The five types
Everything you draw on a ZeroCount drawing is a marker, and every marker belongs to one of five types:
| Type | Sidebar label | Icon | What it counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detection | Auto Count Symbol | Symbols found automatically (or manually via Auto Count Symbol). One marker per match. | |
| Unit | Count Symbol | Manually-placed counts. One marker per click. | |
| Linear | Linear Measurement | Lengths along a path. The marker's value is the path's length, scaled. | |
| Area | Area Measurement | Polygon areas. The marker's value is the polygon's area, scaled. | |
| Annotation | Annotations | Visual notes — rectangles, ellipses, arrows, text. Not counted in the export totals. |
Each marker type has its own section in the sidebar and its own row format in the Excel export.
Picking the right type
A rough decision tree:
- The drawing has a legend and I want every instance of these symbols counted. Use Detection. Stage 1 creates them automatically; Auto Count Symbol adds more.
- I just want to click on each instance manually. Use Unit — one click per item, fast to place.
- I want the length of a cable run, a pipe, or anything that travels. Use Linear.
- I want the floor area of a room or zone. Use Area.
- I want to put a label, arrow, or note on the drawing without it appearing in totals. Use Annotation.
You can mix types freely in a single drawing. A typical lighting plan ends up with several Detection groups (one per fitting type), a couple of Linear groups (cable runs), an Area group (per room), and maybe a few Annotations for callouts.
What's the same across all types
Each marker type supports the same core operations:
- Group together — markers of the same type can belong to a marker group with a shared label, colour, and database link.
- Recolour — colour is a group-level property.
- Hide / cover / show — visibility is per-group.
- Link to database — Detection, Unit, Linear, and Area groups can link to database items, Contractor's Choice items, or assemblies.
- Show in zones — markers falling inside a zone get counted in that zone's column of the Excel export.
Annotations are the exception — they don't appear in the export's quantity rows at all.
What's different per type
| Aspect | Detection | Unit | Linear | Area | Annotation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-detect? | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Linkable to DB? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Has a scale? | No | No (uses width) | Yes (per group) | Yes (per group) | No |
| Has a width? | No | Yes (per group) | No | No | No |
| Appears in zone columns? | Yes (count) | Yes (count) | Yes (length, clipped to zone) | Yes (area, clipped to zone) | No |
| Excel export type column | Detection | Unit | Linear | Area | (not exported) |
Next steps
Per-type detail in their own articles: