What Contractor's Choice is
The Contractor's Choice (CC) catalogue is a company-specific subset of the main component database. It typically contains:
- Pre-negotiated items with preferred suppliers.
- Custom internal codes that override generic database equivalents.
- Items added by your company that don't exist in the supplier database.
- Linear products and specials.
Use CC links over DB links when your company has chosen a specific contractor product for a particular fitting type — the priced output will then reflect the negotiated price rather than the catalogue default.
Opening the CC picker
CC shares the same dialog as Database Items and Assemblies — open the Database Items picker through any of the usual routes (see Linking to a database item) and switch the mode tab at the top to Contractors Choice.
The search placeholder changes to "Search CC items..." and the result table shifts to CC-specific columns.
What the CC table shows
| Column | What it contains |
|---|---|
| ID Code | The contractor's choice ID code (monospace, semi-bold, blue). |
| Description | The item's text1 description. |
| Special No. | The internal special number for variants. |
| Quantity | The standard pack/unit quantity. |
| Category | High-level category — lighting, power, data, etc. |
| Heading | Mid-level heading. |
| Group | Sub-group within the heading. |
| Linear | true for linear-billed items (cables, conduits). |
Filter dropdowns above the table cover Category, Heading, Group, and Linear.
Picking a CC item
- 1
On the Contractors Choice tab, use the search field or filter dropdowns to narrow the catalogue.
- 2
Double-click the row you want. The dialog closes; the CC link is applied to the active marker group.
The group's sidebar row now displays:
- The CC ID code in monospace blue.
- The text1 description underneath in muted text.
- A small remove button beside the code with tooltip "Remove linked CC item".
When to use CC over DB
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| Your company has negotiated pricing for this fitting type | CC |
| The item is a contractor's special / non-catalogue | CC |
| You want the standard catalogue product code | DB |
| You want assembly-level grouping (one link, many sub-items) | Assembly |
| The job spec demands a manufacturer's product code | DB |
Most projects use a mix — DB for off-the-shelf catalogue items, CC for the bits you've negotiated separately.
CC items in the export
Linked CC items appear in the per-file worksheets and Totals sheet identically to DB-linked items:
- Code column = the CC ID code.
- Description column = the CC description.
The export doesn't visually distinguish between DB and CC links — both feed the same columns. If you need that distinction downstream, the .sqlite export from Export Job preserves the source.