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Inspection Reports User's Manual
& Frequently Asked Questions

How to Use This Manual

Many of the most common software questions apply to more than one program. Likewise, many of the features of our inspection reports, business, and training software are available in more than one more than one program. The online user's manual is categorized by topics rather than by individual programs. Screen shots and descriptions may not exactly match what you see on your PC because of differences in appearance of the programs on PCs with different configurations. If you are not able to find the information you need, you may call technical support at 407-401-9298 (US), 213-291-1717 (US), or 416-628-1390 (Canada).

Return to the Technical Support home page

Keywords

Application not found

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Question

When I load the Inspection Report I get a message saying that the application was not found. Why? What should I do?

Answer

Applies to: All Inspection Report software

When you get the error or dialog box asking telling you that the application was not found, it is most likely that either your Windows file associations are not set correctly or the program required to run the program is not installed on the PC. It is very common for programs to hi-jack file associations during installation. Our reports do not change the Windows file associations. Most of our reports use a Microsoft Excel interface. You will either need to reset the Windows file associations or reinstall the program that is needed. If you are using a report that requires Microsoft Excel, follow the directions below. The procedures are the same for reports operating other platforms (for example OpenOffice.org) but you will need to substitute Microsoft Excel to the appropriate program in the steps below.

You can reset the file associations so that Windows always recognizes an .XLS file by following these steps:
1. Open Windows Explorer
2. Find any file with the extension .XLS and single click on it with your left mouse button.
3. Single click on the file name with the right mouse button.
4. Select "Open with"
5. You will be presented with a list of programs. Microsoft Excel may be listed as a recommended program. At the bottom of the list there is an option to "Choose program". Select "Choose program".
6.a. Microsoft Excel should be listed as a recommended program. Select Microsoft Excel. If Microsoft Excel is not one of the options, select "Choose Program" and locate Microsoft Excel in the list of available programs and select it by single clicking with the left mouse button.
6.b. If Microsoft Excel is not installed on the PC, you will need to install it.
6.c. Click on the box that says "always use the selected program to open this type of file".
7. Click on the "OK" button.

Your Windows file association .XLS files is now properly set.

Also see: File Associations

Keywords

Carriage Return

Line Feed

Question

How can I put a carriage return (put text on a separate line) within a field?

Answer

Applies to: All MS Office based Inspection Report software

You can create a carriage return by holding down the ALT key and pressing the ENTER key while holding down the ALT key.

Keywords

Category Assignment

Question

How can I assign a Category from the Comments and Descriptors Library to a field in the report?

Answer

Applies to: All Inspection Report software

HomeTrex, XL Pro Titanium Edition, Heritage, and XL Pro Platinum Edition users, use the Category Assignment Tool (click here). Users of all other XL Pro Editions can assign categories from the Library by using Data/Validation.


Videos

 

Keywords

Check boxes,
Nothing happens

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Question

When I double click on a Check box, the check mark does not appear. Why?

Answer

Applies to: All MS Office based Inspection Report software

You will need to enable macros when you load the report. If you do not get a prompt to enable macros, your macro security level is set too high. Set your macro security to medium or low. Our reports are written in the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programming language. When you enable macros, you are allowing VBA to run.

 

Keywords

Check boxes,

Strange characters,

Letters instead of checkmarks or X's

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Question

When I click on a check box strange characters appear? Or, When I click on a check box letters of the alphabet appear instead of check marks or X's. Why?

Answer

Applies to: All MS Office based Inspection Report software

Inserting check marks and X's by double clicking the left mouse button or clicking the right mouse button requires the use of the standard Windows fonts Marlett and Wingdings. If the Marlett and Wingdings fonts are not installed, you will need to reinstall them. Consult your Windows documentation for instructions on installing the fonts.

Keywords

Colored Phrases

Colored Words

Question
(Applies to MasterCheckList Pro)

How can I have key words or phrases appear in Red, Green, or Blue in a drop-down comment field?

Answer

Applies to: HomeTrex, TexTrex Pro, XL Pro Titanium Edition, Heritage

There are three special categories in the Comments Library. One is for RED, one is for GREEN, and one is for BLUE words and phrases. These are key words and phrases that also are in the Topic Categories and that you always want to be in one of the three colors whenever the words are entered into any comment field.

For example, you may want the word "Danger" or the phrase "Unsafe to Operate" to always appear in bold red letters. All you need to do is to put those words and phrases in the Red Words category.

