Creating a Section Checklist in SpecLink Cloud

Overview

Checklists are a method for automating section or paragraph selection (or exclusion) based on the specifier's needs.

The two types of checklists generally created are:

1. Section Checklists help to automate paragraph activation / exclusion within a section.
2. Project Checklists help to automate section activation / exclusion within a project.

This article will focus on Section Checklists. Learn more about Project Checklists here.

Checklists are a combination of text edits, new user paragraphs, levels, tags, and links.

Review the following before attempting to build checklists.

• Basic Editing
• Paragraph Levels
• Understanding NP/NS Tags
• Basic Linking

Creating a checklist begins with deciding what the outcome will be. How will the checklist assist the specifier? It's advisable to create a handwritten draft of the checklist before beginning to build anything in SpecLink Cloud.  

Tips:

• Map, diagram, or sketch out your checklist before adding, tagging, or linking paragraphs. The most useful checklists are those that are not over complicated. 
• Create and update checklists in an Office Master so they do not need to be recreated in multiple projects.

Creating a Section Checklist

Section Checklists are paragraphs in a section, usually placed before Part 1: General. Tags (NP/NS) are used to ensure these paragraphs are not printed as part of the actual specification content. Links are applied to include or exclude items in the body of the text to assist in the speed of creating the section.

The SpecLink Content team has built checklists into various sections. Some examples of section checklists are section 085200-RIB-Hollow Metal Doors and Frames as well as 075400-RIB-Thermoplastic Membrane Roofing.

Steps to create a Section Checklist:

1. Confirm that the Auto-Select New option from the More menu of the SpecLink Cloud Toolbar is grey, indicating that the feature is not active. When active, the text and icon will be blue.
   
   
   
   This is done to ensure that the new paragraphs will not be automatically active.
   
   
2. Create a new user paragraph where you want the "question" located. Make sure that the new user paragraph does not have any subparagraphs that you will still want to print. Decrease the indent of the new paragraph if necessary.
   
   
3. Type the question that needs to be answered. In the example below, a "Meeting Checklist" has been created.
   
   
   
   This checklist will have subparagraphs that list the types of meetings for selection. 
   
   
4. Create a new paragraph below the checklist paragraph and increase the indent of the new paragraph so that it will be a subparagraph of the question.
   
   
5. Type the first "answer" of the checklist. In the example below an option for Preconstruction Meeting has been added.
   
   
   
   
6. Create new paragraphs after the first answer for each following answer. In the example below, paragraphs for Site Mobilization and Progress meetings have been created.
   
   
   
   
7. Apply the NP tag to the answer paragraphs.
   
   
8. Apply the NS tag to the question paragraph.
   
   
   
   
9. Create a green link activating the checklist from sequence 0000. As a non-selectable paragraph, this action sets the checklist up for use.
   
   
    
10. Create links from the answers to the appropriate paragraphs within the section.

Watch the video below to see the steps of creating a section checklist below: