Creating a Master Project File
Contents
1. e Divisions 0 and 1 only selected and edited for particular contract types NOTE When deciding what kinds of masters you will have keep in mind that you will have to update your masters four times a year when the quarterly update CD is installed To streamline the process of reviewing updates you may not want to include the same section in more than one master If you do you will have to review the updates twice for the same section For more information on updating see Chapter 11 Tactics for Developing Master Project Files Creating Format Masters If you want your projects headers and footers fonts numbering or other formats to be different from the default SpecLink formats create a master that contains the format changes that you need Or if you have clients who require particular formats create a format master for each client When you start new projects use the format master as the Project Source SpecLink User Manual 243 244 Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File Use the following steps to create a master that will contain custom formats 1 Start a new project with a name that makes it easily identifiable as a Master Project File that contains your company s custom formats 2 Fillin the options in Summary Info with what you usually use NOTE Do not make the specific terms blank Leave them filled in with the generic terms If you delete the specific terms in Summary Info then the places in t2. SpecLink User Manual 257 Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File open Look in a System ce Fienome EES Files of type Template Database SPT SPP ba Cancel LZ Open dialog box 5 Navigate to and select the appropriate format master 6 Click Open The System Settings dialog box reopens with the Template Database Location set to the new file 7 Click Apply and then OK 8 To test the change from the File menu choose New Project The New Project dialog box opens with the Project Source set to the file you selected for the Template Database Location Handling Updates 258 If you have one or more Master Project Files someone in your office should be assigned the responsibility for updating them before any new projects are started If you start a new project by copying the Master Project File before it has been updated the new project will have to be updated subsequently in a separate operation For details on specific updating procedures see Chapter 11 Updating SpecLink User Manual
3. 1 In your SpecLink project locate the paragraph that has the link you need to remove and click in the paragraph 2 From the Document menu choose Remove Document Link 3 Amessage opens to confirm that you want to remove the link Choose Yes The Word icon will be removed from the DL column Setting the Default Project Source 256 When you start new projects you can use your format master as the Project Source You can change this each time you start a new project as described in Chapter 4 Or as described in this section you can set the project source to default to your format master SpecLink User Manual Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File To set the default project source 1 Close all open projects but leave SpecLink open 2 From the File menu choose Registration and Settings The Registration dialog box opens 3 Click the Systems Settings tab Fysystemsettings o System Settings Security Database Location Ic SpecLink System S oftLink BSD Master Database Location C SpecLink System M aster SPM Template Database Location C SpecLink System M aster SPT Projects Location Ic SpecLink Projects Root Directory Path for Linked Documents p a a Reset Date OK Cancel Apply Registration and Settings dialog box system settings tab 4 To the right of the Template Database Location click the yellow folder The Open dialog box opens
4. creating a master project file from scratch re doing research that you already performed for previous projects you can incorporate the knowledge they contain into a SpecLink Master Project File using Import From Project to copy the sections into the Master Project File Sections that only exist in word processing format can be imported into SpecLink using Add New Section From RTF File see Chapter 4 However if SpecLink s master database has a corresponding section it is better to edit the SpecLink section to include your preferred language notes and additional provisions Use SpecLink s master sections whenever possible so you can take advantage of the quarterly updates that are made to the master Automated updating is not available for new content added to a section nor will it update new sections that you create Adding Text Here are some tips to keep in mind when adding text to your Master Project File Manufacturer Names and Brand Names Whenever you research and approve a manufacturer for a project add the name to the appropriate list in the appropriate section If you want the manufacturer always to be on the list for that product category select the paragraph If the manufacturer is not approved for all instances but would be acceptable for some don t select the paragraph Include a note indicating which product was researched and its acceptable applications Add Reference Standard Citations If You Use Them If you
