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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
Application not found
When I load the Inspection Report I get
a message saying that the application was not found. Why? What should I
do?
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: Your Windows file association .XLS
files is now properly set.
Also see: File Associations
Carriage Return
Line Feed
How can I put a carriage return (put
text on a separate line) within a field?
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.
Category Assignment
How can I assign a Category from the
Comments and Descriptors Library to a field in the report?
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.
Check boxes, When I double click on a Check box, the
check mark does not appear. Why?
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. Check boxes, Strange characters, Letters instead of checkmarks or X's
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?
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.
Colored Phrases Colored Words
How can I have key words or phrases
appear in Red, Green, or Blue in a drop-down comment field?
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.
Comments and Descriptors Library
How can I edit the comments and
Descriptors Library
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. Compile Error in Hidden Module
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? 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. Differences among reports What are the differences among the
reports you sell? 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. E-mailing reports How can I e-mail a report?
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.
Insert Photos When I select Insert Photo from the
Command Bar click on a click on a Insert Photo button, nothing happens.
Why?
Insert a photo by
clicking on the Insert Photo Command Button in the Photo Insertion Group
on the Main Control Panel
Install Report software
How do I install my Inspection Report
software?
Installing from a CD: 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: 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.
License End User License Agreement EULA
We have more than one inspector in our
company. Can we all use the same copy of the report software.
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.
Microsoft Office 2003 and earlier
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?
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.
Microsoft Office Do I need to have Office to run XL
Pro?
All editions require Office 2007 or newer.
Microsoft Office 2007
What are the recommended Office Excel
2007 security settings for XL Pro and HomeTrex?
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.
Microsoft Windows/ Office 2007 file
associations
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.
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: Your Windows file associates .XLS and
.XLSB files with MS Office Excel.
Open Office File Associations
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 ?
Open Office File Associations
Please see the answer
of the previous question.
Password When I try to open the report, I get a
message asking for a password. What is the password?
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:
PDF How can I create a PDF of the Report?
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.
PDF - XL Pro versions 6 and later How can I create a PDF of the Report?
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.
PDFCreator Where can I get a PDF print driver?
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.
PDF software creates multiple files PDF software stops before the report is
complete
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?
What usually causes what you are
experiencing is the print resolution being different from one page to
another. Pocket PC Palm Pilot Hand Held UMPC Do your reports work on Pocket PC's,
Palm Pilots, or other hand held devices?
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.
Protected cell When I try to enter information in a
field, I get a message that says the field is protected. Why?
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.
Protected file 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?
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: Your Windows file association .XLS
files is now properly set.
Read-only Read-only error When I try to install (or save) my
report, I get a "Read-only" error. Why and what should I do?
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.
Registration Is it necessary for me to register
online in order to use the software?
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.
Registration 25 Character Activation Key
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?
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.
Does my purchase include e-mail support
and telephone support?
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.
Texas, TREC
Are your reports TREC Compliant?
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.
Updates
If the reporting system I'm using is
updated, can I get a free update?
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.
Upgrade 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.
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.
User Templates What are User Templates
and what can I do with them?
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.
XL Pro Video Tutorials Do you have video
tutorials for XL Pro?
Yes, click
here to go to the video tutorials.
Viewing video Tutorials How can I view the video tutorials?
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).
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