Exercise 7: Creating a Rate Item List

In this exercise, you will add content to a sample rate item list, update the categorization file, and then examine the results.

You can use this workflow to create custom rate item lists and categorization files from existing data.

This exercise continues from Exercise 6: Working with Rate Item Formulas.

Create a new rate item list

1. Open Quantities-7.dwg, which is located in the tutorials drawings folder.

   This drawing contains a commercial site, which consists of a building footprint, a parking lot, and access roads.

2. Click Analyze tab QTO panel QTO Manager Find.
3. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the Data\Rate Item Data\Getting Started folder.
4. Select Getting Started.csv. Right-click. Click Open WithMicrosoft Office Excel.

   The rate item list opens in Microsoft Excel. Notice that the Rate Item, Item Description, and Unit_E columns correspond to the Rate Item ID, Description, and Unit Type columns in the QTO Manager vista. You can use this structure to create a custom rate item list, and then save it as a CSV file.

5. In Microsoft Excel, select row 2. Right-click. Click Insert.
6. Repeat Step 5 four times to create five empty rows.
7. Enter the following information in the new rows:

   Rate Item	Item Description	Unit
   14101-0025	SIGN, SPEED LIMIT, 25	EACH
   14101-0030	SIGN, SPEED LIMIT, 30	EACH
   14102-0011	SIGN, RIGHT TURN ONLY	EACH
   14102-0012	SIGN, RIGHT TURN OR STRAIGHT	EACH
   14102-0020	SIGN, LEFT TURN ONLY	EACH

8. Save the rate item list in the My Civil 3D Tutorial Data folder. Name the rate item file Tutorial_QTO_Pay-Items.csv.

Update the rate item categorization file

1. In the QTO Manager vista, expand the Division 150Group 151 category.
2. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the Data\Rate Item Data\Getting Started folder.
3. Select Getting Started Categories.xml. Right-click. Click Open WithNotepad.
   Tip:

   You can use any XML editor to modify the rate item categorization file.

   The categorization file opens in Notepad.

4. In Notepad, select the following lines:

   <category type="value" start="" end="" title="Division 150" description="Project Requirements">
    <category type="value" start="" end="" title="Group 151" description="Mobilization">
    <category type="value" start="15101" end="" title="Section 15101" description="Mobilization"/>
    </category>
   

   Compare this content to the categories displayed in the QTO Manager vista. The Start values specify the rate items that are in each category. For example, rate items that start with 15101 are included in the Section 15101 category.

   You will use this structure as a basis to create a new set of categories.

5. Right-click the highlighted lines. Click Copy.
6. Place the cursor at the beginning of the block you copied in the previous step. Press Enter.
7. Place the cursor in the empty row. Right-click. Click Paste.
8. In the block that you copied, copy the following line:

    <category type="value" start="15101" end="" title="Section 15101" description="Mobilization"/>
   

9. Place the cursor at the end of the line that you copied in the previous step. Press Enter.
10. Right-click. Click Paste.
11. In the lines you pasted, replace the existing values with the following values:

    Start	End	Title	Description
    		Division 140	Traffic Control
    		Group 141	Signs
    14101		Section 14101	Speed Limit
    14102		Section 14102	Traffic Direction

12. Select the </category> line at the end of the new block. Right-click. Click Copy.
13. Place the cursor at the end of the line you copied in the previous step. Press Enter.
14. Right-click. Click Paste.

    When you are finished, the new code should look like this:

    <category type="value" start="" end="" title="Division 140" description="Traffic Control">
     <category type="value" start="" end="" title="Group 141" description="Signs">
     <category type="value" start="14101" end="" title="Section 14101" description="Speed Limit"/>
     <category type="value" start="14102" end="" title="Section 14102" description="Traffic Direction"/>
     </category>
     </category>
    

15. Save the rate item list in the My Civil 3D Tutorial Data folder. Name the rate item file Tutorial_QTO_Pay-Item_Categorization.xml.

Load the updated files into a drawing

1. In the QTO Manager vista, click Open Pay Item File.
2. In the Open Rate Item File dialog box, specify the following parameters:
   Note:

   The Rate Item File and Rate Item Categorization File are located in the My Civil 3D Tutorial Data folder.

   • Rate Item File Format: CSV (Comma Delimited)
   • Rate Item File: Tutorial_QTO_Pay-Items.csv
   • Rate Item Categorization File: Tutorial_QTO_Pay-Item_Categorization.csv
3. Click OK.
4. In the QTO Manager vista, expand the Division 140Group 141Section 14101 and Section 14102 categories.

   Notice that the new rate items and categories are present.