Product Q&A

All Products

Q. How can I tell the file name and location of the project I have open?
A. From the File menu, choose Summary Info. The file name and location are listed at the top of the Summary Info dialog box. I want to move the software from one computer to another, but the access key won’t work. Why is that?
A. The access key you received when you installed the software is specific to the computer on which it was installed. To move the software to another computer, call Technical Support at 800-266-7732 for an Unpermit code before you remove the software from the fi rst computer. Before you call, you can have the software already installed on the new computer, and then after we get the Unpermit code, we can generate a new key for the new computer.

Q. I copied a project to my hard drive from a CD, but I’m getting an error when I try to open it. What does it mean?
A. Unless you are using Windows XP, fi les that are copied from a CD-ROM to your hard drive are copied with a readonly attribute. In Windows Explorer, rightclick on the fi le you are trying to open, and choose Properties. Deselect the Read Only attribute and click OK. You should be able to open the project now. If you have Windows XP, the operating system will automatically do this for you when you copy the fi le to your hard drive.

BSD SpecLink & PerSpective

Q. I would like to contact other users of the software to see how they handle certain issues. Is there any way I can do that?
A. We now have a user forum on our website. Go to our website at www.bsdsoftlink.com and click on On-Line User Forums to sign up. This bulletin board contains private forums for the use of subscribers only.

Q. I saw an email about SpecLink consulting. What was that about?
A. We are maintaining a list of SpecLink users who are interested in doing specs for other SpecLink fi rms. Those in need of spec consultants will prepare an ad outlining their needs and we will forward that ad to the users who have asked to be put on the list. The people who receive the ad via email will then reply directly to the firm placing the ad.

Q. In SpecLink, how do I find a section on a particular product?
A. There is a catalog listing of all the sections available in PDF format on the quarterly CD browser. The catalog listings are also on our website at www.bsdsoftlink.com/speclink/catalogs/all_catalogs.htm. You can get the listings in either MasterFormat 1995 or MasterFormat 2004.

Q. In PerSpective, how can I get an overview of the structure and understand what each section is for?
A. There is a catalog listing of all the chapters available in PDF format on the quarterly CD browser. The catalog listing is also on our website at www.bsdsoftlink.com/speclink/catalogs/all_catalogs.htm.

BSD CostLink AE

Q. What will happen to costs in my CostLink/AE estimates when I install the Spring update?
A. Nothing will happen to your costs unless you select to update them to the new RS Means costs. The 2005 RS Means database will be installed when you install the update. Any new projects you create from the CostLink/AE templates will use the new costs. When you open or copy existing projects, they will still be using the older costs. You can choose the option Change RS Means Database from the Tools menu. You will be presented with different options about which costs you would like to change. See the CostLink/AE Release Notes or Chapter 7 of the CostLink/AE User Manual for details.

Q. How can I change the costs in an estimate I created using one of the RS Means models?
A. To insert a different assembly in a CostLink/AE project, click on the assembly icon in the toolbar. The assemblies are in UniFormat WBS. You can use the Find icon to search the database for the assembly you need, or you can navigate in the Tree to fi nd the cost data you need. If there is no assembly for the costs are you looking for, click on the Book icon to open the RS Means line items. Once you fi nd the cost item(s) you need, copy them into your project and assign a quantity. The copied items will not be linked to your model. If you cannot find what you need in the RS Means databases, you can choose Insert Task from the Inset menu to add your own item.

BSD CostLink CM

Q. How can I change the order of line items in my estimate?
A. By default, line items are sorted by the source tag. If you would like your line items in a different order both onscreen and in your detail reports, turn on the sequence column. From the Tools menu, choose User Options. In the User Options dialog box under Select Project Panel, choose Project Sheet. The right side of the dialog box will update to show a list of available column types. In the Include column, click to place a checkmark in the checkbox for Seq (Numeric user-defi ned sort order). Click the Close button. The Seq column is now displayed in the Sheet Panel. Type numbers in the Seq column. Click on a different title and back on this one - the tasks are sorted by the sequence column. When the sequence column is on, the tasks are fi rst sorted by the Seq column and then by the Source Tag column.

More questions? Contact BSD Technical Support:

• Toll Free: 800-266-7732
• In Atlanta: 404-365-9226
• Email: support@bsdsoftlink.com