Reference Notes Organization & Divisions

• Important: Reference Note Divisions & Preference Sets – Read First!
• Reference Note Numbers
• Reference Note Divisions
  • Assigning a Reference Note to a Division
  • Finding Reference Notes in the RefNotes Manager by Division
  • Why Use the CSI® Divisions?
  • Editing the Divisions
• Subdivision Numbering
• Subdivisions & The RefNotes Schedule
• Dual-Language Divisions and Subdivisions
• Renumbering Reference Notes
  • Renumbering a Single Reference Note
  • Renumbering Multiple Reference Notes
• Related Webinars
• Troubleshooting

When working on projects that include just a few Reference Notes, you won't have to worry so much about RefNote organization. However, some projects will require tens or even hundreds of RefNotes. In fact, your company might have a central organization system containing thousands upon thousands of Reference Notes for use in different projects. That's when organization of your Reference Notes becomes crucial – not only for the organization of RefNotes in your drawing and in your RefNotes Schedule, but for your own sheer ability to locate them in the RefNote Manager.

 

 

For these reasons (and to protect your sanity), we've provided a logical system for keeping your Reference Notes organized. Our RefNote organization system hinges on a series of divisions and RefNote numbers. You'll assign these divisions and subdivisions to each RefNote as you add it.

Important: Reference Note Divisions and Preference Sets – Read First!

It's extremely important to note that your Reference Note divisions are tied to your Preference Sets. If you add, edit, or delete divisions and subdivisions in the RefNotes Preferences, you'll be making those changes in whichever Preference Set is active. That means you could be making those changes for everyone on your office!

 

Before proceeding with organizing your Reference Notes, make sure you have a good understanding of Preference Sets and how they work.

Reference Note Numbers

Each Reference Note will require a number. When you add a Reference Note, the system will automatically number it based on the order in which you add it. If you wish to override this setting with a number of your choice, you can edit a note's number in the Number field.

 

 

 

 

 

For more information on divisions – and why you should be using them, see Reference Note Divisions below.

If you choose, you can place two types of Reference Notes within the same drawing – “plain” Reference Notes (referenced with number without a Division grouping), and notes with a Division grouping. The “plain” notes will be listed first in the Reference Note Schedule, followed by the notes grouped by division.

Reference Note Divisions

When adding each of the four types of Reference Notes to a project, you'll see a Division menu in the New Reference Note dialog box.

 

 

The divisions listed in this menu are based on the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI®) organization structure. You can build an effective organization system for your Reference Notes by selecting an applicable division for each of your Reference Notes. For more information on the CSI® organizational structure, see our CSI® Format for Organization webinar.

Although the default divisions and subdivisions in this section are based on CSI®, keep in mind that this organizational system is completely customizable. You can opt to show only one or the other, add divisions, and even make up your own organizational system. For more information, see the Divisions and Subdivisions section of our RefNotes Preferences page. You can also create multiple Preference Sets, each with its own organization of divisions, for use with different clients or agencies.

 

The CSI® divisions are listed in the format shown below. The number or letter(s) before the name of each division represents the code that will be assigned to RefNotes placed in that division:

 

 

 

 

 

Assigning a Reference Note to a Division

To assign a RefNote to a division, select an option from the Division menu. Some divisions also have a menu to the right, where you can select a subdivision.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note that each subdivision title is preceded by a number in the menu. When you select a subdivision, the Number field will automatically populate with a RefNote number beginning with that number.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You're free to number your RefNotes as you see fit. However, as you'll see below, using the division system and relying on these numerical codes is a great way to keep your RefNotes organized and easy to locate when you need them.

The subdivision you select for a RefNote will affect the way that RefNote is listed in the RefNotes Schedule. See Subdivisions & the RefNote Schedule below.

 

Finding Reference Notes in the RefNote Manager by Division

The Reference Notes Manager includes a Division menu listing all the CSI® divisions. Once you've assigned a RefNote to a division, you can locate that RefNote quickly by selecting its division from this menu.

 

 

 

 

Selecting a division in this way will filter the list of RefNotes so you only see notes in the selected division. You can also select ALL from the menu to see all divisions.

 

 

If we were to add several RefNotes to the PAVING division, we might group some into the 100 CONCRETE subdivision and others into the 300 UNIT PAVING subdivision. When we select the PAVING division in the RefNotes Manager, the list will only show RefNotes in this division. These RefNotes will be grouped according to their number, making it that much easier to find the RefNote you're looking for.

