TOPIC: Report Writing, Help Please

Hi Mike,
If you don't delete the pics and do not assign them to a particular section, they just end up unsorted at the end of the report. Importing them all by batch adding a folder is easy.  Then just delete the ones you do not want in the report. It looks like it will leave a hole in the report but it doesn't.

Yes, it seems the spell checker does not work in some places.  Using the "stock" templates is problematical.  They try to fit all situations and really fit none very well IMHO.  There are way too many trash/too specific comments gathered from who knows where. It was a big hurdle when I first started using HIP. My first reports took forever to do because I had so much editing to do.

I bit the bullet and started building my own. One thing that makes this process easier is to use a voice-to-text program like Dragon Naturally Speaking. I, for one, certainly talk faster than I can type. ;D  HIP, since it is written in Java, does not always play nice with Dragon, at least for me. The work around is to use Dragon's "Dragon Pad" to dictate into and then select and drag the comment into the open add/edit comment window in HIP.(this also handles the spelling issues since Dragon can actually spell correctly) I have 2 monitors so this is pretty easy. On a single monitor setup, you would need to resize the windows so they can be side-by-side or one above the other.
I can build a totally new template in a day or so, depending on the complexity needed. I just made a new one for mobile / manufactured housing.

Thank you

I never heard of Dragon but it sounds great.  It types as you speak?  Is that big bucks?  I will look into this. 

Have a great weekend Dana

Hi Mike,
Dragon Naturally Speaking is available in several versions.  The one I use is here: dragon-naturallyspeaking.software.informer.com/11.5/ It runs about $100 but is well worth it.  It saves a ton of time. I do a LOT of writing over an above my reports.  I have at least 5 blogs going at anyone time. This is a huge value added tool.  You may also be able to find an older version on eBay or somewhere for less money. I'm using version 10 right now. It's working fine so no reason to upgrade.

If you do not select where a photo goes and don't delete it , it will not end up in the report at all. It will save in the inspection file for your reference.

Mike, if you're not batch adding you're missing the #1 feature in HIP and spending an extra hour on photos! Get to it!

The narratives in HIP came from a combination of templates from about 25 inspectors. You'd be surprised on how many comments you think don't apply to a section but when I'd email a guy they'd tell me why the did. We built the templates with more than enough narratives as it's much easier to delete than it is to add. Plus you guys have dozens of additional templates on the message boards you can select from too.

Dragon is about $100.

The spellcheck in HIP comes from Wictionary.com. Unfortunately there's some words like teh that are actually in the dictionary. This of course causes some issues but is technically correct. I'm looking into a delete feature to remove words from your dictionary.

"If you do not select where a photo goes and don't delete it, it will not end up in the report at all. It will save in the inspection file for your reference".       

I found this out when doing one of my first reports. I didn't label them and I notice they were not included in the report.  I was just thinking for the sake of time just skipping over them if I don’t want to use them instead of deleting.  I guess it wouldn’t take much time to hit the delete button.   

I have two inspections this Sunday so I will try the batch photos then. 

I plan to look into Dragon today too!

"The spellcheck in HIP comes from Wictionary.com. Unfortunately there's some words like teh that are actually in the dictionary. This of course causes some issues but is technically correct. I'm looking into a delete feature to remove words from your dictionary".     

I appreciate the fact that you are always looking for ways to make this program the best. 

Did you make a change recently?  I just loaded hip again (because my laptop crashed) and this program gives me a warning messing when I move to the next page without adding my selected text to the panel.  Is that new? 

How do I know if I have the most updated version?

Is this it?  It's only $59 so I'm not sure.


www.amazon.com/Dragon-NaturallySpeaking-...id=1337378791&sr=8-7