# A quick tutorial

# Overview

# If you are not confident with your computer

If you are new to your computer, it is essential that you first learn how to use it and feel comfortable with it. StairBiz is a remarkable easy to use considering what it does, however, it is still a large and involved program. If you are fumbling with the basics of general computer use, obviously you will have difficulty with StairBiz.

If you have a lap-top computer without a mouse, we highly recommend that you buy one. Touch pads or other mouse-alternatives are ONLY for experts and will get the beginner into a lot of trouble.

If you have a cheap computer but have a quality mouse and mouse pad, you can run the system like a expert. Regardless of the quality of your computer, if you have a cheap mouse and mouse pad, you will always be frustrated. The Microsoft IntelliMouse or similar is highly recommended.

# If you are confident with your computer

If you have just installed StairBiz, are confident with your computer, and want a quick tutorial - this section is for you. It will walk you through the most basic steps involved in processing a simple job.

Before you start this tutorial, be sure that you have read How to use this Help. This will show you how to jump to more detailed information on any window or topic if you want to, and then return to where you were in the tutorial.

This tutorial will not explain much. In fact, the best way to approach this tutorial is to NOT to try and understand everything for now. The intention here is simply to give you a general feel for the way StairBiz works. There are many options that will not be discussed. For more information on each of the windows discussed here, refer to the specific window in The windows in alphabetical order.

All the default settings will be the ones that came with StairBiz – you’ll get a chance to create your own later. Follow the instructions, in the sequence in which they are given. If you get lost, just back-track to where you feel confident and continue from there. In most cases it shouldn’t matter much.

If you get totally lost, select Close Project from the Project menu and start again. Typically, the scenario is as follows:

  1. The client phones for a measure
  2. You design & quote the job
  3. The client accepts the quote
  4. You build the stair
  5. You install the stair
  6. You invoice the client

# The client phones for a measure

# Process window

  1. When you first launch StairBiz, the Process window opens. If this window is not open, select it from the Process menu.
  2. Click the New button to start a new project.
  3. Type a job name into the Job Name field.
  4. If a quote number is not automatically inserted (discussed elsewhere) double-click the word (i.e. the title) Quote# and StairBiz will put the next-in-sequence quote number into the Quote# field. From here you progress through the various stages of the job as follows. We’ll leave the Process window open.

# Client window

  1. Open the Client window by clicking the Client button in the Process window, or choose it from the Process menu.
  2. Type in the details for your client. Anything you don’t understand – leave it for now.
  3. Let’s add this client to your client database - click the Paste to Client List button.
  4. Let’s open the Client List and find this client – from the Process menu, select Client List (it’s at the very bottom). Find your client in the list on the left and click on it. In the future, instead of typing this client’s details into the Client window for the job, you can paste them from your client list.
  5. Close the Client List window.
  6. Close the Client window. Site window
  7. Open the Site window by clicking the Site button in the Process window, or choose it from the Process menu.
  8. Type in the details for the site. Anything you don’t understand – leave it for now.
  9. Close the Site window.
  1. At this stage, you might print out a measure sheet. There is a sample one – to open it select Measure from the Custom menu. With this window open, select Print Page from the Project menu. Click Print to print the page. Close the Measure sheet.
  2. Now we should probably save the job – click the Save button in the Process window..
  3. We’ll assume now that you need to go out and measure the job. In the Process window, click the Close button.

# You design & quote the job

Assume now you’ve measured the job.

Click the Open button in the Process window. Find your job in the list and double-click it. The Process window will open. There are alternative ways of opening a particular job;

  1. You can locate it in a variety of ways in the Directory window (which you open by clicking the top tool at the very left of your screen). Select the job and click the Open button.
  2. If you know the job name, you can type it in to the Job Name field in the process window, then click the Open button.
  3. If you know the quote number or job number, you can type it in to the relevant field in the process window, then click the Open button.

# Job Details window

Open the Job Details window by clicking the Details button in the Process window, or choose it from the Process menu.

  1. Type in the details and select the relevant buttons. Anything you don’t understand – leave it for now.
  2. Close the Job Details window.

# Components window

Open the Components window by clicking the Components button in the Process window, or choose it from the Process menu.

