InspectMaster Home Inspection Software - Working with Inspection Report Narratives
Tour Guide - Working with Inspection Narratives
Working with Inspection Narratives
The inspection name will now appear in the inspection preview window at the top of the right-hand window.
In the left-hand window, open the 'Exterior' folder, select the 'Site Features' sub-folder, and then the 'Trip Hazard' folder. This will open up the narratives window again, only this time, you'll notice that there are check boxes next to the narratives. Click the narratives that apply to the conditions that you find.
If you look at the window at the right side of the program, you will notice that the narratives you have checked off for inclusion into the report appear in the top window, with the narrative you selected last appearing in the window below it. The narrative can be edited and the text manipulated in this window if this is called for.
If the information contained in the selected narrative does not need to be edited, you do not need to save it — it will save itself into the report and you can move on with the inspection. If the selected narrative does need to be edited, this is where the editing takes place, and where you can manipulate the text, select from the drop-down text boxes, add new drop-down text boxes, and insert images. In the following QuickTime™ video, we will change the narrative by selecting different values (text) in the drop-down text boxes and changing some text. The video controls are located at the base of the image.
Again, once a narrative has been edited in any way, the changes will be saved in the Inspection. In the video above, you will notice that the 'Stored in Inspection' check box in the lower right-hand corner of the screen remains checked. A check in the 'Stored in Inspection' box means the narrative will appear in the Inspection in its current state. The original narrative contained in the Library will not be affected by these changes.
Selecting/highlighting narratives for changes
If, however, you want to make 'permanent' changes to a narrative - that is, to change a narrative and then have it appear in its changed state in both the Library and Inspection - you must make the changes before clicking the narrative for inclusion in the Inspection. That is, before checking the box next to the narrative, you first select/highlight the narrative, make the changes, select/highlight the narrative again, and then click the check box next to the narrative to have it appear in the Inspection.
Note that when highlighting the narrative in the Library, the 'Stored in Sample Narratives' box is checked. When the narrative in the Inspection is highlighted, the 'Stored in Inspection' box is checked.
However, having said this, you may simply wish to add a new narrative to the Library. The choice is yours to make, and either way you'll quickly get the hang of it. If you find that you need to create a new narrative, you only need click on the 'New Narrative' button. This will create a clear canvas for you to enter the narrative, along with a blank window for the narrative description. If your narrative could benefit from the addition of a dropdown list, place the cursor where you would like to see the list appear and then click the 'Insert Dropdown List' button. To populate the dropdown list, double-click the text box and a window will open that allows you to add, edit, or delete the contents of the list. To watch a new narrative and dropdown list being created, play the video below.
If you need to create a whole lot of new narratives, or edit a whole lot of existing ones, it is best to close the inspection first (if one is open), as this will greatly simplify the process.
If you want to delete a narrative that is stored in the library, in this case the 'Sample Narratives' library, highlight (but don't check) the narrative and then click the 'Stored in Sample Narratives' check box. A warning will appear, letting you know that you either need to save the narrative in the library or in the inspection, or both, or it will be lost forever. If you elect not to save it anywhere, it is gone.
Important Note: Make a copy of your narrative libraries on a regular basis. Store the libraries somewhere on a disk or exterior drive. If your computer crashes and you need to reinstall your system software (and InspectMaster), you would NOT want to have to start from scratch.
