Measurement sheets: Enter-key entry, formulas, deductions and extra columns

The measurement sheet is where quantities are born. EstiMatrix is built for keyboard-first take-off, so you can read a drawing and type without reaching for the mouse.

Enter-key navigation

Pressing Enter moves the cursor in a fixed order:

Description → Nos → Length → Breadth / Width → Height → new row

The order holds wherever you start. If you skip Description, Nos and Length, type a width and press Enter, the cursor moves to Height; pressing Enter again inserts a new row below and focuses its first cell. Floor or phase assignments copy from the previous row.

Columns follow the unit

The sheet shows only the dimensions the unit needs:

A column is never hidden if a row already holds a value in it, so older projects keep their data.

Formulas inside cells

Engineers often add grid dimensions (12.5 + 15.0 + 8.25) or subtract a column width (20.0 − 1.5). Type the expression straight into the cell:

• =12.5+15+8.25 shows 35.75
• 20-1.5 shows 18.5
• (3+4)x2 shows 14

The cell displays the result; click it to see — and edit — the formula. Formula cells carry a dotted underline so a checker can spot them. Only numbers and + − × ÷ ( ) are accepted.

Length cells also accept the other unit system: type 12'-6", 3.81m or 150mm and it converts to the project unit.

Deductions

Use − Add deduction (or the + / − toggle on any row) for doors, windows, lintels and other openings. Deducted rows turn light red and subtract from the item total. This matters most for brickwork and plaster.

Extra multiplier columns

When a structure repeats — identical floors, repeated grids, a "Total Nos" factor — use + Add column. Name it, choose before Nos or after the last dimension, and every value in it multiplies the row. A blank cell counts as 1. Remove a column with the ✕ in its header.

Linked measurements

Some items share identical dimensions — surface preparation and bonding agent on a jacketed column, for example. Choose Link measurements from and pick the source item: the rows mirror live, with a "Linked to Item #" badge. See linked measurements for retrofitting.

Floors and phases

In a floor-wise or phase-wise project each row has a floor or phase. The floor budget sheet adds them up automatically.

Tips

• Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y undo and redo anywhere outside a cell.
• Ctrl+S saves immediately; otherwise EstiMatrix saves every 15 seconds when something changed.
• Work offline on site: changes queue in the browser and sync when the connection returns.