Using the Inspection Report Wizard

Using the Start New Inspection form to begin an inspection is the easiest and most effective way to create a complete inspection report. In addition to setting the blueprint for the current inspection, this form can also be used to set the defaults for the sections to include on an inspection. Other settings such as the order and titles for the sections can be set on the Report Template Editor form (see Report Template Settings for more info).

Starting a New Inspection:

Select Start New Inspection from the main menu/toolbar to start the report wizard. The form that is displayed shows the list of possible sections and formatting choices that are available for the report.The default selections appear highlighted on the form when the form is opened, but sections can be quickly added or removed by clicking on the appropriate line. For a description of the information included on a report section, click on the section and view the description to the right.

Once the selections for the current report have been made, the inspector enters the inspection address for report identification and clicks the 'Write' button. The program then writes insertion markers to the first page for each section or formatting choice that was highlighted. These markers will be replaced by the the sections as they are written to the pages.

From this form you can add an image of the home to appear on the report cover.

To make the current choices the default selections for the next time the report wizard is run, click the 'Set as Default List' button.

Moving Back and Next:

The inspector now moves through the sections to be completed by clicking the 'Next/Skip' or 'Back' buttons. To proceed to the next section without writing, select 'Skip' then return to the section later by clicking 'Back' , or by selecting the form from the list that appears on the current form.

Writing Sections:

As each section is completed the inspector clicks the 'Write' button and the insertion markers are replaced with the report section that is currently being written. The written section is then removed from the list of sections to be completed and will no longer appear in the wizard as the inspector moves back and next through the sections.

If a section has been missed - or needs to be re-written - the section form can be opened by selecting the appropriate menu choice on the Sections menu toolbar. The section will then be written at the cursor position on the document as the insertion marker will not be found.

If a single observation has been missed from a section only, comments can be inserted at the cursor position by selecting Observations.

Completing the Report:

After all sections have been written, the inspector will be prompted to complete the document. The inspector can also choose to complete the document at any time by selecting Resume from the Report wizard Group on the toolbar. As the report is completed, any file inserts, report covers, Table of Contents etc that were selected when the wizard was started will be added. Also, any formatting specified in the program settings such as headers, footers, heading numbers etc will be applied.

If the inspector wishes to add or update the formatting choices after this is completed, all selections are available individually from the main menu.

Including Files:

A number of inserts such as the report cover, association standards etc. are provided with the program. In addition, multiple blank templates are provided for the inspector to edit and use as needed. Any of the selections that start with 'File' on the Start New Inspection form can be edited and used in the report as needed.

To use a select a different file than the one specified in the list, highlight the file and click the 'Browse' button. The inspector can also include their own inserts by placing the document in the 'Templates' directory located (V4 "C:\Users\Public\Documents\Inspect Express V4\Templates\") or older versions (V3 'C:\Program Files\Inspect Express V3\Templates\') and browsing to their file.

Summary as New Document:

To add a summary section that will be written as a new document, check the 'Create Separate Summary Document' check box on the bottom of the 'Included Report Sections' tab on the Start New Inspection form. See Using the Summary Report for more information on including a summary report.

Report Sections Order:

The 'Report Sections Order' tab on the Report Template Editor form can be used to change the default order of the inserted report sections. Click the 'Up' or 'Down' buttons to change the order the sections will be written and save the setting. The default settings shipped with the program can be restored at any time by clicking the 'Default' button.

Form Order:

The 'Form Order' tab on the Report Template Editor form can be used to change the order that the forms will appear in as the inspector moves through the report wizard. This order can be configured to follow the flow of the inspection according to the inspector's own preferences.

Click the 'Up' or 'Down' buttons to change the order the forms will appear and save the setting. Note that only the forms required to complete the sections included when starting the inspection will appear in the wizard. The default form order shipped with the program can be restored at any time by clicking the 'Default' button.

Templates:

Additional profile templates for the report wizard can be configured using the 'Templates' section of the form. Once new profile templates have been added, it is easy to select another template at the start of the inspection process to load different default report sections etc. This is useful when configuring INSPECTEXPRESS™ for different types of inspections such as condominiums, mobile homes etc. See Adding Report Templates for more information on this topic.