5. note you can create a hyperlink at any paragraph that will automatically open Word and the associated document Establish Root Directory Path For Hyperlinked Word Documents The first thing you need to do is to establish the root directory path for all documents that will be hyperlinked to SpecLink Typically this path would be a folder on the network drive where SpecLink is installed If several people will be using your master project file the root directory path must be one that all users can follow otherwise they will not be able to open the linked documents To establish the root directory path for Word documents that will be linked to your office master project follow these steps 1 Using Windows Explorer create the folder where all hyperlinked documents will be stored For simplicity we suggest you establish a subfolder under your SpecLink folder 2 In SpecLink close all projects then from the File menu click on Permissions When the dialog box opens click on the System Settings tab 3 The last setting on the System Settings tab is Root Directory Path for Linked Documents Click on the browse icon for that setting and find the folder you created in Step 1 Click OK and the root directory path should appear in the setting Click Apply and then OK 4 Using Windows Explorer or Word place each document that will be linked to the master project file in the folder you created under Step 1 before you create a hyperlink to that d
6. paragraphs 5 In each section select PART 1 and PART 3 provisions to the level of completeness that you normally specify on projects of this type SpecLink User Manual Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File For instance if this is a small Master Project you may not normally include the full range of Quality Assurance provisions that are available if so do not select those paragraphs 6 Exclude paragraphs that involve products or procedures that you never want to use or want no one else to use on projects An excluded paragraph status box in a newly started section becomes a flag indicating a policy decision prohibiting its use You can also add a note in the Notes panel explaining your reasons for excluding the paragraph NOTE Use exclude as a flag where it will be helpful but do not exclude every section or paragraph that will not be used Excluding sections and paragraphs does not decrease the project file size 7 If there are language changes needed or additional provisions that are very common make or add them Also additional provisions can be added without selecting them making it possible to create options for lower probability occurrences without having them automatically included in new projects 8 Finally make notes in the section to yourself or project team members that explain office procedures and policy relating to specific paragraphs performance requirements or limitations or exp
7. Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File The first part of this chapter provides basic concepts about a Master Project File Later in the chapter you learn how to e modify existing projects e apply tags e create checklists using Non Printing Text e add references e add hyperlinks to and from Microsoft Word documents e establish the Master Project File as the default and e apply the quarterly updates SpecLink User Manual 241 Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File Overview The best way to think of a Master Project File is as a template A template is a foundation of commonly used sections text format options and preferences Using a Master Project you can complete a large portion of your work for a new project in much less time For example if your firm specializes in designing hospitals you can create a Master Project File that contains the sections and text required for hospital buildings Then you only need to customize for the specific current project In the same manner if your firm likes to have a particular look for its final printed documents you can establish the format and preferences in a Master Project File to ensure that all documents print the same Amaster contains any and all changes you would make for the types of projects normally encountered These pre edits can consist of pre selections of sections and or paragraphs that are commonly used as well as preferred language More than on
8. Chapter 5 Editing a Project for details about view options Project Settings In the master that contains your formats set the printing format and project defaults to those most commonly used This includes all the Project Summary Information settings except the project name and project ID the page layout headers and footers paragraph formats and font formats SpecLink User Manual Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File See Chapter 8 Printing for details about these settings and format options Protect Your Master s From Accidental Edits Since users on a network must have full access read write edit and delete to projects in order to use them as the Project Source and to copy sections from them using Import From Project setting limited rights to these files on a network is not a feasible way to protect your master files Try these methods instead e Change file extension to spt The only file extensions that can be opened and edited in SpecLink are spp and prs Files with the extension spt can only be selected as the Project Source Masters that you only use as the Project Source not ones that you need to use Import From Project to copy from can be protected if in Windows Explorer you change the extension from spp or prs to spt You and others will only be able to open and edit these files if they change the extension back in Windows Explorer e Keep backups of your masters where no other users can acces
9. a new reference 2 If you use the References article in Part 1 add a paragraph for the reference containing the full citation Tag the paragraph RS Reference Text Segment See the previous section of this manual for information on applying tags 3 If you use Section 01425 or 00840 in PerSpective to create a Consolidated List Of Citations and if this is a brand new reference add a paragraph in Section 01425 or 00840 containing the full citation 4 Create links from the paragraph in the body of the section to the paragraph you added under the References heading in Part 1 and to the corresponding citation in Section 01425 or 00840 See Chapter 6 for information on adding links Adding Checklists Checklists are created using three SpecLink features e Non Printing tags NP Non Printing and NS Non Selectable SpecLink Only e Links e Adding pictures to notes You can add paragraphs with questions and answers add pictures to the question and answer paragraphs to illustrate the options and then add links from the answers to the appropriate sections paragraphs and choices You make the questions and answers non printing by applying the NP and NS tags These tags allow the paragraphs to be active yet not print Remember that source paragraphs must be active in order to activate links to targets SpecLink User Manual 251 252 Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File Sample Checklists Anumber o
