ForemanFOREMAN

Cost groups & budget templates

Save reusable assemblies and whole budget templates, edit them with budget controls, and import them into projects.

The cost database has three reusable levels: Cost Items for individual lines, Assemblies for a group and its nested contents, and Budget Templates for a complete budget. Copies keep their groups, formulas, parameters, and item settings. Editing a project copy does not change the saved library entry.

Open your library

  1. From the sidebar, click Cost Database.
  2. Open Assemblies for saved groups or Budget Templates for whole budgets.
  3. Click an assembly or template row to open its budget editor.

To rename or delete an entry, click its three-dot Row actions menu and choose Rename or Delete.

Don’t see this?

Creating or editing library entries needs cost database editing access. Applying one to a project needs budget editing access. If an editing control is missing, ask your organization owner.

Create an assembly or budget template

  1. On Assemblies, click Add Assembly. On Budget Templates, click Add Template.
  2. Type the entry's name in the highlighted breadcrumb and press Enter.
  3. Add groups and line items in the Budget-style editor. An assembly has one root group; add related groups inside it.
  4. Set quantities, units, costs, margins, codes, and formulas. The toolbar also has search, Parameters, and full screen. Assemblies show all supported columns. Budget templates additionally offer views and Columns settings.
  5. Use Undo or Redo to revise unsaved edits. Click Save changes to keep them.

Note

Library edits are buffered, including the name and parameters. Apply in Parameters stages those changes; Save changes saves the entry. If another person changed it first, your draft stays visible so you can resolve the conflict rather than overwrite their work.

Save work from a project

  1. Open the project's Budget tab.
  2. For one assembly, open the three-dot Row actions menu in its group name cell and choose Save to cost database. You can also select the group from its row number and choose Save as assembly from Selected row actions.
  3. For the whole budget, use Save as template in the toolbar.
  4. Enter the name and an optional description, then click Save. Whole-budget templates also offer an optional category. Pending budget edits are saved first; assemblies include the group's items and nested groups.
  5. If this source already has a saved entry, choose whether to overwrite it or Save as New.

Add an assembly by typing a group name

  1. In a project's budget, add a group or double-click an existing group's name.
  2. Type part of a saved assembly's name. Suggestions use the same menu and keyboard behavior as line-item suggestions.
  3. Select the assembly. An empty group is filled without an extra wrapper; a populated group offers Add assembly inside this group, keeping its existing contents.
  4. Supply any required values and click Import if prompted.

Ordinary typing still renames the group. An import preserves nested contents and checks the four-level nesting limit before changing the budget.

Import a whole budget template

  1. Open a project and go to Budget.
  2. Click Import in the toolbar and choose From template.
  3. Search and select the budget template. Arrow keys move through the results and Enter selects the highlighted entry.
  4. Enter any required values. If the budget is empty, you can choose Use the template margin, tax rate, and notes for this empty budget.
  5. Click Import when prompted. Pending budget edits are saved before insertion.

Note

An existing budget keeps its own estimate settings. Imported items retain their authored costs and margins; the import dialog explains when the library entry uses different margin or tax settings.

Define reusable parameters

Open Parameters while editing an assembly or template. Use Value for a saved number, Formula for a reusable calculation, or Required input for a value that each project will supply. Click Apply, then Save changes.

Saving a project's budget converts references to its plan measurements into required inputs. Saving one assembly also converts dependencies on parent groups outside that assembly into inputs. Project import asks for those numeric values before adding the copy; they become editable project parameters. You can later change them or choose a project measurement in Parameters.

Import and export library names

On Assemblies or Budget Templates, Import and Export work with CSVs of names, descriptions, and categories. They do not transfer the nested groups, line items, or formulas. Use the budget save/import actions above to reuse complete content.

NextCost codes