Here's all you need to know to get started using Smart Contractor: Everything Smart Contractor does is based on the data in a job estimate. So, to get started with Smart Contractor, all you need to do is create a job and an estimate. Once you have an estimate, the rest of what you can do is easy.

To create a job and estimate, select (Add Job) in the drop down list at the top of the main screen. See the enter a new job topic for information about creating a new job. Also, see

The demo version of Smart Contractor comes with sample data for two jobs. You can look at the estimates in the two sample jobs to see examples of how to enter estimates.

After you purchase a Smart Contractor license, you may want to start working with an empty database. To create a new database, click on File (in the menu at the top of the screen) then New Database.

When you click on New Database, the program will prompt you for a folder in which to create a new database. You can use the "Data" folder in the same folder with your Demo folder, or any other folder on your computer or network. When you do, the program will display the Installation Setup form to prompt for your company information. Enter your company name, select the type of construction company, the company locale, and then click OK. You are now ready to use Smart Contractor!

The first thing to do is enter a Job. Click Add Job at the top of the main window (or in the shortcut menu, or in the dropdown menu) to add a new job. See enter a new job topic for more information.

For information about creating and using job estimate templates, see How Do I... Create An Estimate Template?

Once you have created a job, the rest of the options in the menus become available. See How do I... Process A Job? for information on what to do next. Also, see What Can You Do With Smart Contractor?

Once you have entered more than one job, you can switch between jobs by selecting the job from the Select Job: prompt at the top of the main window.

The prompts in the Installation Setup form are all you need to enter before using Smart Contractor. There are many other setup options available in the Setup Menu to allow you to configure Smart Contractor.

If you are using QuickBooks, Smart Contractor can be set up to automatically integrate your data with QuickBooks. Use the QuickBooks Integration setup option to set up Smart Contractor for QuickBooks Integration. See the QuickBooks Integration topic for a full discussion of QuickBooks Integration.

See How Do I... Process A Job for information on how to manage a project.

To view this help system at any time, press the F1 key. Information pertaining to the currently active form will be displayed.

To read about how to use this help system, see the How Do I... Use The Help System topic. Click on the blue underlined text (links) to view more information. Click the Back button in the tool bar at the top of this help window to return to the previous topic.

To read about what you can do with Smart Contractor, see What Can You Do With Smart Contractor?.