10. at clearly illustrate the available options Other supported file types along with directions for using them are listed below Adding Non Printing Text Where you put the non printing text is entirely up to you If you want the checklist to apply to the entire project you could either make a new section that only consists of questions and choices or add the questions and choices at the beginning of the Table of Contents You can also add non printing text at the beginning of sections to help edit the section or just before a list of choices within a section The point of a checklist is to help the user determine what text to include in the specification based on the questions and answers To make a checklist 1 Make new paragraphs typing in the text that belongs in them questions answers directions etc N For paragraphs that are questions or directions that you do not want users to be able to accidentally de select apply the tag NS non selectable w For paragraphs that are answers that you do not want to print but you do want users to be able to select apply the tag NP non printing SpecLink User Manual Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File 4 Build links from the answers to the appropriate sections paragraphs and or choices For directions on building links see Chapter 6 Text with the tags NS or NP will not print in the final specification Tips On Adding Checklists When deciding how to add chec
11. be a deliberate effort or it can be done piecemeal over time If you have a specifications specialist you may decide to devote SpecLink User Manual Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File time to developing a master project or projects because it saves the project teams time and reduces errors Or you can build a master over time by making a note of relevant sections done in representative projects and copying those sections to a Master Project File made for that purpose Whether you choose to dedicate time to creating a Master Project File or use multiple Master Projects the concept is an exceptionally effective method for saving time and reducing errors Some Types of Master Project Files The most common type of master project is one based on a single building type such as a high rise office building a hospital or a parking garage You can also prepare e Master projects containing custom formats for your company and for different clients e Master projects containing only a few sections for highly specialized work e Master projects containing only one section edited for particular systems Especially useful would be sections that are highly dependent on brand name product specifications such as paint door hardware or any type high performance products e The entire master edited for a particular code jurisdiction e Short form or outline version of the entire master by excluding paragraphs not needed for that version
12. d choices that list common options and have fill ins for users to enter information that is different for a particular project See Chapter 6 for information on adding links See Chapter 5 for information on adding choices Apply Tags If you use the requirements reports apply tags to paragraphs in new sections that you would like listed in the requirements reports For more information on applying tags see the Applying Tags section in this chapter Add Checklists Checklists can be used to select and edit sections Add checklists to your master project so that users can check off what is required for a project Create links from the items in the checklists to automatically select highlight and exclude appropriate information Apply the Non Printing and Non Selectable tags to the checklist so that they will not print in the final documents You can add checklists as separate sections in the master and or within existing sections You can also add pictures to items in the checklist to illustrate the choices See Adding Checklists later in the chapter for more information Hide Excluded Text When you are creating a Master Project File you can make the project appear less busy by hiding excluded text You can use Compact and Expert View to view the project in the manner you want although you should only use Master View while editing adding or deleting paragraphs See the Changing Views and Previewing section in
13. e master project can be developed for different building types different owners or different code jurisdictions You can take advantage of the concepts of Master Project Files by creating multiple master projects that reflect the type of projects your firm typically designs This chapter contains information about basic and advanced features you can use when creating a Master Project File Creating Master Project Files 242 To create a Master Project File create a new project using either the default SpecLink template master spt or an existing project as your Project Source name it something that identifies it as a Master and then edit the project A Master Project File is a normal project saved and kept aside as a template Using Multiple Masters To Reduce Project File Size To minimize file size we recommend that you create at least two masters The first master would contain all your custom formatting and would have the Summary Info options filled in as you would always use them The second master would contain all the sections that you typically use edited as you would normally use them When you create new projects you would set the project source to the master that contains the formats and use Import From Project to copy only the needed sections into the new project Using this method your projects will be the smallest file size possible Methods Of Developing Masters Developing the master that contains the sections can
