Create an Inspection Using the Inspection Type Template

Create an Inspection Using the Inspection Type Template

Inspection Type Template

To facilitate the creation and modification of inspections on NEXGEN, our software gives you the option of downloading an inspection type template. The downloadable template lets you edit and format your inspections on an excel sheet and allows you to upload information easily. Using the inspection type template can be separated into 3 different processes, downloading, editing, and uploading the template. Please review each of the sections below before using the inspection type template.

If you'd like to know how to export an inspection template to edit it on excel, please jump to the "Editing an Existing Inspection by Exporting" section.

Downloading an Inspection Type Template

To use the inspection type template, you must first navigate to the "User Defined" module. Your inspection must be created in NEXGEN before you can access the downloadable template. For help navigating to the "User Defined" module, please click here. 
  1. Within the "User Defined" module locate the inspection type you would like to download a template for OR create a new inspection type by following the steps below:
    1. Click on the "+ Add" button on the top left.
    2. Select "Inspection Type".
    3. Enter your "Inspection Type" name and make sure the "Active" box is checked.
    4. Click "+ Add".
  2. Click on your inspection type name on the sidebar. The right hand side of your screen should update with your inspection information.
  3. Click "Manage Zones".
    1. Click "Add".
    2. Enter a "Zone Name" for your zone.
    3. Click "Close" and repeat to add as many zones as you need before proceeding.
  4. Click "Export Excel".
  5. Your excel template should download to your computer as an .xlms file with the name "InspectionUDFTemplate".

Editing the Inspection Type Template

Before editing your inspection type template, please make sure that you followed all the steps in the "Downloading an Inspection Type Template" section. You MUST add zones to your inspection type before downloading and editing  your inspection template otherwise your template will not upload correctly. To edit your inspection template please follow the steps below:
  1. Open your inspection template download.
  2. Your template should be downloaded in protected view. Make sure to enable editing on the document. If you are using Microsoft Excel click "Enable Editing".
  3. Click on the "CustomFields" sheet.
  4. Enter in your field details.

    1. Name: Backend ID that is used to pull your information. Please enter a "Name" ID that does not contain special characters or spaces.
    2. Caption: Name of the UDF field on the end user side. This can include spaces and should be something your end users can recognize.
    3. Field Type: How you want your UDF to be entered. Please select one option from the dropdown list. Do not try and type in your own value. For definitions of each field type, please look at the Definitions Section below.
    4. Length: Character length. Sets a maximum amount of characters for your field entry. Should be greater than 0 and no more than 1000.
    5. Data Type: Corresponds to your Field Type value. Please select one option from the dropdown list according to the definitions table below. Do not try and type in your own value.
    6. Dock Zone: Zone where your UDF will be placed. Zones MUST be created before downloading the inspection template. Please select one option from the dropdown list.
    7. Sort Order: The order you would like your UDF fields to appear in on an inspection form. Please keep in mind that currently, a max of 3 UDF fields will appear together in a row. 
    8. Mandatory: Makes field mandatory. Users cannot create or save an inspection without a mandatory field. Consider making fields mandatory only if end users can enter a value for the mandatory field when creating the inspection. Please select one option from the dropdown list according to the definitions table below. Do not try and type in your own value. TRUE = Yes; FALSE = No.
    9. Editable: Allows users to edit this field. If "Editable" is not set to true, your users will not be able to edit this field and enter any values. Please select one option from the dropdown list according to the definitions table below. Do not try and type in your own value. TRUE = Yes; FALSE = No.
    10. Hidden: Indicates if your field is hidden from end users. Used mainly by our development team. Please select "FALSE" from the dropdown option to ensure your field is visible.
    11. Internal: Allows your field to be viewed by your employees. Internal MUST be set to TRUE for your employees to view this field. Please select one option from the dropdown list according to the definitions table below. Do not try and type in your own value. TRUE = Yes; FALSE = No.
    12. External: Allows your field to be viewed by contractors. External MUST be set to TRUE for contractors to view this field. Please select one option from the dropdown list according to the definitions table below. Do not try and type in your own value. TRUE = Yes; FALSE = No.
    13. Validate: Allows values that are entered to be validated and approved or denied if they are within a certain range. Only applies to Field Types indicated below. Please only enter a value for this if your field type can be validated.
    14. Min: Indicates the minimum value for a field entry when validated.
    15. Max: Indicates the maximum value for a field entry when validated.
  5. Save your file. Now your template is ready for upload.

Descriptions Table




Uploading the Inspection Type Template

Once you are finished inputting all your inspection information you can upload your template into NEXGEN. For help navigating to the "User Defined" module, please click here. 
  1. Within the "User Defined" module locate the inspection type you would like to upload a template for. Click on the inspection name.
  2. On the right hand side, your inspection type's information should appear.
  3. Click on the dropdown arrow next to "Export Excel".
  4. Click "Import Excel".
  5. Click "Choose File".
    1.  A popup should appear.
    2. Select your Inspection Template and click "Open".
    3. Click "Upload".
  6. A UDF Import page should appear. Review your information to ensure your information is correct.
  7. Click "Import'.
  8. Confirm your import by clicking "Ok".
  9. Your inspection should be updated.

Editing an Existing Inspection By Exporting

If you would like to easily change/update any information on your inspection forms, you can do that by exporting an excel version of your template and making changes to it. The benefit of exporting an excel version of your template is that you can use a lot of the functionalities in excel to make major adjustments. For example, if you would like to increase the length of all your textboxes you can do that by copying the new value in all of your inspection fields at once, instead of one at a time. Similarly, if you'd like to make multiple inspection fields visible to contractors or mandatory you can do that through exporting. To export an existing file, you can follow the steps below:
  1. Within the "User Defined" module locate the inspection type you would like to download a template for.
  2. Click on your inspection type name on the sidebar. The right hand side of your screen should update with your inspection information.
  3. Click "Export Excel".
  4. Your excel template should download to your computer as an .xlms file with the name "InspectionUDFTemplate".
After downloading your inspection excel sheet, you can make your edits and follow the steps in the "Uploading the Inspection Type Template" to upload your information.

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