What an assembly is
An assembly is a pre-built bundle of components that always go together. A lighting assembly, for example, might contain:
- The light fitting itself.
- The flex.
- The ceiling rose.
- A junction box.
When you link a marker group to an assembly, every marker in the group "represents" the whole assembly — so one count brings across the entire materials list, fully priced. This is the most powerful linking option when your company has pre-built assemblies for common fitting types.
You'll find System Assemblies (shipped with Ensign.Software) and Contractors Assemblies (built by your company in Project Commander).
Opening the assemblies picker
Same dialog as DB Items and Contractor's Choice — open the Database Items picker and switch to the Assemblies tab at the top.
The search placeholder changes to "Search assemblies..." and the table shifts to a hierarchical view.
What the assemblies table shows
Each row in the result table is one assembly. Parent rows show:
| Column | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Code | Assembly code (monospace, semi-bold, blue) with a chevron to expand. |
| Description | Assembly description plus a badge: System Assembly or Contractors Assembly. |
| Category | High-level category. |
| Heading | Mid-level heading. |
| Group | Sub-group within the heading. |
| Quantity | The assembly's parent quantity. |
| UOM | Unit of measure. |
Click the chevron to expand a parent and see the child component rows — the actual items that make up the assembly. Children show indented under the parent, with their own code, description, and quantity. Children are not selectable on their own — you link the assembly as a whole.
Filter dropdowns: Type (System / Contractors), Category, Heading, Group, UOM.
Picking an assembly
- 1
On the Assemblies tab, search or filter to find the assembly you want.
- 2
Optionally expand the parent row to confirm the assembly contains the right components.
- 3
Double-click the parent row to link. The dialog closes and the assembly is applied to the active marker group.
The group's sidebar row shows:
- The assembly code in monospace blue.
- The assembly description (or just "Assembly" if no description set) in muted text underneath.
- A remove button with tooltip "Remove linked assembly".
Why assemblies are powerful
A single assembly link can replace half a dozen individual database links. If your company has a LIGHT-B1-STD assembly that already bundles the fitting, flex, rose, and box, linking the B1 Detection group to it means:
- One link operation, not four.
- The Excel export's row carries the assembly code and description.
- The downstream
.sqliteexport from Export Job preserves the assembly structure, so the estimating side breaks it back out into its components.
For high-volume fittings that appear across multiple drawings in many projects, the time investment to build an assembly once pays back across every job.
When NOT to use an assembly
Don't reach for an assembly when:
- The grouping is bespoke for one project — overhead of building it isn't justified.
- You want explicit visibility of each component in the Excel quantities (assemblies show as one line).
- The item is a one-off — link it as a DB or CC item directly.
Building assemblies
Building assemblies happens in the estimating side of Ensign.Software, not in ZeroCount. ZeroCount lets you use assemblies — it doesn't define them. Ask your estimator about adding a new assembly if a useful bundle doesn't exist yet.