Columns
Default columns, custom columns, and how column setups are scoped per section.
Every section of every spec sheet has the same three default columns baked in: Item, Notes, and Classification. Beyond those three, the column set is per section, you choose what columns appear, what they're called, what type they are, and what order they're in.
Default columns
| Column | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Item | The row's label. The row's identity. |
| Notes | Free-text field for per-item context (vendor caveats, install notes, anything that doesn't fit a structured column). |
| Classification | A tag for the row (e.g. Standard, Upgrade, Owner supplied). Free-text, with workspace-level suggestions. |
These three are always present, always leftmost, and can't be removed.
Custom columns
Everything else is a custom column. You define it: the label, the type, the validation, the catalogue source if any. Custom columns are configured per section, so two sections in the same sheet can have completely different sets.
| Type | Use for |
|---|---|
| Text | A short single-line label. |
| Long text | Multi-line notes, paragraphs of context. |
| Number | Quantities, dimensions, prices. Stored as a number, sortable, exportable. |
| Date | Calendar dates. Always rendered in the workspace's locale. |
| Dropdown | A fixed set of options you provide when defining the column. |
| Checkbox | A yes/no flag. |
| Autocomplete | A short text value backed by a catalogue kind. Type to filter; pick an existing entry, type a free-text value, or create a new catalogue entry inline. |
Dropdown columns require options at definition time, empty option lists aren't allowed. Autocomplete columns require you to pick a source catalogue kind when you create the column.
Scope: per section
The column set lives per (project, category, section). So:
- Customizing Vanities in Cabinets on the Maple Lane project does not affect Kitchen base cabinets in the same sheet.
- Customizing Vanities on Maple Lane does not affect Vanities on any other project.
- A template can capture the per-section setups, see templates, so saving a customized project as a template propagates every section's columns to future projects.
First time you customize a section
Until you save a customization, the section uses a starter set seeded from the category schema (e.g. Brand, Model, Finish/Colour for Plumbing). The starter set renders just like custom columns, you don't need to do anything for it to appear.
Once you open the customize modal and save, the starter columns become editable like any other. You can keep them as-is, rename them, change their types, delete them, or add new ones alongside.
Reordering
The customize-columns modal lets you drag editable columns into any order. The order applies to every item in that section. The three default columns stay leftmost.
Tradeoffs
- Adding too many custom columns slows the editor and makes the table harder to scan. If you've reached for ten custom columns in one section, consider whether some belong in the Notes field instead.
- Diverging columns across sections is fine, but if you do it for every section in every project, exports get harder to scan side-by-side. Pick a column set per section type (vanities, base cabinets, etc.) and reuse it across projects via templates.