Speed up your daily workflow
Small efficiencies add up. Knowing a handful of keyboard shortcuts and navigation tricks can shave significant time off every estimate, especially when you are inputting hundreds of takeoff lines.
Keyboard shortcuts
Takeoff screen
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Delete a takeoff line | Press Delete on the keyboard, then Enter to confirm |
| Quick Enter (add item without closing dialog) | Confirm and Reselect button — stays in the selection screen so you can add the next item immediately |
Database search
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Search by product code | Type the code into the search box at the top of the database screen and press Enter |
| Search by description | Type a keyword (e.g. "slotted channel") into the search box and press Enter |
| Filter by size | Type a size (e.g. "41 by 21") into the search box to narrow results to that dimension |
| Filter descriptions within results | Use the description filter box at the bottom of the screen to further refine (e.g. type "1.5" to find 1.5mm gauge) |
When searching for channel, typing the size directly (e.g. "41 by 21" or "41 by 41") is often the quickest route. For threaded rod, typing "M8" or "M10" brings up everything in that size so you can filter from there.
Navigation tips
Use the search box to jump to items
Rather than drilling through multiple levels of the database, type a product code or part of a description into the search bar at the top of the screen and press Enter. This works for both standard database items and assemblies (tick the Assemblies checkbox to include them in the search).
Assembly quick codes
When creating an assembly, you can assign a user assembly code — a short reference like "AL01" or "CT50". To use the assembly later, just type the code into the search bar and press Enter. The assembly loads immediately without any menu navigation.
Use Confirm and Reselect for batch input
When you are adding multiple items in succession, use the Confirm and Reselect button instead of plain Confirm. This adds the current item and immediately reopens the selection screen, so you can keep adding without extra clicks.
General efficiency tips
Let the system do the remembering
- Automatic job codes — stop manually tracking your next job number. Set it up once and let Ensign increment for you.
- Automatic markup — set your default markup percentages so every new job starts with your standard margins pre-filled.
- Favourites — spend five minutes setting up favourites once and save time on every job going forward.
- Templates — create a template job or save a section structure so new estimates start with your standard layout.
Work with assemblies wherever possible
Assemblies are always faster than inputting items individually. Even if you only have a few set up, using them consistently will save time and improve accuracy.
Set up favourite reports
On the summary table, use Select Reports > Set Favourites to mark the reports you generate most often. Then use the Print Favourites button to generate them all in one click, rather than selecting them individually each time.
You can also set up favourite reports for the bill stage. Go to Select Reports > Set Favourites > Bill Print to configure which documents are automatically generated when you finalise a project. You can even skip the pause screen so the system generates everything without interruption.
Use Quick Export to PDF
When generating reports, the Quick Export to PDF option exports your selected reports directly to a PDF file without previewing them on screen first. You can also choose to merge multiple reports into a single PDF document — useful for sending a complete quotation package (summary, notes, exclusions, and cover letter) as one file.
Bulk delete sections
If you need to remove a large number of sections, do it from the Display Jobs > Delete Sections screen rather than deleting them one by one inside the takeoff. You can select and delete many sections in a single action.