Keywords

Comments and Descriptors Library

Question

How can I edit the comments and Descriptors Library

Answer

Applies to: HomeTrex, TexTrex Pro, XL Pro Titanium Edition, Heritage, XL Pro Platinum Edition

Edit the Library by selecting the Category Assignment Tool. In reports that do not have the CAT, select the "Comments" page tab and edit the comments and field descriptors directly in the Comments and Descriptors Library categories. The new and edited comments will automatically appear in all fields with drop-down boxes.

 

Keywords

Compile Error in Hidden Module

Question

When I attempt to run XL Pro I get an error message that refers to a "Compile Error". What is the cause and how can the error be corrected?

 

Answer

Applies to: All Inspection Report software

Compile errors are caused by either by attempting to run XL Pro in a version of MS Office that is not supported, the installation of MS Office has been corrupted, or the installation of MS Office is incomplete.

Check to make sure that you have the required versions of MS Windows and MS Office installed on your PC. If you have the correct version of Office, reinstall Office using your original installation disks.

Keywords

Differences among reports

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Question

What are the differences among the reports you sell?

 

Answer

We have an Inspection Report Comparison Chart that outlines the major features of our more popular report systems. If you have questions that are not answered by the Inspection Report Comparison Chart, please contact us.

 

Keywords

E-mailing reports

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Question

How can I e-mail a report?

 

 

 

Answer

Before you can e-mail a report You must create a PDF version of the report. It will be small and cannot easily be altered. You should not e-mail the Excel file to the client. It is not a spreadsheet file. It is a program. As such, it needs to reside in its installation directory. Protecting it and e-mailing it may render it unusable (depending on which report system you are using). the recipient may be able to open the file but the contents may not be correct. In most cases they will get a box that pops up and tells them that the program will not run and they will be presented with a list of possible reasons.

You can use the PDF print driver (PDF Creator) that came on your Report CD or you can use another one if you already have one. The one that is on your CD may not be the current version. It is a third party open source program. You can download the latest version of PDF Creator from our Free Stuff section. If you also have a PDF editor, you can enhance security of the PDF by password protecting it and by adding a digital signature. Most people do not have a PDF editor and PDF's are not easy to alter so it is generally secure enough to suite most users without enhancing security.

 

Keywords

Insert Photos

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Question

When I select Insert Photo from the Command Bar click on a click on a Insert Photo button, nothing happens. Why?

 

Answer

Insert a photo by clicking on the Insert Photo Command Button in the Photo Insertion Group on the Main Control Panel

 

 

Keywords

Install Report software

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Question

How do I install my Inspection Report software?

Answer

Installing from a CD:

Insert the CD. It will load a menu. Follow the menu prompts to select the program you want to install. Some CD's have more than one program so be sure to install the one that you purchased. Follow the prompts. In most cases you will want to accept the default values.

Be sure to install the program you purchased. You will only be able to run the other programs in Demo Mode unless you have a valid activation code.

Installing from a download:

Browse to the installation file. If you saved it to your desktop, you can run the installation from the desktop. If you downloaded to a location other than your desktop, use Windows Explorer (File Manager in windows 98, File Explorer in Windows 8). Double click on the installation file to start the installation. Follow the prompts. In most cases you will want to accept the default values.

Be sure to install the program you purchased. You will only be able to run the other programs in Demo Mode unless you have a valid activation code.

 

Keywords

License

End User License Agreement

EULA

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Question

We have more than one inspector in our company. Can we all use the same copy of the report software.

Answer

The license agreement that came with your software describes what is acceptable and what is not. Most of our software allows installation on at east two PC's, one stationary and one portable. Additional licenses can be purchased at a discount.

 

 

 

 

Keywords

Microsoft Office 2003 and earlier

Question

When I attempt to run XL Pro I get an error message that refers to a "Compile Error". What is the cause and how can the error be corrected?

Answer

Compile errors are caused by either by attempting to run XL Pro in a version of MS Office that is not supported, the installation of MS Office has been corrupted, or the installation of MS Office is incomplete.

Check to make sure that you have the required versions of MS Windows and MS Office installed on your PC. If you have the correct version of Office, reinstall Office using your original installation disks.

 

Keywords

Microsoft Office

Question

Do I need to have Office to run XL Pro?

Answer

All editions require Office 2007 or newer.

 

Keywords

Microsoft Office 2007

Question

What are the recommended Office Excel 2007 security settings for XL Pro and HomeTrex?

Answer

Watch the video to learn how to adjust the Office Excel 2007 security settings.

