Step 2:  Adding Items to your Design

When a shape is dragged and dropped, a standard dialog box opens.  The dialog shows all items in your database of the same type as the shape dropped - in this case, a conifer tree.  When an item is selected, its description and price are put in the item line in the center of the dialog box and the shape automatically sizes to the dimensions in the database for that item, if there are any.  In the example, the mature size of the fir tree is smaller than the holly tree above it.  The bottom half of the dialog box is reserved for items you have indicated are related items to the shape type.  In this case, plant services are displayed as related items to conifer trees.

When related items are selected, the quantity is based on the quantity of the primary item, the total for all related items appears to the right, and the total for both the primary and related items shows at the top of the dialog box.

When an area shape is dropped, additional information appears at the right hand side - width and depth (or in Visio terminology, width and height).  Pricing is calculated based on rate information provided in the database.  In the Landscaping Knowledge Pack, items such as patios, beds and lawns are given rates per square foot (you will need to override these costs and prices with your own data).  If related items are selected, it is assumed that they too are priced based on area and the pricing is calculated based on the size of the primary item.  The patio can be sized in two different ways:  the width and depth can be changed in the dialog box, or the shape can be stretched and sized in the drawing itself (below).

Either way, the pricing is automatically updated, and the current numbers can be displayed and changed at any time by double clicking on the shape in the drawing.

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