Understanding Sections & Categories
Proposals are organized using Sections and Categories to keep your products structured and consistent.
What Are Sections?
Sections are top-level groupings in your proposals:
- Basic Options (system-defined, always first) - Products always included with the base product
- Custom sections you create (e.g., “Optional Upgrades”, “Landscaping”, “Approval Costs”)
Section Controls: Each section has settings that determine:
- Include in Contract: Show products from this section in the contract
- Include in Proposal: Include products in the proposal total
- Include in Proposal Summary: Show section in first page summary (rich proposals)
- Calculate Total: Display section subtotal in the proposal
- Allow Custom Field: Enable adding one-off custom line items (e.g., “Site-specific equipment - $500”)
- Allow Adjust Price: Enable adding hidden price adjustments to improve margins
What Are Categories?
Categories sit within sections and contain your products:
- Each category belongs to one section
- Has an “Included in proposal” checkbox - if checked, appears automatically in every new proposal
- Has a default product assigned - when added to a proposal, this product is automatically selected
- Makes building standard proposals fast and consistent
How They Work Together
Section: Basic Options
├─ Category: Pool Color
│ ├─ Product: Blue Pebble (default)
│ ├─ Product: Turquoise
│ └─ Product: Grey Pearl
├─ Category: Filtration
│ ├─ Product: Standard Filter (default)
│ └─ Product: Premium Filter
└─ Category: Lighting
├─ Product: LED Package (default)
└─ Product: RGB Package
Section: Optional Upgrades
├─ Category: Heating
│ ├─ Product: Gas Heater
│ └─ Product: Heat Pump
└─ Category: Automation
├─ Product: Basic Controls
└─ Product: Smart Controls
To Learn More: See the Creating Proposals Guide for how to use sections and categories when building proposals.