This article provides an overview of the general features and interface elements available across most modules in Next Project. It covers the core action buttons, keyboard shortcuts, Excel export functionality, and column customization options, including how to show, hide, and reorder columns. Readers will learn how to navigate and configure the application to suit their workflow within their individual user account.

This article covers the fundamental features and buttons you'll find across most modules in Next Project.

General buttons

Action toolbar showing create, save, and delete button options.

Add — Available throughout Next Project wherever you can create something new, such as a project, work order, or invoice.

Save — Use this to save your changes. The button becomes clickable as soon as there's something to save.

Trash — Use this to delete something. Simply select what you'd like to remove, then click the trash can icon.

Refresh/sync button — indicates a reload or synchronisation action is available.

Update — Use this to pull in the latest reported data. For example, if a mobile user is logging time while you're working in the Client, you may need to refresh to see their latest entries. Note that every time you reopen Next Project, it updates completely automatically.

Application icon representing a filtered list or structured hierarchy view.

Look down — Use this to display all data under a selected project. This is especially handy when you're on a parent project and want to see all the underlying projects in the Project Overview module, for example.

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Shortcuts

You can use the following keyboard shortcuts across the modules:

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Export information to Excel

You can export data from Next Project directly to Excel. Go to the module you'd like to export data from — in the example below, we've selected a work order to export the booked hours. Click the Export to Excel button and choose your preferred format.

Booked Hours tab showing Excel export format options dropdown highlighted.

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Columns

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Show or hide columns

In every module, you can choose which columns to display and in what order. Here's how to show or hide columns:

1. Hover your mouse over any column header and click the down arrow that appears, then click Columns.

   

   Work Order list showing the column header dropdown with Sort and Columns options available.

2. A list of all available columns for that module will appear, showing which are currently shown or hidden.

   

   Show/Hide Columns dialog: select which columns appear in the Work Order list.

3. Check the columns you want to display and uncheck those you want to hide, then click Apply. Keep in mind that these changes apply to your user account only — if your colleagues want to make the same changes, they'll need to log in and follow the same steps.

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Order of columns

You can also rearrange the order of your columns by clicking on a column header and dragging it to your preferred position. Just like with showing and hiding columns, these changes apply to your user account only — your colleagues will need to log in and do the same if they'd like to adjust their view.

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Filtering columns

The filter function lets you narrow down the data shown in your modules. For example, you might want to see only a certain type of project in Project Overview, or only invoices that haven't been sent yet in Invoice. Here's how to use it:

1. Go to the module you want to filter and click the filter button. In the example below, we're in Project Overview, on project 00 at the top, with the Look down feature active to show all projects under project 00.

   

   Project Overview tab — note the Filter button highlighted in the toolbar.

2. When you click the filter button, a green bar will appear under all column headings.

   

   Project Overview tab showing the active column filter toolbar highlighted.

3. Click on the green field under the relevant column heading and enter your keyword(s), then click the filter button again to apply. You can enter data in more than one field at a time.

   

   Filter dialog showing an active filter — note the highlighted filter icon and Apply button.

4. In the example below, we've filtered to show only projects with the Form of compensation "Running costs" and the Project category "Company":

   

   Project Overview list with active filters on Form of Compensation and Project Category columns.

5. To reset a filter, you can either click the cross in the field you filled in, or click the filter button again.

   

   Project Overview list view — note active filters on Project Category column and filter icon.

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Creating favourite filters

If you find yourself using the filter function frequently, you can save your most-used filters as favourites to save time. Here's how:

1. Start by setting up the filters you want to save. In this example, we're using the same filters as above in Project Overview — Form of compensation "Running costs" and Project category "Company".

2. To save the filter as a favourite, click the star button on the far right, then select New filter.

   

   Project Overview list with filter menu expanded; note the 'New filter' option.

3. Enter a name for your filter and click OK.

   

   New Filter dialog — enter a filter name and confirm with OK.

4. Your favourite filter is now saved. You can access it any time by clicking the star button.

   

   Filter dropdown showing saved filter options; note the active filter selection.

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Taking out PDF reports

You can use the PDF button to generate reports from Next Project. In the example below, we're generating a report from the Variation Order module. Follow these steps:

1. Click the PDF button and select the type of report you'd like to generate.

   

   Variation Order list with print dropdown expanded; note the three available print options.

2. Use the menu on the left to enter your own title and choose what you'd like to include in the report.

   

   Variation Order report dialog showing parameter selection panel and live preview pane.

3. From this page, you can also preview the report, print it, send it as an email, or save it as a document in Next Project — in which case it will be stored in the Documents module.