Security settings video

The video was recorded using HOMETREX version 9.0 but the settings apply to all applications running under Office 2007.

Keywords

Microsoft Windows/ Office 2007 file associations

Question

When I attempt to run XL Pro or other Office applications, I am prompted for a password or I get a message saying that there is no application associated with the file type.

Answer

You do not need a password to open any of our reports. When you get the error or dialog box asking for a password, it is most likely that either you are attempting to open the report with the wrong application or another program has set the Windows file associations to associate .XLS or .XLSB files with an application other than Microsoft Excel. It is very common for programs to hi-jack file associations during installation. Our reports do not change the Windows file associations.

You can reset the file associations so that Windows always recognizes an .XLS file by following these steps:
1. Open Windows Explorer
2. Find any file with the extensions .XLS or .XLSB and single click on it with your left mouse button.
3. Single click on the file name with the right mouse button.
4. Select "Open with"
5. You will be presented with a list of programs. Microsoft Excel may be listed as a recommended program. At the bottom of the list there is an option to "Choose program". Select "Choose program".
6.a. Microsoft Excel should be listed as a recommended program. Select Microsoft Excel. If Microsoft Excel is not one of the options, select "Choose Program" and locate Microsoft Excel in the list of available programs and select it by single clicking with the left mouse button.
6.b. If Microsoft Excel is not installed on the PC, you will need to install it.
6.c. Click on the box that says "always use the selected program to open this type of file".
7. Click on the "OK" button.

Your Windows file associates .XLS and .XLSB files with MS Office Excel.

 

Keywords

Open Office

File Associations

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Question

I've installed an older version (before 3.1) of OpenOffice but it has taken over my files?

How come when I double click on a file it now opens in OpenOffice instead of my old word processor ?

 

Keywords

Open Office

File Associations

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Question

Why is it that when I double click on a file it now opens in OpenOffice.org instead of my old word processor ?

Answer

Please see the answer of the previous question.

 

Keywords

Password

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Question

When I try to open the report, I get a message asking for a password. What is the password?

Answer

You do not need a password to open any of our reports. When you get the error or dialog box asking for a password, it is most likely that either you are attempting to open the report with the wrong application or another program has set the Windows file associations to associate .XLS or .XLSB files with an application other than Microsoft Excel. It is very common for programs to hi-jack file associations during installation. Our reports do not change the Windows file associations.

You can reset the file associations so that Windows always recognizes an .XLS file by following these steps:
1. Open Windows Explorer
2. Find any file with the extensions .XLS or .XLSB and single click on it with your left mouse button.
3. Single click on the file name with the right mouse button.
4. Select "Open with"
5. You will be presented with a list of programs. Microsoft Excel may be listed as a recommended program. At the bottom of the list there is an option to "Choose program". Select "Choose program".
6.a. Microsoft Excel should be listed as a recommended program. Select Microsoft Excel. If Microsoft Excel is not one of the options, select "Choose Program" and locate Microsoft Excel in the list of available programs and select it by single clicking with the left mouse button.
6.b. If Microsoft Excel is not installed on the PC, you will need to install it.
6.c. Click on the box that says "always use the selected program to open this type of file".
7. Click on the "OK" button.

 

Keywords

PDF

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Question

How can I create a PDF of the Report?

Answer

Applies to: All Inspection Report software

You can create a PDF of the Report by installing a PDF print driver and printing to the PDF print driver rather than to your physical printer. Our Report CD's all include third party open source and shareware PDF print drivers. The most popular is the open source PDF Creator. We provide the PDF print drivers as a convenience to our customers but we do not provide technical support for the PDF creation software.

In order to combine all the pages into a single PDF file, you will need to select all the pages to be included in the report. Hold down the Control key and use your left mouse button to select the page tabs for the pages you want to include in your report. Go to the Menu at the top of your screen and select "File/Print". Select the PDF print driver as the printer to which to print the file. Your PDF print driver may present you with several options. Follow the instructions for the PDF print driver.

 

Keywords

PDF - XL Pro versions 6 and later

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Question

How can I create a PDF of the Report?

Answer

Use the "Select Pages To Print" command from the command bar and proceed as you would to print to a physical printer. Select the PDF print driver as the printer to which to print the file. Your PDF print driver may present you with several options. Follow the instructions for the PDF print driver.

 

Keywords

PDFCreator

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Question

Where can I get a PDF print driver?

