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How to Save or Edit Auto Comments in Your Template (with video)

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HomeGauge Product Team
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Add an Auto-Comment

  1. Open a new report and select the template you would like to add the auto-comment to.
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  2. Click to highlight the inspection item you would like to have the auto-comment.
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  3. Type your comment in the comment box at the bottom of the screen.
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    Check for Errors! : Check your comment for errors, or it'll have those errors when you see use it in the future.

  4. When the comment is ready, click the magic wand with the plus sign just above the comment box.
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  5. Give the comment a Short name.
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    Short Names: If the comment is "The doorbell appears to be in a non-working condition" your short name for the comment could be "Doorbell Broken".

  6. Click OK at the bottom of the window.
  7. HomeGauge will prompt you to choose a category (this category is from the Global List). Choose a category where the comment belongs, then click OK.
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    • Warning! If you click OK without choosing a category, the comment will be added to the "Uncategorized" category. This can cause problems in the future when trying to locate your comment.
    • The Global List is a library list of all the comments in the current template. It does not sync with the inspection items in your template. Comments have to be added to each inspection item separately.
  8. Click Save T or File > Save Template to save your template changes for future reports. 
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Edit an Auto-Comment

  1. Open a new report and select the template that contains the auto-comment you would like to edit.
  2. Click to highlight the inspection item that has the auto-comment you would like to edit.
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  3. Click the magic wand icon above the comment box. This opens a window with a list of auto-comments.
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  4. Click to highlight the comment you would like to edit.
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  5. Click the wrench icon above the list of comments to edit.
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  6. Edit the comment as needed. For more about Smart Text, read this article (click here).
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  7. When the edit is complete, click OK at the bottom of the window.
  8. Click Cancel to close the window without inserting a comment, or choose one of the other options to insert the comment.
    • Clicking Cancel will not undo the edit to the comment.
  9. Click Save T or File  Save Template to save your changes for future reports.
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Attach a Picture to be Included with Auto-Comment

  1. Follow steps 1-5 above to Edit an Auto-Comment.
  2. Click the small house icon. This will open the Attach Document List.
  3. Click the orange plus icon. This will allow you to browse your computer for the picture or drawing you wish to include with your Auto-Comment automatically. mceclip12.png
  4. When the edit is complete, click OK at the bottom of the window.
  5. Click Cancel to close the window without inserting a comment, or choose one of the other options to insert the comment.
  6. Click Save T or File > Save Template to save your changes for future reports.
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Delete an Auto-Comment

To remove an auto-comment from an inspection item (Local List):

  1. Open a new report and select the template that contains the auto-comment you would like to delete.
  2. Click to highlight the inspection item that has the auto-comment you would like to delete.
  3. Click the magic wand icon above the comment box. This opens a window with a list of auto-comments.
  4. Click to highlight the comment you would like to delete.
  5. Click the red X icon above the list of comments. HomeGauge will ask if you're sure you want to remove the comment. Click OK to proceed.
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    • This does not delete the comment from your library, but just removes it from this inspection item. To remove the comment altogether, read the next set of instructions below.
  6. Click Cancel to close the window without inserting a comment.
    • Clicking Cancel will not undo the edit to the comment.
  7. Click Save T or File > Save Template to save your changes for future reports.mceclip7.png

To remove an auto-comment from your template completely (Global List):

  1. Open a new report and select the template that contains the auto-comment you would like to delete.
  2. From the top-level menu, click Template > All Comments.
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  3. Find the comment you would like to remove and click to highlight it.
  4. Click the red X icon to the right of the comment list. HomeGauge will ask if you're sure you want to permanently remove the selected comment. Click OK to proceed.
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  5. Click OK at the bottom of the window to exit the Global List.
  6. Click Save T or File > Save Template to save your changes for future reports. 
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Transfer Comments Between Inspection Items

  1. Navigate to the inspection item that you would like to bring comments into. Click the magic wand icon (Insert Auto-Comment).
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  2. Once in the Auto-Comments window, click the orange plus icon  (Insert Comment from Global List) above the list of comments. This will bring up the Global List for your template.
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  3. Locate the comments that you wish to add by choosing the category on on the left and then searching the comments on the right. Once you have selected all of the desired comments for this inspection item, click OK. 
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    Advanced Search: If you are searching for a single comment, click Filter at the top of the categories list to begin a specific search.

    Selecting Comments: If you would like to select multiple comments in a row, hold down the SHIFT key on your keyboard before selecting the first and last comment in the row. If you would like to select multiple comments not grouped together, hold down the CTRL key before selecting comments.

  4. Once back in the Auto-Comments window, check to see newly imported comments are at the bottom of the list. Use the Up T and Down T arrows to move the comments if desired.
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  5. Repeat steps 1-4 to bring in desired comments to all of your inspection items.
  6. Click Save T or File > Save Template to save your changes for future reports.
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Watch the Auto-Comment Video

Learn More about the Global List

HomeGauge keeps your comments in 2 places: the Local List and the Global List.

  • The Local List is the list of auto-comments available when you go to add an auto-comment to an inspection item.
  • The Global List is a master list of all the auto-comments in the entire template. Think of it as a bookshelf where all the comments in a template are kept.

To help understand the Global List, here are the two most common questions about these comment lists.

  1. Why does HomeGauge keep my comments in two lists (the Local and Global Lists)?
  2. Why are the categories in the Global List not the same as my Components or inspection items?

Here's an example to answer those questions: you've inspected a garage with a window, and that window has a defect.

  • If the Global List categories matched perfectly with your Components or inspection items, you would have to write a window comment for the Windows category, then write a separate window comment for the Garage category. That's a lot of work.
  • Instead, you can write a single window comment and keep it in the Global List in the Windows category. Now, you can use that comment for both Window inspection items and Garage inspection items. For example, you can add that comment to your Garage Local List so you can comment on window defects if the garage has a window.
  • You could also add that same auto-comment to an outbuildings component or other areas with windows. That's just one example. If you do room-by-room inspections (instead of system-by-system), you could write one auto-comment for electrical outlets and keep it in the Global List's Electrical category, and then use it for every room you inspect.
  • By allowing the Global List categories to be separate from your Components or inspection items, you only have to save the comment once, but use it in a lot of places.

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