# The menus

Menus are listed horizontally across the very top of your screen. The menu-items they each contain perform a variety of functions in StairBiz. Some deal with opening, closing, saving and printing jobs. Many of them help you to navigate through the many windows in StairBiz.

Select a menu-item by clicking on the menu title, then click on your selection.

Note that menus relating to estimating are not shown if you do not have the Estimate module (see Chapter 1 : How to use this Manual/ The optional “Estimate” module).

There are ten menus in StairBiz, as follows:

The Project menu deals with issues involving files, or printing. They are described as follows:

# Directory

Opens or makes active the Directory window where the information of your choice from all jobs is listed.

# Schedule

Opens or makes active the Schedule window where the information of your choice from all jobs is listed.

# New project

Creates a new project.

If the Process window is closed, it will open it.

This menu-item is disabled when a job is in progress (the current project has to be closed before a new one can be opened).

This menu-item performs the same function as the New button in the Process window.

Also see Starting a new project.

By default the project folder for a new job is the same as the last folder used to open or save a project. If you want to change this behaviour see Chapter 13; Windows in Alphabetical Order / Open Project window.

# Open Project

Opens a dialog window from which you can select and open any previously saved job. This menu-item performs the same function as the Open button in the Process window.
Also see Opening a saved project.

By default the project folder selected in the Open Project window is the same as the last folder used to open or save a project. If you want to change this behaviour see Chapter 13; Windows in Alphabetical Order / Open Project window.

# Open Template

Opens a dialog window from which you can select and open any previously saved job template. See Job Templates.

# Revert Job

Reverts the current job or scenario to the state it was in at the last save. All changes since the last save will be lost.

# Close Project

Closes all the windows of the current project. If a project has been changed since it was last saved, you will be prompted to save it. If you don’t, the changes will be lost. This menu-item performs the same function as the Close button in the Process window.
See also Closing a Job.

# Delete Project

Deletes the current project. See Deleting a Job.

# Save Job

Saves the current job.

If there have been no changes since the last save, this menu-item will be disabled. This menu-item performs the same function as the Save button in the Process window.

# Save Job As...

Opens the current job (as is) in a new project. If there is more than one job in the project, the other jobs will be ignored. You will need to name and save the project.

# Open Archive

Presents a list of previously created job archive files. Selecting an archive file makes that file the current job database file. See Archiving Jobs.

# Export Job

Exports the current job to an independent file (i.e. not in the database). By default, the folder selected is the Jobs folder located in the StairBiz folder. The file extension is “.sbj”. If there is more than one job in the project, the other jobs are ignored (not exported). This is useful if you are experiencing a problem with a job and you wish to send the job to StairBiz Support, or if you otherwise wish to share files with other users (e.g. a sales rep can email jobs to the office).

# Import Job

Allows you to locate on disc and import a StairBiz job (file extension “.sbj”) previously exported using the Export menu. The imported job opens in a new project. You will need to name and save the project.

# Import Job from Text

Allows you to define various aspects of a job in a text file, then import that text file, thus creating the job. Can also be used to create clients in the Client List. See Chapter 22: Miscellaneous Topics/ Import Job from Text.

# Compact Database

When a job is deleted from the database, certain aspects of that job may be shared with other jobs in the project. The process of resolving whether or not they are shared takes time. So those potentially shared components are not immediately deleted from the database – they are resolved and deleted (where appropriate) on a Database Compact.

Even items are that are immediately deleted from the database are not necessarily removed from it - for the sake of speed they may simply be tagged as deleted, but continue to take up space. These are also resolved on a Database Compact. You should do a Database Compact every month or so.

# Page Setup

Allows you to select a printer and choose various print settings.

StairBiz automatically selects the correct page orientation (portrait or landscape) for each page being printed, so you don’t have to worry about this. Job sheets have been programmed to scale most satisfactorily on A4 or US Letter size paper with portrait orientation (the default in StairBiz). Custom sheet orientation can be pre-set to Portrait or Landscape in the Custom Editor window (Page Setup).

StairBiz remembers your most recent printer name and the print properties for this and will attempt to automatically set these when you launch StairBiz, This saves you have to do it each time.

If StairBiz generates a printing error when you launch StairBiz, or when you do a Page Setup or Print, Do a Page Setup. If that fails to stop the error message, try un-ticking the “Full Printer Features” check-box in the Preferences window. If you still get errors with this un-ticked, please advise us. The size of a sheet as seen in a View window or Custom Sheet window will correspond to your choice of paper size in Page Setup or Print. The size corresponds to the printable area of the page (i.e. it will be a little less than the actual size of the sheet of paper.). There is an exception to this – see the Scale text box in the Preferences window.