Answer

PDFCreator is a popular PDF print driver available free from BestInspectors.Net. PDFCreator is provided as for the convenience of our customers. It is third party software so we do not provide technical support for PDFCreator.

 

Keywords

PDF software creates multiple files

PDF software stops before the report is complete

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Question

When I try to create a PDF of a complete report, it creates multiple PDFs instead of one PDF or the PDF software stops before the report is complete.

Why? What can I do to create a single PDF?

 

Answer

What usually causes what you are experiencing is the print resolution being different from one page to another.

Example:
- You have a report that is 20 pages.
- The print resolution is set to 300 dpi for the first 10 pages
- The print resolution is 600 dpi on the 11 page
- The print resolution is set to 300 dpi for the remaining nine pages

Most PDF software will create:
One PDF of pages 1-10 pages
One PDF of the 11th page
One PDF of pages 12-20

The solution is to make sure that the print resolution is the same for all pages.

 

Keywords

Pocket PC

Palm Pilot

Hand Held

UMPC

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Question

Do your reports work on Pocket PC's, Palm Pilots, or other hand held devices?

Answer

XL Pro supports UMPC's (Ultra Mobile Personal Computers) but we do not support Pocket PC's.

We stopped supporting Pocket PC's and other hand held devices because research indicates that most inspectors who use a hand held or Pocket PC later switch to a larger format after a very short time (usually within six months) because the display screens and are too small to be practical and data entry is very time consuming. We sell quite a lot of software to inspectors who have made big investments in one of the Pocket PC based report systems because they ultimately become frustrated with the small size. The focus of their efforts ends up being with trying to complete the report rather than focusing on the inspection itself and on the client.

UMPC's are a perfect alternative to Pocket PC's for completing inspection reports in the field. UMPC's have a much larger screen (typically 7") than Pocket PC's yet are small enough to hold in your hand. They also run the full versions of Windows (XP, XP Tablet, Vista, Vista Tablet, etc.) unlike Pocket PC's which run scaled down versions of Windows such as Windows CE or Windows Mobile. XL Pro 7 Silver, Gold, and Platinum Editions have been optimized for use with UMPC's.

 

Keywords

Protected cell

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Question

When I try to enter information in a field, I get a message that says the field is protected. Why?

Answer

The answer to this question depends on which report you are using and which field you are trying to change. If you are attempting to alter a field that you were previously able to alter, it is likely that your Report file is corrupted and will need to be reinstalled. If you have never been able to modify the contents of the field, it is probably a field that is not intended to be modified in your Report program. The contents of almost every field in the Legacy 5 and 6 Reports, and all the XL Pro Series Reports can be altered. The only fields that cannot be altered on Report pages in any of our reports are the "Company Name" field. The company name must be entered on the registration page.

 

Keywords

Protected file

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Question

When I try to open my report I am getting a message that says the report is password protected or it is a protected file. What is the password?

Answer

You do not need a password to open any of our reports. When you get the error or dialog box asking for a password, it is most likely that either you are attempting to open the report with the wrong application or another program has set the Windows file associations to associate .XLS files with an application other than Microsoft Excel. It is very common for programs to hi-jack file associations during installation. Our reports do not change the Windows file associations.

You can reset the file associations so that Windows always recognizes an .XLS file by following these steps:
1. Open Windows Explorer
2. Find any file with the extension .XLS and single click on it with your left mouse button.
3. Single click on the file name with the right mouse button.
4. Select "Open with"
5. You will be presented with a list of programs. Microsoft Excel may be listed as a recommended program. At the bottom of the list there is an option to "Choose program". Select "Choose program".
6.a. Microsoft Excel should be listed as a recommended program. Select Microsoft Excel. If Microsoft Excel is not one of the options, select "Choose Program" and locate Microsoft Excel in the list of available programs and select it by single clicking with the left mouse button.
6.b. If Microsoft Excel is not installed on the PC, you will need to install it.
6.c. Click on the box that says "always use the selected program to open this type of file".
7. Click on the "OK" button.

Your Windows file association .XLS files is now properly set.

 

Keywords

Read-only

Read-only error

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Question

When I try to install (or save) my report, I get a "Read-only" error. Why and what should I do?

Answer

Insert your CD. It should automatically start to run. A menu will pop up with several choices. Choose the menu item for the software you are installing. When the Report opens, enter your registration code and your company name in the appropriate boxes. Then save the Report file by selecting "File/Save As" and browsing to location on your PC such as "My Documents" or Desktop". If you do not browse to a location such as "My Documents" or "Desktop", you will not be able to save the file. If you attempt to save to the current location or you selected "File/Save" instead of "File/Save As", you will get an error saying that the file is "Read-only" and cannot be saved. This is because you are attempting to save to the CD. You will not be able to save to the CD.