  1. Select the required styles and timbers from the pop-up lists. Anything you don’t understand – leave it for now.
  2. Close the Components window.

# Setout window

This Setout window holds various default settings for the design in this specific job. These settings come from your Setout Defaults window which we’ll discuss later. You can edit the values by double clicking on the value, editing it, then pressing the Return key.

# Design window

Open the Design window by clicking the Design button in the Process window, or choose it from the Process menu. If the window is not full size, best to enlarge it now, but don’t do it by using the Maximize button – maximizing one window maximizes all windows, which is not the most convenient way to operate in StairBiz. All window sizes and positions are saved for the next time you open them, so just manually resize the window.

There are many ‘panes’ (or sub-windows) to this Design window, corresponding to the buttons at the top-left of the window. You don’t necessarily have to go through them in order – if the button is active then you can use the pane. For example, you could first create a stair for it in the Stair Design pane, and then create a well in the Well Design pane, etc. You can also go back and modify things in any pane you have previously been in.

There is a menu below the buttons in the panel at the left of the Design window. The menu is called the “context menu” and the menu-items shown are contextual – meaning that you’ll get a different menu depending on the window, what’s in the window, what mode the window is in, and what you’ve clicked on. If you prefer to work with pop-up menus, you can right click various components – the pop-up menu created will match the menu-items shown on the left.

The panes are discussed in much greater detail later in the manual. For now we’ll use them to create a simple stair, and balcony balustrade:

# Levels

No need to worry about this pane at this stage – we’ll discuss it later.

# Well Design

Create a new well; in the list on the left (called the Well Templates list) double-click the “Square” unit (it will then appear on the right). You have just created a typical square-shaped well.

You can click-drag the lines or the junctions at the end of each line for rough positioning (you will notice that you dragging is “constrained” – for total drag freedom hold the Shift key down).

For more precise positioning edit the dimensions. When you edit a length, junctions at either end of the line become coloured – one yellow and one green. After you change a dimension, and before you click anywhere else, click on one of these junctions to tell StairBiz which end of the line you want the edit to effect. Pressing Enter is the same as clicking on the green junction.

You can have as many wells in a design as you like (e.g. existing landings etc.).

You will see later how this square well can be used to create virtually any well shape you can imagine, and how the modified wells can be saved back into the Well Templates list for future use.

Various features and edit modes can be accessed by right-clicking a well-line, a junction, or white space. Have a play. Some attributes of the well templates (in the list on the left) can be changed by right-clicking the template.

# Stair Templates

A stair template is a stair that you have previously created or modified, and saved so that you can quickly call it up in the future. It does not contain information about the job, client, well etc. – it’s just a stair.

This pane shows any number of these stair templates. You can also organise these templates in folders (more about this later). Various features can be accessed by right-clicking a stair template or white space.

We won’t do anything in this window for now.

# Stair Design

Click the Stair Design button at the top-left of the Design window to switch to this pane.

Start a new stair; in the list on the left (called the Unit Templates list) double-click the “Straight” unit (it will then appear on the right). Now double-click the “Corner” unit. Finally double-click the “Straight” unit again. You have just created a typical “L” shaped stair.

You will see later how these two units can be used to create virtually any stair you can imagine, and how the modified units can be saved back into the this Unit Templates list for future use, and the stairs can be saved in the Stair Templates pane for future use. You will also see how to set up these units (and therefore any stair templates that derive from them) with your own setout dimensions.

Various features can be accessed by right-clicking a unit within the stair, a string, a newel, or white space. Left-click newels to select or un-select them. Have a play.

Some attributes of the unit templates (in the list on the left) can be changed by right-clicking.

# Stair Setout

Here we set out the stair in a more precise way - virtually everything about this configuration can be changed.

The main thing that should be discussed here is basic dimension editing:

Amending the basic stair dimensions: Edit the dimension, then press the return key. Sometimes when you edit a dimension, other dimensions turn yellow or green. These are the “take-up” dimensions. After you edit a dimension, you can left-click a take-up dimension to tell StairBiz how you want what you have edited to affect the rest of the stair. This saves having to do double or triple edits. For example, you have five treads in the upper flight and you want to reduce it to four; click on the “5” and change it to “4”. The yellow and green dimensions are asking where you want to “put” this tread. You have a choice of the landing, lower flight, or risers. The risers dimension is green, meaning it’s the default take-up dimension (pressing the return key is the same as clicking on this green dimension). Or, click either of the yellows.

