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Digital Production Control - 01.05 Program Menus - DPC

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The menus (File, Edit, View, etc.) along the very top of the application provide access to many tools and options you use while working your job. (The Digitizer menu is discussed in the On-Screen Takeoff User Guide only - digitizers are not used when working on a bid in DPC Mode.)

Many menu commands appear in the toolbars as well. If a menu selection has an Icon (Picture) next to it - there is a toolbar button available for that command. There are shortcuts for many actions! These are helpful in saving time and increasing efficiency. See the previous and Related Article for more information.

the Digital Production Control menus provide access to a variety of program functionality

The name of the current Bid number and name, the database name, and the application name always show in the Title Bar.

In this article (and most in this User Guide), features relevant to using Digital Production Control functions are detailed - other functions are discussed in the On-Screen Takeoff User Guide.

Note
Foremen - you need to understand the File and Bid menus, pretty much everything else you need is on one of the toolbars.

File Menu

The File menu provides the ability to open and/or create Bids, Databases, Alternates, and Change Orders. It also provides access to printer functions and access to the Check Authorization dialog box (licensing).

The File menu provides access to opening databases, creating bids and child bids, and importing/exporting bids, along with printing functions

Selection What it does/How it is used...
New There are several options available. Most likely, the Project Manager would be using these - to create a Change Order, for example. See the On-Screen Takeoff and Quick Bid User Guides for assistance.
Open Launches the Open Database dialog box to open/close/manage available databases
Close Closes the selected Database
Import Imports a Bid Package (OSP), DPC Bid Package (DPM), or DPC Changes (DPC) file
Export > To Bid Package Exports the current Bid to a Bid package (.osp file) - only available to Project Managers
Page Setup Accesses printer options for layout, orientation, etc.
Print Preview Preview the print job
Print Send current preview or tab to a printer
Check Authorization Opens the Authorization dialog box
Exit Exits the program (you can just click the red X in the upper-right corner)

The Edit Menu

The Edit menu provides access to basic editing commands (such as copying and pasting, selecting objects, and setting scale).

The Digital Production Control edit menu provides access to common editing functions

Selection What it does/How it is used...
Copy Current View Copies current view as a bitmap for pasting in an e-mail or a Word document.
Copy Selection Copies selection made with roping as a bitmap for pasting in a different application. Select this option, then draw a box around what is to be copied and then right-click over the selection and select Copy. Then, paste the copied information into an e-mail or Word document.
Delete Deletes the selected item. It is easier to use the Delete button The delete button is a red X on the Main toolbar.
Select All Selects all objects for the selected Labor Cost Code (LCC) on the current page. (<Ctrl> + <A>)
Select Objects in Current Area Selects all objects on the current page associated with the active Labor Cost Code. (Area assignment is irrelevant on the Image Tab in DPC Mode.)

The View Menu

The View menu provides options for changing the page, zoom level, and customizing the view of certain windows and toolbars. Click View > Toolbars to see a list of all the available toolbars. Toggle the check mark for a toolbar to show/hide it in the Main window.

Some tools and/or toolbars are only available with specific licenses/features (tko, dpc-foreman, dpc-pro). Also, in DPC Mode, the Main and Tools toolbars are locked 'on'.

The View menu allows you to adjust what you see on the screen (toolbars, dockbars, page navigation, and more.)

Selection What it does/How it is used...
Toolbars Show/Hide the various toolbars available in Digital Production Control
Zoom In Zooms in on the current image view in small increments
Zoom Out Zooms out of the current image view in small increments
Zoom Full Page Zooms to a full page view of the current page
Zoom 100% Zooms into a scaled view of the current Image View
Zoom Custom Zooms to a customized percentage set by the user
Next Page Opens the next page in the project
Previous Page Opens the previous page in the project
Go To Page Changes to a specific page in the project
Forward Button(Next Hot Link View) Advances to the next available page in the history of viewed pages - only active if the Back button has been used - works like the Forward button in an Internet browser
Back Button(Previous Hot Link View) Navigates to the last viewed page - like the Back button in an Internet browser
Production Window Toggles the Production Window On/Off
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The Tools Menu

The Tools menu provides access to various tools used on the Image Tab such as the Takeoff, Annotation, and Zooming tools. The Tools menu also includes important database management tools and dialogs. Many tools are unavailable in DPC mode.

