The creation of objects is a fundamental concept in the FF&EZ program. If you have not already read the definition of objects (and specifications), be sure to also read that section, however the short definition is "a finished and installed item made up of one or more products (specifications)." "Finished and installed" means that the item is what the client thinks of when your work is done, while you as a designer or FF&E procurer may know that this may require more than one product/service and purchase order to accomplish.

This difference between finished objects and product specifications is the reason that objects are identified with Tags (what you might see in a drawing layout) while product specifications use Spec IDs.  For more information about using tags and spec IDs, it is covered as part of the discussion of objects and specs in the Introduction. 

When you create an object, you should create at least one specification linked to it. In the same way, if you create a new spec, you should either create the object to which it will be linked or attach it to an existing object (for a spec used as a secondary component, like a fabric). The system's commands are specifically designed to make this easy and you should always allow it to do this for you to save time.

Possible Methods

There are four ways to create an object in FF&EZ, three of which are really part of procedures that fit different situations. The method you choose will depend on the project information you have to work with and what you are trying to accomplish. You can: 

A) Create new objects directly using the Add function on the Object Form. Ironically, by itself you will probably use this approach the least in creating fully specified new objects. This is primarily because the situations for which the next three methods were created are much more common and two of them automatically call this object creation command as part of the sequence. You will likely use the Object form to make design "tweaks" like cloning an object to create a similar one, replacing a fabric on an object (or clone) with an alternate, changing the quantity of a fabric used in a chair or for printing a list of all objects in the project (as opposed to only those that have been used in the Worksheet).

That said, if you are just learning to use FF&EZ, we highly recommend that you create a few objects directly so that when you encounter object creation in the "worksheet-oriented" method, you will already be familiar with how this works. The basic procedure for adding an object can be found at the end of the "Object List" reference section.

B) Use the "worksheet-oriented" method on the FF&E Worksheet. You can use this approach when you need to set up areas and rooms and list everything in them to meet the functional requirements of the project. It can be used before you are actually ready to make product selections, but if needed still allows you to fully specify the products for an object as you work. Using this method is recommended 1) for any large project, 2) when presenting a detailed budget is a high priority, and/or 3) if you simply need to flesh out the basic design functionality and present it to a client. This approach works well for design-oriented projects, and can be even more efficient when combined with planning for a prototype-oriented method (below).

C) Use the "spec-oriented" approach, which assumes that you already know what goes into each room and you just need to write specs for these items. This approach is most common in simple sales orders in which the "room" is just a container for the list of items. In this, you will need to create your area and room lists first. Once these exist (and you can jump to the Area and Room Forms at any time to add any you missed), you use the Specs button in the "Views" box to display the Specs Form. However, instead of using the Save button after you enter a specification, use the Save/Object button to save the spec and then trigger the Create/Modify Object form. Use this form to create a new object using the spec as its first component (or later add a spec as an additional component of an existing object, such as adding COM to an existing chair object). This form also has an option at the bottom to place a quantity of the new object into a room (again, very useful for simple sales orders).

The Create/Modify Object form is also displayed by the Object button (not "Objects") on the Specification Form under "Commands." Using Save/Object to save a new spec is exactly the same as pressing Save and then pressing the Object button.

D) Finally, there is the use of object and specification prototypes. This way of working requires some pre-planning, but can greatly reduce the time spent creating the pieces of a project, as well as eliminate some repetitive typing that occurs from one specification to the next. It is a mix of all three of the previous techniques and further, allows you to create prototype objects with typical budgets already entered.

In practice, and on a typical design project, you will probably first use the worksheet-oriented approach (B) to create all the objects as you need them, with simple "placeholder" specs attached as needed. Then, when product selection begins, you can either move to the Spec Screen to select and detail all the product descriptions or edit the specs from the FF&E Worksheet by double-clicking them in the FF&E Summary box.