Each object you create and place in a room will eventually need to be fully described by selecting a product or products for it and recording the associated specifications for them. In FF&EZ, the selected products are called "components." A component is any product from a particular manufacturer—such as a chair frame, carpet or drapery hardware—which is required to fully define an object and that is ordered with a separate purchase order.  

Many objects will only have one component (for example, a lamp table is just one item, the table itself). Others may have two or more components (for instance, a lamp could have a separate shade ordered from another manufacturer and a bulb from yet another). Components do not have to be just items in a catalog. 

Example: A component of some objects might be "installation" when installation of the item is done by a separate vendor, with the price set to the "installation per unit" for the object. 

Example: The "primary" component of custom window treatment may not actually be a catalog product, but the "fabrication" of the drapery from your specifications. 

A component can also be an "image only" specification, which only appears on illustrated reports when a single specification needs more than one image, but does not generate an order.

Creating a Specification

There are four ways you can create a specification (although some are just variations of the basic Add command on the Specification List form): 

1. You can create up to two specifications when you create a new object directly on the Object Form with its Add command or when that command is called to create a new object during FF&E Worksheet entry (see next section, also). These can be minimal "placeholder" specifications or fully detailed specs. This is the recommended approach for larger projects, since building the list of room contents is one of the first steps in making sure you have covered everything needed in the project.

1. You can create a spec directly by using the Add command on the Specifications Form and typing in the appropriate details in the fields. If you are adding an image to the spec at this time, use the instructions for that option (we recommend that you save this step for later and set up all images at the same time, which is more efficient). 

Note: If you create a specification this way, you should also use Save/Object instead of simply Save to either 1) create an object to which to attach it (especially if it's a primary product like a chair frame) or 2) attach it to an existing object (if it is a secondary component). Remember that specifications can only be used as part of an object. It is the object that is placed in a room.

2. You can import a spec from the Library or from any other project. This is done by using the Import function that appears after you select Specs> Add or Specs> Edit. If you import while adding, you create a new specification, whereas if you use this option while editing, you will be replacing the specification you are editing. The latter might be the case when you have set up "placeholder" specs prior to actually selecting products from the Library or an old project. See "Importing Specifications"  and "Importing Templates" for more about this feature.
3. You can use the Clone command to copy an existing spec in the same project. This may be a fully detailed spec or a prototype set up with standard notes and any special requirements already included (cloning a spec implies you need a very similar but different product for the project).

Adding a Specification to an Object

If you have defined prototype templates in the Library List for certain Spec ID groups (the prefix portion of the Spec ID), those templates will be copied automatically as part of a new placeholder spec, unless you deselect the "Use available prototype" option (this option is selected automatically when a match is found among the prototype templates).

If you use the "attach existing" option and use the New button to add a specification (so it becomes an "existing" one), you will have the same options of importing specifications or using a template that you have when adding a specification on the Specifications list screen itself.

2. Select an existing object and use the Component List on the Object Form to add (or replace) components on that object. On that form, moving from one object to the next refreshes the Component list to show the components that comprise it. 

After selecting the object that you want to change, simply click on the Component List (the list is a separate table, so you don't actually have to click on Edit to access it). To add a component to the list, select it from the "Select product spec to use" drop-down list and indicate a quantity. Then select the Attach button to add it to the list or the Replace button to replace the currently highlighted component. Remember that the first component added to an object is considered to be the "primary" component, that is, the one that most defines what the object is. 

If the spec you need to add doesn't exist, use the small New button to add it to the list, then select it. Note that if you use the New button, you are simply calling the Specification Form in Add mode, so everything that you can do when adding a spec directly you can also do with this method, including importing it.

3. Use the Specification Form's Object or Save/Object options.  This can be used for both creating a new object and adding to or modifying an existing one. If you are working from the Specification Form, you can select a specification on it and add it to an object with either the Save/Object button (when adding a spec) or the Object (not "Objects") command (for an existing spec). This is probably the most common way that FF&E salespeople will use the system for small sales orders, since they still need to enter product descriptions and link them to objects in rooms.