TOPIC: Addition to Software Suggestions

Dave, I have the same question as Cameron. I don't see why you need lists at all. What your asking for is really for lists to already be implemented into each of your narratives. It wouldn't work to just have the ratings merged into the narrative as ratings as one per item, not comment.

On the Q1 you should only have 1 column set to display. The screen is too small for 2 unless you've started to memorize comment locations.

Make your ACTUAL narrative: Safety Issue, tree uplifting, trip hazard located at the public walk.
No lists, no ratings, just ONE comment. This will ALWAYS be a safety issue, you will always have the same convection here. If you used a list or rating within this you'd be spending lots of time selecting them, which would be a waste.

Even if ratings were moved in line with the narrative you'd need to select a rating for EVERY comment where right now they're per section. That would add an enormous amount of extra work you'd be creating for yourself.

Not always is the covention the same.

Monitor, defered cost, repair, safety, maintenance there is a fine line sometimes between them.

What I am looking for is the same things as the ratings but in a narrative format.

An upheaved walk can have no displacement from a tree and this would be a monitor situation instead of a safety issue.


What you are saying I would need top redo all my comments, to start with the convention.

should not the program work for me and me not be working for the program. (Like all that is needed to have the look I want but to steer around the program as the feature is not available)

Yes, I would agree with that.  The checkboxes are not a feature I would use either unless there were a couple options for layout.  I think a couple options in the rating area could add to the flexiblity without too much, as DOM would say, feature bloat.

That being said, and I truly mean no offense by this, it sounds like you're dealing with a reporting issue brought about by professional choice more than a software issue.  What I mean is, your equipment seems like the one change which would make HIPs current features work the way you want it to.  I wasn't familiar with the Q1 so I had to go look it up, I understand now what you mean about not being able to see the comments if the list of conventions or just one convention were at the start of each comment.  At first I thought you could just write similar comments with different conventions for those times where there was that "fine line" between the issues.  But that would be a lot of comments to scroll through on the Q1.  I'm not flippantly saying "go buy a bigger screen", I'm just wondering if that were the case, would the features currently available in HIP work?   

I'm trying to get a better handle on the rating input you described earlier, how do you envision the ratings being connected with specific comments during input?  Dom mentioned the very thing I was wondering.  Re-writing your comments would be a bear, but wouldn't you have to do something similar to get the ratings/conventions into the comments anyway?  And would it work on the Q1 and similarly sized equipment without some of the issues of space you raised?

I think a dialog would be able to open to add the pre selected comments in one line.

Same with locations.

Locations can be many like the walks. Front entrance, side, public, garage, ect.

With the current HIP set up, lists how do you have the convention, damage or selection comment and location all in one line?

It would need to be <<Convention>> damage (Need multiple selections) <<locations>>

How about a way to enter all in one line without the lists. Lists would be in the master dialog box.

So you enter, Repair or Replace from one dialog box

Repair or Replace

then you enter damaged concrete surfaces, tree uplifting from another dialog box

Now you have

Repair or Replace, damaged concrete surfaces, tree uplifiting

Then you add located at public walk from another dialog box

Line looks like this

Repair or Replace, damaged concrete surfaces, tree uplifting located at the public walk.

One more dialog box, Recommend repair or replace by a qualified professional

Finished comment

Repair or Replace, damaged concrete surfaces, tree uplifting located at the public walk. Recommend review for repair or replacement by a qualified professional.

In the current set up my report would look like

Repair or Replace
damaged concrete surfaces
tree uplifting
located at the public walk
recommend repair by a qualified professional

Report would be 250 pages.

I have the ideas but I am the farthest from a programmer that you will ever find.

ahhhh...  I see what you are describing.  Almost like a "comment building system", you can select from several different lists but the program puts them together in a single line.  A assume this would not work for you with the current list feature because of the space issues you mentioned.  You're thinking the comment building would take place inside a universal dialog box which can tap into all the lists with just a click or two.  So you can get to your conventions, damage comments, location, etc. etc. all from one box and HIP sends it to your comment line.

Certainly the drop down lists can do this, I've read some posts on here where guys are putting entire comments into the lists, not just phrases.  You just wouldn't see enough of the comment on the Q1 without scrolling all over the place I assume.

I wonder if a template could be designed like that using the lists almost exclusively.  Each damage panel would have only one or two comments which each consisted of 3-5 lists.  Only one or two ofthe lists would need to be system specific, the rest could be very universal like conventions and general recommendations(i.e."Recommend review for repair or replacement by a qualified professional.").    hmmm...  now you got me thinkin...

You are with me and not against me as an old teacher stated many times.

I have it set up on a test template.

<<Convections<< <<Sidewalk>> <<Sidewalk>> <<Locations>><<Recommendations>>

Works for the new line bullet but is a pain to set up and you need to click 5 lines, is slow in field.

And you do not need the recommendations, locations and extra damage at times so I set up other scenerios like

<<Convections>> <<Sidewalk>>
<<Convections>> <<Sidewalk>> <<Locations>>
<<Convections>> <<Sidewalk>> <<Locations>><<Recommendations>>

The way you are thinking is along what I am thinking.

What if when you inserted the line in the damage or selection panels then you could edit for the same line?

Karma for you young man!!