Clicking a green take-up dimension is like saying “do not take-up” (e.g. don’t put the extra tread anywhere).

In the middle of the lower flight there is a “5”, being the number of lower treads. In the landing is a “1” being the number of landing treads. Change the lower treads dimension from 5 to 3, then before clicking anywhere else click on the yellow landing treads dimensions, then press the Enter key. You end up with 3 lower treads and 3 landing treads.

Change the upper width dimension to whatever you want, then press the enter key.

If you don’t like what you’ve done, click the Undo button.

Setting the floor-to-floor dimension: Edit the dimension at the bottom of the window. The floor-to-floor dimension “floats” with each change in the treads numbers of riser height, until such time as it is edited directly (after which the riser height will float).

Various features can be accessed by right-clicking a unit within the stair, a string, a newel, or white space. Some dimensions can even be right-clicked – to set a tag or some other attribute (more about this later). Left-click newels to select or un-select them. Have a play.

Selecting newels: Click the top tenonside newel to select it. Click the bottom tenonside newel to select it. Various features and amend modes can be accessed by right-clicking a tread, string, newel, or white space. Have a play. For more information see Amending the stair design.

# Curves

Allows you to add a curve or curves to the strings of existing straight flights. Right-click on the straight flight and select from the list.

# Bullnose

Create a new bullnose; in the list on the left (called the Bullnose Templates list) double-click the “Small Round” bullnose (it will appear on the tenonside side of the stair). You have just created a typical bullnose.

You will see later how this one bullnose can be used to create virtually any bullnose shape you can imagine, and how the modified bullnoses can be saved back into the Bullnose Templates list for future use.

Various features can be accessed by right-clicking a bullnose, or right-clicking a bullnose template in the templates list. Have a play.

# Rake Balustrade

If not already selected, select Show All and Selections from the context menu.

In this mode you can select (include) balustrading and newels on the strings of a stair. Each length of balustrading is called a “section”.

By default, balustrading will be automatically selected for strings where there is a newel selected at the top and bottom of the section. You can unselect sections that have been auto selected, or you can select sections that did not auto select.

Once you make a manual selection in this window, all section selections in this window need to be done manually (i.e. the auto-selection feature is switched off).

In this pane you can also specify the properties and characteristics of each selected section of balustrading, and the components within each section (handrail, shoerail, balusters and newels). Mostly you would not need to change anything from the default settings, but if required you can adjust the positions and lengths of each component, and adjust the spacings of the balustrading.

# Amending Baluster Spacing

Select Show Balusters and Amend Spacing from the context menu.

# Normal Balusters:

For box strings; In the middle of each selected section this are two values; the second is the distance between the balusters, the first (“0”) allows you to increase or decrease the default number of balusters. To see the effect, change the “0” to “1” or “-2”, then press the Enter key.

For sawtooth strings; In the middle of each selected section this are three values; the second is the distance between the balusters, the first (“0”) allows you to add to or subtract from the number of the balusters at the top end of the string; the third (“0”) does the same for the bottom end of the string. To see the effect, change the “0” to “1” or “-2”, then press the Enter key.

The “0” shown above the balusters allows you to override the number of balusters per tread. “0” means let StairBiz calculate the minimum required number to stay within building code. If you override this with a “1” or “3” etc. StairBiz does not do the calculation and will put this many balusters on each tread.

# Combo Balusters:

# For box strings;

The setting below the balusters works the same as for normal balusters/ sawtooth strings (see above).

# For sawtooth strings,

The settings shown below the balusters behave the same as for normal balusters. The first of the two settings shown above the balusters behaves the same as for normal balusters. The second shows the position of the combo baluster on the tread (“2” is the default, meaning that the combo baluster will be the second baluster on the tread.

# String Elevations

Shows the elevations of the strings and allows you to select handrail fittings if your default fittings are not appropriate.

