Organise lines into sections

What this does

Groups the lines of an estimate or work order under headings, such as Kitchen, Main floor or Materials. Each section shows its own subtotal. Your customer sees the same headings and subtotals on the PDF, in the email and on the approval page.

Sections only change how the lines are shown. The document’s total, taxes and discounts stay exactly the same.

Before you start

• You can change sections while you can change the lines: an estimate that is still a Draft (or Declined or Expired), or a work order that has not been sent.
• An estimate with no sections looks the same as always. Sections are optional.

Steps

1. When you add a line: in Add line item (or the first line of a New work order), type a name in Section (optional), or pick one you already used on this document.
2. To move an existing line: click the small folder icon on the line, type or pick a section, and click Move. A merged line moves as one.
3. To take a line out of its section: click the folder icon, then Remove from section.
4. To rename a section: click the pencil beside the section’s subtotal, type the new name and click Save. Every line in it moves to the new name.
5. To remove a heading: rename the section to an empty name and click Save. The lines stay on the document, without a heading.

What happens next

• Lines without a section are shown first, then each section in the order its first line was added.
• When the estimate becomes a work order, and the work order an invoice, the sections come with it. Recurring invoices keep them too.
• Estimate templates can have sections. Set a section on a template line and every estimate made from that template starts with it.

Show your customer only the section totals

Once lines are in sections, choose Section totals beside Customer sees on the estimate. The customer then sees one line per section at its total, while you keep every line. See Choose what your customer sees, and offer optional extras.

If something goes wrong

• “Sections can only be changed on a work order that has not been sent.” Sent documents are locked, so the customer’s copy never changes.
• “These items are in different sections.” You can only merge lines that are in the same section. Move them into one section first.
• Two headings that look the same: section names are matched exactly, so “Kitchen” and “kitchen” are two sections. Rename one to match the other.