# Print Page

If the active window is a Job sheet or a Custom sheet, this menu-item will be enabled. Clicking it will send that sheet to your printer. At all other times this menu-item is disabled.

# Print Job

If a job is open, and a stair and/or balcony has been designed, this menu-item will be enabled. It brings up the Print Job window, which allows you to print selected sheets in a batch (rather than one by one).

See Printing Multiple Sheets and Print Job window.

# Quit

Clicking this menu-item closes the StairBiz program.

If a job is open, StairBiz will close the project first. If the job needs saving, StairBiz will alert you. See Quitting StairBiz.

The Defaults menu deals with many aspects of setting StairBiz up for your business. See Setting up for your business. Also see the following references;

Styles See Style Defaults window.
Timbers See Timbers window.
Timber Themes See Timber Themes window.
Job Details See Job Details Defaults window.
Miscellaneous Defaults See Miscellaneous Defaults window.
Setout See Setout Defaults window.
Fittings See Fittings window.
Extra Lengths See Extra Length Defaults window.
Parts See Parts window.
Part Filters See Part Filters window.
Labour Filters See Labour Filters window.
My Data See My Data Defaults window.
Custom Categories See Custom Categories window.
Custom Tags See Custom Tags window.
Preferences See Preferences window.
Users and Networking See Users window.
Language See Language window.
Colours See Colours window.
Job Numbers See Job Numbers window.
Folders See Folders window.
Building Codes See Building Codes window.
Print Settings See Print Settings window.
Custom Editor See Custom Editor window.
Custom Menus See Custom Menus window.
Export Templates See Export Templates window.

The Jobs menu deals with multiple jobs within a project. See Multiple jobs within a project.

# Add Job

Creates a new job within the current project. Shared windows will hold the same information as the shared windows for the project. Windows relating to the specific design will be empty, waiting for you to create a design. See Adding a job to a project.

# Duplicate Current Job

Creates a new job within the current project. Shared windows will hold the same information as the shared windows for the project. Windows relating to the specific design will hold an exact copy of the corresponding windows of the previous job. See Adding a job to a project.

# Delete Current Job

Deletes the current job from the project. This menu will be disabled if there is only one job in the project.

The Scenarios menu deals with multiple scenarios within a job. See Multiple scenarios within a job.

# Add Scenario

Creates a new scenario within the current job. Shared windows will hold the same information as the shared windows for the project. Windows relating to the specific design will be empty, waiting for you to create a design. See Adding a scenario to a project.

# Duplicate Current Scenario

Creates a new scenario within the current job. Shared windows will hold the same information as the shared windows for the project. Windows relating to the specific design will hold an exact copy of the corresponding windows of the previous scenario. See Adding a scenario to a project.

# Delete Current Scenario

Deletes the current scenario from the job.

The Process menu opens the Process window, any of the Process windows, and the Client List window.

If any process is currently unavailable, the relevant menu-item will be disabled.

To place a tick on any of the menu-items, select the Done button in the relevant window (this is the sole purpose of the Done button).

See Process window and Using StairBiz to process your jobs.

# Process

Opens or makes active the Process window, which is the home-base window for processing jobs.

# Client … Notes

Opens or makes active the relevant Process window, which is the home-base window for processing jobs.

These menu-items correspond to each stage in processing a job. They have a corresponding button in the Process window. They will open the relevant Process window if it is closed, or make it the active window if it is currently open but in the background.

Also see the following references;

Client See Client window
Site See Site window
Job Details See Job Details window
Components See Components window
Setout See Setout window
Design See Design window
Material Cost See Material Cost window
Labour See Labour window
Quote Calculation See Quote Calculation window
Quote See Quote window
Schedule See Schedule window
Invoice See Invoice window
Payments See Payments window
Receipt See Receipt window
My Data See My Data window
Notes See Notes window

Opens the Related Files window where files on your computer which relate to the current job can be "attached" to the job for easy future reference. Most such files can be opened directly from this window (if your computer has the relevant application).

# Client List

Opens or makes active the Client List window where details of your regular clients are kept. The Client List window is technically not one of the Process windows, but is closely related to the Client window.

# Show 3D Drawing

Opens or makes active the 3D window where you can arrange then photo render a 3D image of the design.

Opens or makes active the each of the Job sheets which show specifications and drawings related to the current job. The Stair and Balcony menu-items lead to sub-menus which open Job sheets relating to those categories. See Viewing a Job.