# Balcony Balustrade

This pane works in the same way as the Rake Balustrade pane, except that obviously it relates to balcony balustrade.

If not already selected, select Show All and Selections from the context menu.

In this mode you select (by clicking) the balustrading sections you want included in the balcony.

Newels can also be selected (by clicking). Clicking a termination junction (one where there is no balustrading after it) toggles between a newel, a half newel, of nothing. Clicking a mid junction (one where there is balustrading either side) toggles between a newel and a mitre.


That’s the end of our design. Note that only the most basic features have been discussed, for a more detailed discussion on each pane see Design window. Close the Design window. Let’s continue with the remaining Process windows.

# Material Cost window

Open the Material Cost window by clicking the Material $ button in the Process window, or choose it from the Process menu.

  1. For now, just have a look, or play around.
  2. Close the window.

# Labour window

Open the Labour window by clicking the Labour $ button in the Process window, or choose it from the Process menu. 3. For now, just have a look, or play around. 4. Close the window.

# Quote Calculation window

Open the Quote Calculation window by clicking the Quote Calc button in the Process window, or choose it from the Process menu.

  1. Type in ’60.00’ in the Truck field.
  2. Click the Lock button.
  3. Change the value in the Quote Total field to round it off.
  4. Close the window.

# Quote window

Open the Quote window by clicking the Quote button in the Process window, or choose it from the Process menu.

  1. Click the Open button and choose an alternative quotation template to suit this particular client (i.e. for now just choose any of the files shown by double-clicking it).
  2. Close the window. Print the quote, Save, Close
  3. At this stage, you might print out a quotation sheet. There is a sample one – a) To open it select Quote from the Custom menu. b) With this window open, select Print Page from the Project menu. c) Click Print to print the page. d) Close the Quote custom sheet.
  4. You may also like to print out a quote covering letter. a) To open it select Quote from the View menu. b) With this window open, select Print Page from the Project menu. c) Click Print to print the page. d) Close the window.
  5. In the Process window, select Confirm from the Status list at the top right of the window.
  6. Save the job – click the Save Job button in the Process window.
  7. Click the Close button in the Process window.

# The client accepts the quote

Assume now that the client has accepted your quotation –

  1. Click the Open button in the Process window. Find your job in the list and double-click it.
  2. In the Process window, select Build from the Status list at the top right of the window.

# Payments window

Open the Payments window by clicking the Payments button in the Process window, or choose it from the Process menu.

  1. Type in details for the deposit paid to you by the client.
  2. Close the window.

# Receipt window

This window can be used to print a receipt. Alternatively a customized sheet can be used. Ignore for now.

# Notes window

Open the Notes window by clicking the Notes button in the Process window, or choose it from the Process menu.

  1. Type in any note you want saved with the job.
  2. Close the window

# Save, Close

  1. Click the Save button in the Process window.
  2. Click the Close button in the Process window.

# You build the stair

  1. At this stage, you might print out some customized job sheets for your factory staff. There is a sample one – a) To open it select Job Sheet from the Custom menu. b) With this window open, select Print Page from the Project menu. c) Click Print to print the page. d) Close the Quote custom sheet.
  2. You may also like to print out some specification sheets. For example … a) Open the Treads sheet by selecting it from the Stair menu-item under the View menu (or you could try the Cutting List). b) With this window open, select Print Page from the Project menu. c) Click Print to print the page. d) Close the window.

# You install the stair

  1. At this stage, you might print out some customized job sheets for your installation staff. There is a sample one – a) To open it select Install from the Custom menu. b) With this window open, select Print Page from the Project menu. c) Click Print to print the page. d) Close the Quote custom sheet.
  2. You may also like to print out some specification sheets. For example … Open the Spacings sheet by selecting it from the Balcony menu-item under the View menu. a) With this window open, select Print Page from the Project menu. b) Click Print to print the page. c) Close the window.
  3. Close the project by clicking the Close button in the Process window.

# You invoice the client

You can invoice the client in the same ways that you quoted for him - using the Invoice window in conjunction with the Invoice sheet, and/or by using a Custom sheet.

# Tracking jobs

Jobs and the status of jobs can be tracked using the Directory window.