document Panel has a hierarchy level. This level is

graphically indicated in the LVL (Level) status column. Click to conceal this column; click again to reveal levels.

Sequence

Number

In the Document Panel, sequential paragraph numbers are assigned to all

paragraphs in a section, including those that are user-added. Their

referential integrity is maintained automatically by the software, so these

numbers are useful when tracking links. The Sequence Number command is

a toggle. Click to conceal the status column with sequence numbers; click

again to reveal them.

Spec Type Tags The Spec Type Tags column displays a tag based on whether the paragraph

is part of the Outline, Short Form, or Full Spec mode. Click to view the Spec

Type Tags, which is one of the Status Columns in the Document Panel; click again to conceal the column.

Requirements

Tags

The Requirements Tags column displays a tag based on whether or not the

section is part of a Requirement Report. If a section includes an active

paragraph with one of these tags, it will be listed in the appropriate

Requirements Report. Click to view the Requirements Tags, which is one of

the Status Columns in the Document panel; click again to conceal the

column.

User Defined Tags

The User Defined Tags column displays a tag that was defined by a user. If

a section includes an active paragraph with one of these tags, it will be

listed in the appropriate User Defined Tag Report. Click to view the User

Defined Tags, which is one of the Status Columns in the Document panel; click again to conceal the column.

New Window To open a second instance of the same section within the same project.

This is helpful when creating links from one part of a section to another part of the same section.

New Horizontal

Tab

Use this command to separate two or more sections into separate windows

so you can see both (or more) at the same time.

New Vertical

Tab

Use this command to separate two or more sections into separate windows

so you can see both (or more) at the same time.

Start Page Use this command to re-open the My Start Page if you have closed it.

Back When you click on a link within the Start page, if you want to go back to the previous page, use the Back icon in the Start Page group of the View tab.

Forward When you click on a link within the Start page, if you want to go forward to

the next page, use the Forward icon in the Start Page group of the View tab.


Project Tree Tab

Cut Use Cut to move a user created section from one folder to another.

Copy Use Copy to make a duplicate of any section whether a master section or user created section.

Paste Into Use Paste Into to paste in the Cut or Copied section to the appropriate

location.

Delete Use this option to delete any user created or copied section from your project.

Refresh Tree Use this command to retrieve the current status of the Project Tree. If

multiple users are working in the same project, changes made to the status

of sections and folders in the Project Tree will only be visible by using

Refresh Tree, or by closing and reopening the project.

All Use All to open the entire tree to its full extent.

One Level One Level collapses the tree down to show only the Level 1 folders which

are the division folders.

Two Levels Two Levels expands the tree to show the subfolders under the division folders.

Branch Use this command to open the current branch of the tree to its full extent.

Expand on Refresh

This command forces the Project Tree to expand completely after a refresh or other command is performed on the Project Tree. It is off by default.

First First moves focus to the first folder in the tree.

Previous Previous moves focus to the previous folder in the tree.

Next Next moves focus to the next folder in the tree.

Last Last moves focus to the last folder in the tree, regardless of the current level of expansion.

Down One Level

Use this command to move focus to the first child of your current location in the tree.

Up One Level Use this command to move focus to the parent of your current location in

the tree.

Documents Tab

Check In and Close

Check In and Close closes and unlocks the document and makes the section available for check out by someone else.


Pending Check-Ins

Use this icon to see a list of sections that are checked out by you in your current project.

Close and Lock Allows you to close the section, but leave it checked out to you, so that nobody else can edit the section.

Single Click to

Open

Allows you to check out a document with a single click, rather a double

click. Single Click to Open is the default setting (as shown by the light

orange background on the menu choice) when the software is installed. Click on the command to change to using a double-click to open a section.

Ask Before Checkout

When Ask Before Checkout is on (as shown by the light orange background

on the menu choice) you will be prompted to either check out the section or

cancel the action. When it is off, single or double clicking (depending on

your setting of Single Click to Open) will automatically check out the

section. Click on this button to turn off the setting; click on it again to turn

the setting back on.

Refresh Document

This command will display the accurate status of the document in the Document Panel.

Revert to Master

Revert to Master will remove all user edits, additions and selections, returning the section to an unedited state. There is no Undo for this action.

Mark Place Use Mark Place to insert a bookmark at your current location in a section.

You can then move elsewhere in the section and later use the Return to

Mark command to return to your marked location.

Return to Mark Use Return to Mark to move back to a bookmark placed elsewhere in a

section using the Mark Place command. If no mark has been set in the current section, the Return to Mark command is not available.

Rebuild

Document

Links

Use Rebuild Document Links in the Documents tab/Manage group to refresh

the links for the section you are working in. You can rebuild the links for the

entire project by using the Rebuild Project Links in the Tools tab/Projects group.

Show All Editors

Display the user name and date of the most recent edit for each paragraph where that information has been captured. Corporate version only.