14. eports and a full list of requirements tags e References and Related Sections In Part 1 General of each BSD master section the References and Related Sections articles are tagged RT and ST respectively Subparagraphs under these articles are tagged RS and RE respectively These tags interact with the options in the Summary Information dialog box Include Citations in Each Section and Include Related Sections Based on the selection of these options if a subparagraph of References or Related Sections is active the article References or Related Sections will or will not become active by a green link This allows you to choose to include those articles in every section but only when there actually is a Reference or a Related Section in the section See Adding References later in this chapter for more information e Checklists When combined with links the NP Non Printing and NS Non Selectable tags allow you to add checklists to your projects that select highlight or exclude appropriate information See Adding Checklists in this chapter for more information NOTE You may see two or three additional tags in the Tags status column that are not listed in the Tags button Tags that are not listed on the Tags button are ones that are used just by BSD for our master database KW means keyword MT is for manufacturer list titles and UM is an obsolete tag that has been replaced b
15. f checklist sections are provided in the SpecLink tab as examples of what can be done in an office master using SpecLink s Checklist features To see some of these sections open any project and view sections 01815BSD 05515JSL 08211BSD and 15062MIR The sections are best viewed with the Document Panel and Master Notes Panel on and the Tree Panel and Project Notes Panel off NOTE Checklists are being added to new sections as time allows These checklists consist of a short series of options that precedes the master specification text All the paragraphs in the checklist part of the section are tagged either as NS non selectable or NP non printing None of these specially tagged paragraphs will print with the resulting specification section The NS paragraphs also are not selectable They are automatically selected by relevant links from the selectable but non printing paragraphs in the checklist Ultimately links connect the checklist options to the specification text resulting in a specification section that is pre edited by choices made in the checklist NOTE To see what tags are applied to paragraphs tum on the Tags status column From the View menu choose Display Layout and then choose Tags Perhaps the most dramatic feature of the checklists however is the information that appears in the notes attached to many of the checklist paragraphs The sample checklists use HTML files which include photos diagrams and other graphics th
16. he section where that text is used will be blank The green text just will not be there See Chapter 4 for more information on Summary Info 3 Customize the header and footer page setup paragraph style sets and fonts as necessary to establish the custom formats that are always used These formats will copy to every new project so that your projects will be consistently formatted with minimal effort on the spec writer s part Repeat these steps to create as many masters with custom formats as you need Creating Section Masters Use the following steps to create masters that will contain pre edited sections 1 Decide what the master project will cover building type location criteria size etc 2 Start a new project with a name that makes it easily identifiable as a Master Project File NOTE You may want to use your format master as the Project Source for this file so that if you preview sections while you are editing the master you will see how the section will look with your formats 3 Select the sections that are normally used on such a project NOTE Do not select every section that might be used since the other sections will always be available for use on all projects 4 In each section selected select the Part 2 options that would be used on most of these projects Again don t select everything just what is most common Select appropriate paragraphs and choose the preferred option for choices embedded in
17. izards folder For example to enter the location for a file named hinge gif that is saved in a folder named Hardware inside the Wizards folder you would type Hardware hinge gif If the hinge gif file were located directly in the Wizards folder then you would type hinge gif NOTE While you can use copy and paste to copy the name of the file thereby ensuring that you spell it the same way be careful that you are not copying the file itself To copy the name of the file in Windows Explorer click once on the name of the file wait and then click again on the name of the file The name will tum blue indicating it is in edit mode While the name is still highlighted use CTRL C to copy the name Then use CTRL V or Paste to paste the name into the Project Notes Panel 5 Click on a different paragraph to save your edit 6 Click back in the paragraph where you added the note The picture displays in the master notes panel NOTE If you cannot see the Master Notes panel from the View menu choose Master Notes 254 SpecLink User Manual Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File If the picture does not display verify that you typed the path and filename correctly verify that it is a supported file type as listed above under requirements Adding Hyperlinks To Word You can create hyperlinks from any paragraph in SpecLink to a related document in Word Now instead of pasting a lengthy document into a SpecLink project
