3. Reading the Quote Screen
3.1 Quote Header
The top of the quote preview identifies the document, regardless of which view or layout you’ve chosen:
Detail | What it shows |
|---|---|
Date | The date (and, in the PDF preview, time) the quote or progress payment was generated — filled in automatically. |
Generated By | The Methvin user who created the document, shown top-right. |
Company logo & name | Methvin’s logo and company name, top-left. Controlled by the Show Logo toggle in Options — upload your own company logo using the upload icon next to that toggle. |
Prepared-by details | Your name and email address, shown directly under the logo. |
Client icon | The orange contact icon in the top-right of the header. Click it to open the Contact List and attach a client to the document (Section 6.3). |
Document title | The central heading changes depending on view: the workspace/project name in Estimate view (for example “demo34 Workspace”), or the claim name in Job Cost view (for example “Progress Payment 3”). |
To hide any of these header details — the date, Generated By, logo, your name or your email — use Edit Content and untick the box beside the item (Section 3.4).
3.2 Reading the Pricing Table
The pricing table in the centre of the quote lists every item being quoted, grouped under coloured section headers (for example “DEMO.PDF” and “KITCHEN COUNTER”).
Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
Item | The item or section number, following the numbering set by Auto Items. |
Description | The name of the line item, for example “Light Fixtures” or “RCC Counter Slab Concrete”. |
Quantity / Final Quantity | The measured quantity carried through from the estimate or job cost claim. |
Unit | The unit of measure for the quantity, such as M², M, Kg or Ea. |
Gross Rate / Selling Rate | The rate per unit, inclusive of markup, for that item. |
Gross Amount / Selling Amount | Quantity multiplied by the rate — the total for that line. |
Section header rows (shown in purple) are collapsible — click a section row to collapse or expand its line items when reviewing a long quote.
Which of these columns appear, in what order, and how wide each one is, is controlled by the Table Columns panel (Section 5.4), or directly on the table using Edit Content (Section 3.4).
3.3 Actions Panel
The Actions panel, top-right of the screen, applies to the quote as a whole rather than to a single section.
Action | What it does |
|---|---|
Save Quote | Saves the current quote, including all Design, Commercials and Options settings, against the project. |
Save as Template | Saves the current configuration as a reusable template that can be applied to future quotes. |
Templates | Opens the list of saved quote templates so you can apply one to the current quote. |
Edit Content | Switches the preview into editing mode, where you can tick or untick header details and table columns, rename headings and columns, and adjust column widths. Click Done Editing to apply your changes (Section 3.4). |
Preferences | Opens the Preferences dialog, with a Common tab (date and number format, and the colours and text styling of the BOQ heading levels) and a Takeoff tab (measurement and drawing defaults). Click Update to apply your changes (Section 3.5). |
3.4 Editing Content Directly on the Quote
Edit Content lets you tailor the quote itself, rather than the panels around it. In editing mode every part of the document that can be changed gets a tick box or a text box: you choose which header details and table columns to keep, rename headings and columns, and set column widths, all directly on the page.
Opening and Closing Edit Content
- In the Actions panel on the right, click Edit Content. The preview switches into editing mode and tick boxes and text boxes appear on the quote.
- Tick or untick items to keep or remove them, and type into the text boxes to rename headings and columns (see the table below).
- Click Done Editing when you are finished. Your changes are applied and the quote returns to its normal preview.
What You Can Change
Element | What you can change |
|---|---|
Header details | A tick box sits beside the date, Generated By, the company logo, your name and your email address. Ticked items appear on the quote; unticked items are removed. Two empty, unticked lines sit below the email address. |
Document title | The title under the header (for example the workspace name) becomes a text box, so you can reword it for the client. |
Section headings | Scope of work, Inclusions and Exclusions each have an editable heading, and the text box beneath each one is where you type the content. |
Table columns — keep or remove | Each column heading has a tick box. Tick the columns you want the client to see and untick the rest, for example Item, Quantity, Unit, Gross Rate and Gross Amount. |
Table columns — rename | Each column name is a text box, so “Gross Rate” can be reworded to suit the client. |
Table columns — width | The number beside each column name is its width as a percentage of the table. Description has no tick box and takes the remaining space automatically, so it always stays on the quote. |
Changes made in Edit Content only take effect once you click Done Editing. Until then, the tick boxes and text boxes you see are the editing controls and will not appear on the finished quote.
Use Edit Content for the last round of client-specific tidying — hiding your email address, dropping the rate columns, or renaming a heading — and then check the result in PDF view before you send.
3.5 Preferences
Preferences holds the display settings that sit behind the quote: how dates and numbers are written, and the colours and text styling used for each level of heading in the BOQ (the coloured section rows in the pricing table). It also holds a set of defaults for the Takeoff app. Changing a style preset is how you change the colours of the BOQ.
Opening Preferences
- In the Actions panel on the right, click Preferences. A Preferences dialog opens over the quote.
- Choose the Common or Takeoff tab at the top of the dialog, and change the settings you need.
- Click Update, at the top right of the dialog, to apply your changes. Use the X in the corner to close the dialog.
Common Tab — Formats and Style Presets
Setting | What it controls |
|---|---|
Date Format | Sets how dates are written. The drop-down shows an example in the chosen format, for example 08/10/2026. |
Number Format | Sets how numbers are written, such as the thousands separator and decimal point. The example shown is 1,234,567.89. |
Style Presets | A drop-down of saved style sets, such as Preference 1 and Preference 2. Choosing a preset changes the colours and text styling of the BOQ heading levels listed under Styles Setting. |
Default Presets | The Default button returns the style settings to the default preset. |
Styles Setting — Colours and Text Styling for BOQ Levels
Styles Setting lists Heading Level 1 to Heading Level 9, one row for each level of section heading in the BOQ. Each row previews how that level will look, and its colour swatches and tick boxes control the styling. In Preference 1, for example, Level 1 is purple and Level 2 is red, which matches the section rows in the pricing table.
Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
c | The text colour for that level. Click the swatch to choose a colour. |
bg | The background colour for that level’s row. Click the swatch to choose a colour. |
b | Shows the background colour on that level’s row. Untick it for no background. |
t | Shows the text colour on that level. |
uc | Uppercase — writes the heading in capital letters. |
tc | Title case — capitalises the first letter of each word. |
bl | Bold. |
ul | Underline. |
il | Italic. |
Preference 1 uses coloured text on tinted backgrounds, with bold and underlined top levels. Switching Style Presets to Preference 2 gives a lighter look: coloured text only, with no background colours, no bold and no underline.
Takeoff Tab
The Takeoff tab holds default settings for the Takeoff app, so they are set in the same place as your quote preferences.
Setting | What it controls |
|---|---|
Measurement System | The system of measurement, for example Metric. |
Measurement Unit | The default unit, for example m. |
Default Icon Size | The default size of the icons placed on a plan when you measure. The example value is 13. |
Default Line Size | The default thickness of the lines drawn on a plan. The example value is 3. |
Changes in Preferences are applied when you click Update. Until then, the BOQ keeps its current colours and styling.
The Takeoff tab changes defaults for the Takeoff app. It does not change how the quote looks.