Select Editors Display a dialog with a list of users. Corporate version only.

Section Listing

with Last Edit Date

Displays a list of sections with the last edit date. You may then print or export the list to Excel. Corporate version only.

Format Tab

Edit Templates This command opens the Project Templates dialog box which allows you to view and create Project Templates, and to view, edit and add Styles.

Project Template

This command allows you to select the template that most closely matches what you need.

Use for Section This command allows you to select a template for the active section that is different from the rest of the project.


Header/ Footer This command opens the Customize Header/Footer dialog box, with tabs

that allow you to switch between Header and Footer, for the Project

Specifications, Requirements Reports, Table of Contents report, and individual (current) section.

Page Setup Use Page Setup to establish format parameters for the project, including

margins, orientation, paper size, and more. See the Printing lesson in this manual for details.

Page Break Inserts or removes a page break before the current paragraph. A dark line

appears in the document above any paragraph that has a page break. The

paragraph must be active and must not have an NP or NS tag in order for the page break to work.

Bold Use to toggle the Bold characteristic on and off for the current text selection.

Italic Use to toggle the Italic characteristic on and off for the current text

selection.

Underline Use to toggle the Underline characteristic on and off for the current text

selection.

Strikeout Use to toggle the Strikeout characteristic on and off for the current text selection.

Font Shows the font being used at the current cursor location.

Size Shows the font size being used at the current cursor location.

Center Center the currently selected paragraph(s) between the margins.

Left Align the currently selected paragraph(s) to the left margin.

Right Align the currently selected paragraph(s) to the right margin.

Tabs Set tabs for the currently selected paragraph(s).

No Autonumber This toggle allows you to turn off or on the autonumbering feature for the current paragraph or for multiple selected paragraphs.

Data Tab

Global Terms Use this option to create user defined Global Terms. You can create as many Global Terms as you like.

User Tags Use this option to create user defined tags. You can create as many user defined tags as you like.

Reference Standards

Use this option to open the Reference Standards Manager.


Tools Tab

Save Project to

File

Use this command when you want to save a single SpecLink-E project to a

file.

Load Project from File

Use this command to import a project that was saved to a file.

Project Archive Use this command to send projects from the Projects Database to the Archive Database.

Spell check Project

Allows you to check the spelling of the entire project.

Rebuild Project Links

This command will refresh links for the entire project and may take a significant amount of time, depending on the size of the project.

Compare

Projects

This command opens a dialog box that allows you to compare two projects,

showing the differences between them on screen or in a printed report.

Verify

Document Sequencing

This process will attempt to fix the corruption in all sections of the currently

open project. This process will also optimize the tables in the project. It will

also fix any "bad hierarchies" which sometimes result from pasting information in from a word processing document.

Verify Spec

Type Tags

This process will check your project for Spec Type Tags that are not valid

(all Outline (OL/UO) tagged paragraphs must have OL tagged parents).

Update Current Document

Update the selected document(s) to the latest Master Database.

Update

Selected Documents

Use this command to update selected sections to the latest changes in the master database.

Update

Reference Standards

This allows you to accept the updates for all Reference Standards (tagged

RS) in all sections of your project at once, after having opened a project

without updating. With this option, you can accept the Reference changes quickly, and then review the other updates individually.

Update

Manufacturer

References

This allows you to accept the updates for all Manufacturer Listings (tagged

ML) in all sections of your project at once, after having opened a project

without updating. With this option, you can accept the Manufacturer changes quickly, and then review the other updates individually.

Compare to Update

Show a comparison of the current paragraph with its proposed Master update.

Find Remaining Flags

Use this tool to see a listing of all red-flagged paragraphs that must be removed individually.

Register

Product Online

Click on this option to open the Registration window. You will enter your

EID into this window to gain access to the software.

Assign System Roles

Turn on system level security, identify user, and set user roles. Available only in the Corporate Edition of SpecLink-E.

Unlock Documents

Allows you to view all checked-out sections in the projects database and release a section, so that it is no longer checked out to that user.


Define System Roles

Define System-level security (Corporate version only).

Division Editing Rights

Restricts the divisions that selected users have editing access to.

Restore Default This will restore all user settings and preferences to the default settings

(per user).

Flyout Panels

Project Tree The Project Tree panel contains the spec sections in your project. Use the

Project Tree panel to open sections, manage the content of the subdivision

folders, and change section IDs and titles.

Master Notes The Master Notes panel is where you view the master notes. You can view the master notes, but they cannot be edited.

Project Notes The Project Notes panel is where you view, add, and edit Project Notes.

Choices The Choices flyout panel is where you create or edit the choice terms for

your documents. You place the choice terms by dragging them into the document panel.

Reference

Standards

The Reference Standards flyout panel is where you select reference

standards by clicking and dragging them into the paragraphs where you need the references to appear.