There are many options available to inspectors to customize the look and feel of the report they create. While INSPECTEXPRESS™ is designed to create a professional quality report right out of the box, many tools have been provided to allow the inspector to change these defaults to their own personalized settings.
When starting the inspector should first enter their inspector information, customize the report cover as needed and ensure that the required information is being inserted on the header and footer of the document.
Report Style:
Reports can be written with the Component Description section in either full or partial narrative style. Using the partial narrative style will create a list with the type of component on the left, the descriptive separator in the middle and the selected description on the right. To use the partial narrative style check the 'Use Partial Narrative Style' checkbox on the 'Settings' tab of the General Information and Program Settings form accessed from Options Settings on the main menu.
Check Narrative Reports for more information on this topic.
Report Order:
When using the default settings, the finished report follows the ASHI® standards of practice format. To customize the report to follow a different format, the report sections can be printed in any order desired. Each section can be completed and printed separately, with the section inserted at the marker written from the Start New Inspection form. The default settings can configured to follow any order by changing the report order on the 'Reports Section Order' tab of the Start New Inspection form. See Using the Report Wizard section for further information on this topic.
Report Section Titles:
The default headings for each section of the report follow the ASHI® standards of practice format. These headings can be changed on the 'Titles' tab of the General Information and Program Settings form accessed from Options Settings on the main menu.
Fonts, Image Formatting:
The general look and feel of the report such as the font, font size and the borders used when formatting the images can all be changed to match the inspector's own style. These settings can be located on the on the 'Styles' tab of the General Information and Program Settings form accessed from Options Settings on the main menu.
Report Covers:
A default report cover (cover.docx) is shipped with the program and installed in the 'Templates' folder of the INSPECTEXPRESS™ program directory. The inspector is encouraged to update this cover with his own personal information. There is also space allotted on this cover to insert an image of the home being inspected. A cover page for a summary section (SummaryCover.docx) that is created as a separate document is also included and can also be customized. See Editing Document Inserts for more info.
Standards of Practice:
Included standards or custom designed standards can be added to the report. Standards can be printed at the end of the document during the formatting process. Customized 'Standards' disclaimers can also be added to the top or bottom of each report section. See Adding Standards to the Report for more information.
Related Topics:
Narrative Report Style
Inspector Settings
Editing Document Inserts
Header and Footer Settings
Adding Standards to the Report
Using the Report Wizard