18. klists to your master keep the following tips in mind e Ifyou apply NP to a section title not only will the section not print but it will also not be listed in the Table of Contents report e If you apply NP or NS to a paragraph that has sub paragraphs you will be required to let SpecLink apply the NP or NS tag to the children as well Be careful when you do this because if you did not mean to apply the tag to ALL the subparagraphs you have to remove the tags one by one Adding Pictures to Notes Pictures in notes are graphic or HTML files that display in the master notes panel You can add pictures to any paragraph that does not already have a master note If you want to add a picture to a paragraph that does have a master note you can create a new paragraph next to it tag the new paragraph NS or NP and add the picture to it NOTE The pictures cannot be printed from SpecLink Requirements for Adding Pictures to notes In order to add pictures there are several guidelines that must be followed e Supported file types html htm jog omp png gif e You can only display one file per paragraph To display multiple pictures with or without text create an html or htm file that contains all the pictures and text If you do not have an HTML editor such as FrontPage you can do this in your word processing program by choosing File Save as Web Page If you do not have Save as Web Page then choose File Save As and change
19. lanations of added provisions To add notes to a paragraph click in the paragraph and then click in the Project Notes panel and type your note or paste from the Windows clipboard The notes you add are marked with a blue notebook icon on the right side of the N status column of the Document Panel for easy identification Educate your team members about the meanings of the Note icons Let them know that a yellow icon indicates a master note that may apply to the project but a blue note should definitely be read Using Master Project Files The rest of this chapter provides more information on how to edit your masters and how to make one of your masters the default Project Source Once you have created the masters use them as follows 1 Create a new project using the desired Format Master as the Project Source The new project file will contain all the custom formats and Summary Information edits that were created in the selected Format Master 2 Use Import From Project to import the needed sections from the Section Master s This copies all the selections exclusions edits notes custom choices and custom links into the project SpecLink User Manual 245 Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File 3 Review the imported sections making required changes for this project 4 Note new edits that were made for the project that can be added to the Section or Format Masters Modifying Existing Projects 246 Instead of
20. ocument Adding Hyperlinks Once you have placed a Word document in your linked document folder you are ready to create a hyperlink in SpecLink that will automatically open the document To create a hyperlink follow these steps 1 In your office master project open to the appropriate section and scroll to the paragraph where you want the hyperlink 2 If the Document Link DL status column is not visible on the View menu click on Display Layout and then on Document Links The DL column opens 3 Open Windows Explorer and find the document to which you want a link Click on the document and hold the left mouse button down then drag the icon from Explorer and drop it in the DL column at your source paragraph The link is created and a Word icon appears SpecLink User Manual 255 Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File LYLNO T DL iE lt 4 Status Columns Showing Icons for Hyperlinked Word Documents If you point to an icon without clicking a balloon will appear with the file name of the linked document Subsequently all you have to do to activate the hyperlink is to click once on the Word icon If Word is closed clicking once on the icon opens Word and then opens the hyperlinked document NOTE Each user must establish the root directory path for linked documents in the Permissions dialog box which allows the program to find the linked documents Removing Hyperlinks To remove a hyperlink you created
21. rmation on adding hyperlinks to and from Word documents Don t Copy Text Just To Move It If you do updates that would otherwise apply to the text do not take effect See the Copying and Pasting section in Chapter 5 Editing a Project for details about moving paragraphs Importing From the Clipboard The use of Import from Clipboard and Add New Section From RTF File can be valuable timesaving features You can take previous work from a word processor and import it into SpecLink See the Add New Section from RTF File section in Chapter 4 and the Importing From the Clipboard section in Chapter 5 Editing a Project for details Copy and Paste SpecLink takes advantage of the hierarchical nature of the standard document format and the paragraph relationships in the Copy and Paste functions See the Copying and Pasting section in Chapter 5 Editing a Project for details Promote and Demote Once you have imported text or copied and pasted text you might find that the paragraphs are not at the hierarchical level that you want Use the Promote and Demote commands from the Document menu or on the Document Panel toolbar to change the paragraphs to the correct level SpecLink User Manual 247 248 Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File See the Demoting and Promoting Paragraphs section in Chapter 5 Editing a Project for details Add Links and Choices Add links to automatically select relevant options Ad