There are two active sections to the Tools Menu:

  • Main Tools
  • Database Management and Options

The Digital Production Control tools menu provides access to Annotations, Takeoff tools, and database tools, along with program options

Main Tools

Selection What it does/How it is used...
Select Changes the mouse pointer to Select Mode - use this tool to select Conditions, takeoff objects and to select commands/buttons.
Zoom Changes the mouse pointer to Zoom Mode - left-click to Zoom In and right-click to Zoom Out, draw a box around an area of the image to zoom in on it.
Pan Changes the mouse pointer to Pan Mode - use this tool to pan (move) the current view around the page.
Magnify Changes the mouse pointer to Magnify Mode - use this tool to magnify a region of plan without zooming in.

Database Management - Program Options

Selection What it does/How it is used...
Synchronize Databases... Allows user to synchronize all or some of a selected source database to a target database.
Empty Deleted Bids Folder... Open the Options dialog for modifying defaults and preferences for the application.

The Image Menu

The Image menu provides access to various Image manipulation tools. Images may be darkened, rotated, inverted, and enhanced. Some options are unavailable in DPC Mode and are managed by the Project Manager/Estimator. Ajusting image(s) in DPC only affects the way the program displays the image(s), it does not actually edit the image.

Note
Project Manager Note DPC Foreman do not have access to Overlays. If the Overlay image is from the 'current set' you need to make it the base image for that page before sending the project to the field.

The Digital Production Control Image menu controls how the image is displayed in the Image Window

Selection What it does/How it is used...
Adjust Images Adjust the image properties on a single page or all pages - allows darkening, enhancing, etc
Darken Adjusts the darkness of the image.
Enhance Auto adjusts (enhances) the lines in the image that may have missing dots or inconsistent patterns.
Invert Reverses (inverts) the black on white properties for the image.
Bitonal Turns a color image into a black and white (bitonal) image.
Rotate/Flip Contains commands for rotating and flipping both takeoff objects and images that are displayed on the Image Tab.
Deskew Allows manual alignment of the plans to a drawn horizontal reference.

The Master Menu

The Master menu provides access to all the tables of the current database. Master database tables hold information used in all bids in the database. The selections in the Master menu are also referred to as Master menu tables. These tables store information that is used to create and edit bids.

The Digital Production Control master menu provides access to the various 'master' records such as employees, job statuses, and more

Master Tables are covered in the next Chapter.

Note
Foreman, you need only be familiar with Employees because you will likely add employees (work crew) to the project. You can access and edit Work Crew (Employees) from the Bid Cover Sheet and on the Timecard Tab.

The Bid Menu

The Bid menu provides access to several bid configuration commands and bid level functions.

The Digital Production Control bid menu provides access to the cover sheet and bid areas dialog boxes

Selection What it does/How it is used...
Show Cover Sheet Displays the Cover Sheet for the active job
Show Areas Displays all Bid Areas used in the active job
Show Typical Areas Not used in DPC projects.
Remove All DPC Data Only available to the Project Manager. Removes all Digital Production Control percenting and timecard information for the current job, then the Bid is returned to "Takeoff" mode.
Warning
Removing DPC data is immediate and permanent - you will lose all previously entered percenting and timekeeping.

The Training Menu

The Training menu provides access to online resources such as the Training Videos, this User Guide, and a form where you can submit a "How Do I...?" request to our Training Department.

The Digital Production Control training menu provides access to training services and the user guide

Each option opens in your default web browser and requires an active internet connection.

The Help Menu

The Help menu provides access to this online User Guide (F1/Help), links to submit requests for Support and make Suggestions about the software, and a link to the DPC Frequently Asked Questions. You can also see version of the product (About Digital Production Control).

the Digital Production Control support menu provides access to various support options and the user guide

Help, Support, Feature, and FAQs all open in your default browser and requires an active internet connection.

click here to view the previous article Getting Around DPC - Toolbars Program Tabs click here to view the next article



Product documentation (user guides) describes functionality in the latest version of each major release and may not match the functionality in the version you are using. Please check the Product Information and Downloads pages by clicking one of the product buttons above.

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