# Custom drawing

Opens the Custom Drawing window where you can create a drawing or the stair and/or well including whatever elements you select from the list.

Opens or makes active each of your Custom sheets which show user defined specifications and drawings related to the current job. The Custom sheets shown under this menu are selected in the Custom Menus window. Note that the first six custom sheets under this menu can also be opened using the “C1” to “C6” buttons in the main tool bar (down the left of your screen).

Note that a Custom sheets (and some other windows) can also be opened from a button in the Process window – see Chapter 13/ Process window/ Customizing buttons in Process window.

Opens or makes active Scrap Pad and Draw windows which allow you to manually create or modify drawings. These drawings can then be inserted into Custom sheets or printed as they are.

Apart from Scrap Pads, these Draw windows relate only to the current job and are saved with the current job.

To create a new Scrap Pad, select the New Scrap Pad menu-item. To create a new Draw window, select the New Draw menu-item. The windows function in the same way as a paint program.

# New Scrap Pad

Scrap Pads are pages where you can manually draw anything. Things drawn in Scrap Pads are not saved with the job - they are available for all jobs. If you quit StairBiz and re-launch, the drawings will still be there. Each Scrap Pad created is listed below this menu-item

# New Draw

Opens a new Draw window for the current job. Each Draw window created for the current job is listed below this menu-item

See the separate Users Manual CNC (in the StairBiz Program folder).

# Show Bed

Opens the CNC Bed window. This is a simulation of the actual bed, where you can add, delete and manipulate components and export sessions to a CNC machine

# Preferences

Opens the CNC Preferences window where you can set preferences for one or more CNC machines.

# Session List

Opens the CNC Session List window, which shows a list of exported CNC sessions.

# Close All Open Windows

Closes all open windows except for the Process window.

If you lose the toolbar down the very left of the StairBiz window, you can get it back here.

# Other open windows ...

All open windows are listed here. You can bring a window to the front by selecting it here..

# DXF Drawing

Export the current window to a DXF drawing (file with a .dxf extension). If the current window is not suitable for DXF export you will be alerted. Most CAD programs can open DXF files.

This exports all lines shown in drawings in the current window. These lines are not necessarily polygons, and are not necessarily arranged, ordered or grouped in any particular way. For example, a tread might be comprised of four separate DXF lines (rather than a four-sided polygon). Lines that are hidden in the drawing may or may not exist as DXF lines.

These files are not necessarily suitable for creating g-code files without significant intervention (for powerful CNC g-code exporting, see the CNC window).

You cannot export the CNC Bed window from here (there are other, more powerful and appropriate ways to export DXF from the CNC Bed, in the very rare cases where you would actually need to export DXF).

# SVG Drawing

SVG drawings can be shown in some web browsers (if the appropriate plug-in is installed), and in SVG Viewer programs.

# QuickBooks

Certain information about the current job can be communicated directly to some versions of QuickBooks.

# Others ...

From here you can do an export according to the export templates you created in the Export window (Defaults menu). Select the template

# Show Help

Opens the on-screen Help window.

# Users Manual

Opens the latest User’s Manual (a Microsoft Word document stored in the StairBiz Program folder on your C drive).

# End User License Agreement

Shows the software license agreement (a Microsoft Word document stored in the StairBiz Program folder on your C drive. If you do not agree to the terms and conditions it contains you may not use StairBiz.

# Connect with Support

This allows StairBiz support to see what’s on your screen, concurrent with talking to you on the phone. It allows us to help you troubleshoot a problem more easily.

StairBiz support has no access to any aspect of your computer unless you follow the specific steps to allow it. During the remote support session the only access support has to your computer is that they can see your screen (exactly as you see it) and they can take over your mouse and keyboard to help demonstrate something (if you wish them to). Under no circumstances is there any access to your computer that you cannot see directly on your screen. When we have finished with the remote support session you can terminate the session, after which time we have no further access.

You must phone StairBiz support before using remote support so the person you speak to can divert the connection to himself.

# Screen Capture

If you email us with a problem, small screen captures help us enormously. There is an F3 key screen capture in the Design, Custom and View windows. You can also initiate screen capture using this Help menu-item, so that you can use this utility at any time in any window. After you select this menu-item, your cursor changes to a cross-hair – click-drag a rectangle to place the bit-map contents of the rectangle onto the Window clipboard, after which you can paste into any Paint or Word document, or directly into the body of your email.

# About StairBiz

See Pass Protect window.

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