22. s them and where you will not accidentally open and edit them Compare the Modified dates of these files in Windows Explorer from time to time If the date of the file that everyone has access to changes try to determine if it was a valid edit You can open the master and view the dates and times on the section titles in the tree panel to determine which section was edited If the file was edited in error replace it with a copy of the backup Review The Updates To The Master When you receive a new CD ROM open the master project file s and review and accept the updates before starting new projects See the Updating chapter 10 for details Using Tags The list of available tags can be seen by clicking the arrow on the Tags button on the Document panel toolbar Tags have three functions in SpecLink e Requirements Reports When a paragraph is tagged with a requirement tag if that paragraph is active the paragraph s section will be listed when that requirements report is printed For example if a paragraph states that Shop Drawings are required the paragraph should be tagged SD for Shop Drawings if you add the paragraph yourself you would have to apply the tag as described later When that paragraph is SpecLink User Manual 249 250 Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File active in the section that section will be listed in the Shop Drawings requirements report See Chapter 8 for more information on requirements r
23. the Save As Type to html or htm e The picture files must be saved in the Wizards folder that is in the same location as your local Master Database Location To see what your Master Database Location is close all open projects in SpecLink then from the File menu choose Permissions Click the System Settings tab The Master Database Location is the second field e To organize the pictures in the Wizards folder you can create subfolders e In order for another user to view the pictures in the project from his or her own computer the picture files must be saved in the Wizards folder that is in the same SpecLink User Manual 253 Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File location as the local Master Database Location If you created subfolders under the Wizards folder the other user will need to have the same folders How to Add Pictures to notes To add pictures to notes 1 Save the picture files in the Wizards folder that is in the same location as your local Master Database Location as described in the requirements above 2 Click in the paragraph that you want to add the picture to NOTE The paragraph cannot already have a master note If it does have a master note create a new paragraph and add the picture to it 3 Click in the Project Notes panel NOTE If you cannot see the Project Notes panel from the View menu choose Project Notes 4 Type the location of the picture file starting with the folder it is in under the W
24. use Section 01425 or 00840 in PerSpective to print a Consolidated List Of Citations when you add text that includes a reference to another document such as an ASTM or ANSI standard add the corresponding reference citation to Section 01425 or 00840 See the Adding References section in this chapter for details Add and Edit Notes Notes are a great way to explain office procedures and policy relating to specific paragraphs product usage or limitations or explanations of added provisions Paragraphs you add notes to are marked with a blue notebook icon in the N column for easy SpecLink User Manual Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File identification To add a note click in the paragraph then click in the Project Notes panel and type or paste your text See the Using the Notes Function section in Chapter 5 Editing a Project for details about adding project notes and see the Adding Checklists section of this chapter for detail on adding pictures Add Hyperlinks to and from Related Documents Created in Microsoft Word You can paste large amounts of text into your project notes but it may be more convenient to create hyperlinks to Word documents that contain the note This is also helpful if the information in the note is likely to be changed periodically The hyperlink will always point to the same document even when the information changes See the Adding Hyperlinks section in this chapter for detailed info
25. y the ML tag Applying Tags To view what tags are applied to paragraphs do one of the following e To view tags paragraph by paragraph click to place your cursor in the paragraph and look at the Tags button which is the last button on the Document panel toolbar m It will display the two letter code for the applied tag e To view tags for all paragraphs click the Show Tags button on the toolbar fel or from the View menu choose Display Layout and then choose Tags The T column will display the two letter codes for the tags to the left of the text in the Document panel To apply a tag to a paragraph or to change the tag that is applied to a paragraph 1 Click to place your cursor in the paragraph 2 Click the arrow on the Tags button m The list of tags will open 3 Click on the appropriate tag in the list To apply the same tag to additional paragraphs SpecLink User Manual Chapter 10 Creating a Master Project File 1 Click to place your cursor in the paragraph 2 Click on the Tags button Not the arrow The same tag will be applied NOTE To see a listing of all available tags while in SpecLink click on Help Use Index for Help Type in Tag and select the topic called Complete List of Tags Adding References To handle reference citations for added paragraphs in the same manner as references are treated in the master add them this way 1 Add a paragraph in the body of the section that contains
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