 

 

 

Why Use the CSI® Divisions?

The list shown above only has a few entries, and the PAVING division only has two subdivisions. But imagine a division with several subdivisions that contains hundreds of RefNotes – a distinct possibility. This system will make your RefNotes infinitely easier to find and place.

 

 

Put simply, if you aren't already using the Reference Note divisions, you should be. The CSI® divisions make up a logical organizational system that allows you to file each of your RefNotes into a category of related items. For example, you can group all RefNotes having to do with stairs into the Stairs division. Any time you need to place a RefNote having to do with stairs, you'll know exactly where to go.

 

 

Editing the Divisions

Although you can edit the names of the RefNote divisions, you cannot change the number of an existing division.

 

 

If you need to renumber a division, our recommendation is to create a new division with a new number, and then edit any Reference Notes as necessary to assign them to the new division.

Subdivision Numbering

Reference Note subdivisions provide yet another level of organization, breaking your divisions down into smaller and even more manageable categories.

 

 

Each subdivision is assigned a specific number. You can either keep the default subdivision numbers or set your own in the RefNotes Preferences. When you select a subdivision for a RefNote, the RefNote will automatically receive the next available number within the subdivision's assigned range of numbers.

 

In the following example, we'll create a RefNote called Concrete Terra Cotta and place it in the subdivision COLORED CONCRETE under the PAVING division. The PAVING division is assigned the abbreviation P, and the COLORED CONCRETE subdivision is assigned the number 400. As a result, RefNotes we place in this subdivision will receive numbers in the P-400 range.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this way, you can continue to create RefNotes and place them in subdivisions and not have to worry about numbering them. The system numbers them automatically and keeps them in order for you.

Subdivisions & the Reference Notes Schedule

Subdivisions can also be helpful in the organization of your Reference Notes Schedule.

 

 

 

 

 

When we generate a RefNotes Schedule, the RefNote is listed in the Description column under the heading UNIT PAVING, which reflects the subdivision. In this way, you can organize your entire RefNotes Schedule by subdivision.

 

 

 

Subdivisions are tied directly to the RefNote numbering system. If you give one of your RefNotes a number that is outside the number range of the subdivision you'd like to assign to it, you will actually pull that RefNote out of the subdivision.

 

 

 

 

 

Because the RefNote is now numbered before any subdivisions in the selected division, the RefNote will receive a Description header in the schedule that reflects the broader division, rather than the subdivision – in this case, PAVING.

For this reason, it's important to be vigilant about the way you number your RefNotes. To fix this issue, we'll need to edit the RefNote and assign it a number within the P-3XX range (P-301, P-302, etc.).

If the DESCRIPTION column in your RefNotes Schedule isn't organized the way you want it, it's time to take a look at the divisions and subdivisions you've assigned to your RefNotes, as well as the numbers you've given them. You can correct the organization of your schedule by correcting the divisions, subdivisions, and numbers assigned to your RefNotes. We've created an article showing the steps for correcting this issue.

Dual-Language Divisions and Subdivisions

We've added the ability to assign two languages to each of your RefNote divisions and subdivisions, which can then be listed in your RefNote Schedules.

 

 

 

First, follow our steps to create divisions and /or subdivisions with dual-language titles in the RefNotes Preferences.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Renumbering Reference Notes

Although we generally don't recommend renumbering Reference Notes, some offices feel the need to keep their Reference Note numbers contiguous. For this reason, we have provided the capability of renumbering Reference Notes.

If you give a Reference Note a new number, any existing callouts for that Reference Note will update immediately in the current drawing to reflect the new number. When you open another drawing that contains the changed note, the system will automatically ensure that all Reference Notes show the most recent versions. As a result, the new number will show up when you open the drawing.

 

Renumbering a Single Reference Note

You can renumber a single Reference Note from the Edit Reference Note dialog box.

 

 

You can edit a Reference Note by:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Edit Reference Note dialog box will open. Type your desired number in the Number field, and click OK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Renumbering Multiple Reference Notes

 

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• Intro to Site Tools: This webinar covers the basics of what our Site tools have to offer, including a segment on the Reference Notes Manager. (1 hr 2 min)
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Troubleshooting

Having issues with Reference Notes? See our RefNotes Troubleshooting section.