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Working with line types and chapters

In Robaws we work with a number of fixed line types that you can choose from. Each of these line types has its own function.
They contribute to the structure of a pdf document as well as to giving it an attractive lay-out.

Line type	Function
Title	You only see a description and a price. This is the price of all the lines that fall under the title, up to the next title.
Chapter Level 1 to 8	You only see a description and a price. This is the price of all the lines that fall under this chapter. Up to the next chapter of the same level.
Line	You see all the details. This is an ordinary item line.
Text	You can only fill in a description; prices are not applicable here. Use this to add a separate line of text.
Variant	You can include a variant of an item. Functionally this is a replacement or an alternative for what you are proposing. The price of the variant is not included in the total amount. The variant appears in grey and italics on the pdf.
Option (unit price)	You include an optional line with a unit price, but without a total on the line. Functionally this is an optional surcharge or extra. The price is not included in the total amount. Appears in grey and italics on the pdf.
Option (total)	You include an optional line that does show a total price. This price is not included in the total amount either. Appears in grey and italics on the pdf.
Total	Only a total price is shown. The unit price and quantity are not included on this line.
Check	Mainly used internally to indicate that someone still has to check this line before including it definitively.
Quantity	You only see a quantity. Prices are not shown on this line.

By working with chapters of different levels, you can work with different subtotals within the same quotation.

What counts towards the total? The price of a title, chapter, text, variant or option line is never included in the total amount of your document. For a line of the type Quantity or Check, the total of that line does count, even though the prices are not shown on the line itself.

Chapter or title?

A title gives you one subtotal: all the lines below it are added up to the next title. That works when your quotation consists of a handful of large blocks and you do not need any further subdivision within them.

A chapter can be nested. It lets you show a subtotal within a subtotal, up to 8 levels deep, so that your quotation follows the structure of your job: for example a subtotal per floor and, within that, per room.

We recommend working with chapters. You can do exactly the same with them as with a title, but you are not tied to a single level if your quotation turns out to be more extensive later on. Do not mix titles and chapters within the same document.

How do I work with chapters?

Start with chapter 1 and, if necessary, add chapter 2 to go one level deeper. For most organisations 2 or 3 chapter levels are enough to draw up quotations.
So only activate the chapter levels you need. You do this via settings > general > pdf: in the table with the line types, tick only the levels you use in the Enabled column. That keeps the dropdown menu on your quotation clear.

Example: I have to draw up a quotation for painting work. I want to show the customer a subtotal per floor, and also per room.
To do this I use Chapter level 1 (floors, red boxes) and Chapter level 2 (rooms, yellow boxes).

Chapter level 1:
The subtotal of the ground floor = the sum of all the lines below it (painting work kitchen + painting work and non-woven wallpaper living room)
As soon as there is another chapter level 1 (first floor), a new subtotal starts.

Chapter level 2:
The subtotal of the living room = the sum of all the lines below it (painting work and non-woven wallpaper)
As soon as there is another chapter level 1 or 2 (first floor), a new subtotal starts.

In this way you can go up to 8 levels deep in subtotals.

Display in Robaws	Display on the pdf

Numbering your titles and chapters on the pdf

Title and chapter lines also carry their line number on the pdf. The number is placed before the description, so that the structure of your quotation on paper follows the same numbering as in Robaws.

For this, the Line nr. column has to be one of the columns on your pdf. You decide which columns appear on your pdf in the pdf settings. If the Line nr. column is not included but the Post column is, the post number is placed before the description.

Deleting a chapter or title

If you delete a chapter or title line that still has lines below it, Robaws first asks what should happen to those underlying lines. The 'Confirm deletion' window appears, with two choices:

Only the selection: only the chapter or title line itself disappears. The lines below it remain and move up to the chapter or title above.
Also the sub-lines: the chapter or title line disappears together with all the lines that fall under it.

Confirmation when deleting a chapter

You cannot restore deleted lines. So check what is below your chapter before you choose 'Delete everything' — with a chapter level 1 that can be a large part of your quotation.

If there are no lines below the chapter or title, this window does not appear and the line is deleted immediately.

The lay-out of my chapters

A good lay-out of your chapters contributes to an attractive and clear quotation.
For each chapter level you choose a layout style and a font size, so that the subdivision in your quotation is immediately clear. You set this via settings > general > pdf, in the Header level styles and Font size columns of the table with the line types.

Hiding the subtotal

You decide for yourself whether the subtotal of a title or chapter appears on the pdf for the customer. To do so, switch the show subtotal column on or off via settings > general > pdf. In Robaws itself you always see the subtotal per title or chapter.

Showing the line type on the pdf

If you work with variants or options, you can show on the pdf which type of line it is. That way your customer sees immediately that a line is an option and is not included in the total.

You set this up in two steps:

Activate the Show line type on PDF toggle via settings > general > pdf. It is switched off by default.
The Show line type on PDF field then appears on every pdf setting. There you choose, per pdf, for which line types you want to indicate the type.

This is only possible for the line types Variant, Option (unit price) and Option (total).

Settings

There are a few settings for the line types. You will find them under settings > general > pdf, in the table under the 'Lay-out' heading.

Setting	Explanation
Header level styles	You link a layout style to the line type. This layout style is always applied for this line type on the document where a lay-out belongs.
Font size	With this setting you can assign a specific font size to a line type.
show subtotal	You decide whether or not to show a subtotal on a line. We recommend always leaving this function switched on. There is a setting on the PDF to switch it off.
Display line under text	You can always place a line under the text by default. This function only applies to title and chapter lines.
Enabled	You decide for yourself which line types you want to use and which ones you want visible in the dropdown menu.

By default all line types are enabled. If you switch a line type off, it only disappears from the dropdown menu: lines that already have that type keep it.

Updated on: 04/09/2026

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