 

 

Keywords

Registration

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Question

Is it necessary for me to register online in order to use the software?

Answer

No, it is not necessary to register online in order to use the software. However, you must register your software in order to qualify for free technical support and updates. We will not sell your personal information. We use your information to notify you of updates, verify eligibility for updates and technical support, send news related to BestInspectors.Net and to notify you of special offers.

Your registration information must be correct in order to qualify for free technical support and updates. Please read the registration form carefully when completing it. Registrations with incomplete or incorrect information may be automatically removed from the database.

 

Keywords

Registration
25 Character Code

25 Character Activation Key

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Question

When I try to install (or use) my report software, or other BestInspectors.Net software, I get a message asking for a 25 character activation key" or "product key". What is it?

Answer

This request is NOT being generated by your BestInspectors.Net software. None of our inspection reports or other software require a 25 character code, 25 character "activation key", or "product key". The most likely reason you are getting the message is that either Microsoft Windows is not properly installed or Microsoft Office is not properly installed. It may be that a trial version of Office was preinstalled on your PC and the trial time has expired or you have a new PC and Microsoft Windows has not yet been activated.

 

 

 

 

Keywords

Technical support

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Question

Does my purchase include e-mail support and telephone support?

Answer

Yes, we provide e-mail support and telephone support for at least six months for all our inspection report systems. Some of our report systems include technical support for longer than six months.

Unfortunately, we are not able to support third party software such as Microsoft windows, Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, or PDF creators. You should contact the publishers of these programs directly.

Our technical support phone numbers are 407-401-9298 in the United States and 416-628-1390 in Canada.

 

 

 

Keywords

Texas, TREC

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Question

Are your reports TREC Compliant?

Answer

All the XL Pro Series reports are 100% TREC compliant. XL Pro 5 and XL Pro Titanium edition have both the standard TREC and an expanded version of the TREC. The Expanded TREC Pages conform to the TREC requirements but are expanded to 15 pages and have ample room for photos in with the text.

 

 

 

Keywords

Updates

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Question

If the reporting system I'm using is updated, can I get a free update?

Answer

Yes, we provide free updates for at least one year from date of purchase for all our inspection report systems. HomeTrex is two years and Platinum Suite is five years. Some of our report systems include free updates for longer than six months. Updates are usually available by download. You can also have a CD mailed to you for a nominal fee.

All inspection report software updates within your major version number are FREE regardless of when you purchased the software. The major version number is the number left of the first point (dot). Example: The major version of 10.1 is 10, and the major version of 9.2 is 9. Updates are always available on the report's home page on our website. We also send notices of updates to registered users. You must register your software online in order to be notified of updates.

 

Keywords

Upgrade

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Question

I want to upgrade to one of your other inspection report systems. Do you have an upgrade policy that give me a discount or do I have to pay full price.

Answer

We have very generous upgrade policies. We will always give you some credit for the software that you already have. The credit will be taken off the price of the upgrade. You will typically be credited 50%-100% depending on how long it has been since your initial purchase and which software you are upgrading from and which you are upgrading to.

 

 

 

 

 

Keywords

User Templates

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Question

What are User Templates and what can I do with them?

Answer

User Templates are undefined pages that you can use to create entirely new report pages. Depending on which report system you are using, you may be able to make copies of the User Templates to create additional pages with the same layout.

 

 

 

 

 

Keywords

XL Pro Video Tutorials

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Question

Do you have video tutorials for XL Pro?

Answer

Yes, click here to go to the video tutorials.

 

 

 

 

Keywords

Viewing video Tutorials

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Question

How can I view the video tutorials?

Answer

The videos are in Windows WMV format which can be viewed live as a streaming video or can be saved to your PC for later viewing. Click on a link to below to view a video live. You will need Windows Media Player version 9.0 or later to view streaming videos.

You should choose videos from the column that most closely matches your internet connection speed. If you use a dial-up internet connection, or the video is choppy, you will need to download the files and view them locally on your PC after they have completed downloading. Right click on a video link and select "save target as" (MSIE) or "save link target as" (Netscape).

 

 

 

 

 

Inspection Report Comparison Chart

Register your software online

Software is not refundable or returnable. Defective media may be exchanged for the same title within 7 days of purchase.