SpecAgent

Specification & Product Discussions Computers, the Internet and Networking
1

For those of you that use Masterspecs and have updated recently what is SpecAgent and what does it do. It is a program that automatically with the update and there are no instructions as to what this program does.

2

Call Josh at ARCOM tech services 800-424-5080 or 801-521-9162. He is always very helpful.

3

Here is a link to more information:

[link updated below]

4

Thanks Colin,

I did find that link and it was helpful in providing more information. This system does not appear to favor the services of your website.

5

ARCOM has released this beta version of SpecAgent as a first step of a larger initiative designed to make finding and acting on manufacturers information more efficient for MasterSpec users. Specific details of SpecAgents functionality are detailed in the latest version of SpecPress.

http://www.arcomnet.com/users/eSpecPress/1stQTR2010/specagent.html

MasterSpec users can contact ARCOM via email at support@arcomnet.com with questions or comments or chat with us directly through the support chat feature included with SpecAgent.

6

My attampts of e-mailing to support@arcom.com have been undeliverable so I am blogging here.

  1. Does anyone know how to turn off the SpecAgent feature? Manufacture contact info is in the Supporting Documents - why be redundant?

  2. SpecAgent is making more work for us to use current MasterSpec documents as we have to remove the underlined text (SA Hyperlink). When we use the “Revised Page Method” to show changes we underline added text.

7

Try arcomnet.com

8

To Mr. Peck - SA cannot be turned off; I was told by ARCOM tech, upon opening first MasterSpec section file, minimize SA window, thus, any subsequent opening of spec section file(s) will not open another SA window. Not the solution I was hoping, but the only one given.

9

Hi Harry,

Let me address both of your questions here.

SpecAgent is very tightly integrated with the Word document and as such, cannot be turned on and off. The specific items youve mentioned; hyperlinks, are a part of the Word document itself and are present even if you were to view the documents on a machine where SpecAgent was never installed. We are planning to make a change to Masterworks in an upcoming release that will make turning these hyperlinks on and off easier in the future.

While the MasterSpec supporting documents do contain manufacturer contact information, our goal is to provide more up to date contact and product information to our users. With a constantly evolving list of over 9500 building product manufacturers, we feel dynamic live data is a more reliable method of providing information to our users than static material that is updated periodically as sections are reviewed and released by our writers. Additionally, resources like the instant answers chat link feature are expected to make that direct communication even easier.

If you have any additional questions about SpecAgent functionality, changes or enhancements you’d like to see, I am available directly at mjohnson@arcomnet.com.

I hope that helps!

10

For anyone that is interested, it is possible to defeat SpecAgent by removing “BAS-12345-MS80” that is found in the keynotes field of the properties window and saving the file. Be sure to make a text change add a space and delete it to ensure the file is saved without the keynote.

Apparently SpecAgent relies on this keynote to recognize the file a a Masterspec file.

If you want a macro to perform this function, email me directly at dstutzman@conspectusinc.com.

11

I believe that if you remove the keynote from your MasterSpec sections as David describes above, none of the Masterworks multi-file automation software will run on those documents.

12

What Mr. Kabza says about the content of the Keywords field being required to run various Masterworks multi-file routines is not true (I have been told this by others at ARCOM). I copy MasterSpec to a file with the project template set up to utilize varous fields. I have not found this to be an impediment to run any of the Masterworks routines.

Using the various document properties allows me to make certain global changes to all of the document files very quickly from the MS Explorer window; much, much faster than using Masterworks.

13

Dang. I shouldn’t trust my memory. Just ran TOC, Header and Footer, and Delete metrics on a test folder of sections without the keynote, and they worked. Thank you Mr. Jordan. Mr. Stutzman, I stand corrected.

14

I rarely use Masterworks tools, because I have our our that are more suited to our own business. So I never even thought about testing that aspect. But I am glad the keynote does not affect its use.

It annoyed me to no end that SpecAgent kept moving my documents between the dual screens and resizing the document to fill the screen. I never work the way SpecAgent wants me to.

I am just glad I found a way to defeat it.

15

I did not like the intrusiveness of SpecAgent from the moment it opened. When I opened an old section, SpecAgent reared it’s ugly head forcing my wide screen monitor to only display a single page at a time. My solution was to revert back to MasterWorks 6.2. So far so good. Unless I’m missing something, SpecAgent is only helpful when selecting products, so why does it need to be there all the time?

16

Mr. Harris,
How did you revert back to MW6.2? Unfortunately, I uninstalled MW6.2 before installing MW6.3…and ARCOM told me MW6.2 is no longer available as download.

17

Mr. Johnson. Please get Spec Agent off my computer. I don’t like, don’t want it, never asked for it, and don’t want to have to resort to ‘tricks’ just to use something that we’re paying too much for in the first place! Since I don’t have ‘Administrator’ rights, I can’t even use David’s fix. Please make it go away!

18

Ken - I’m with you. I use Masterworks constantly but hate SA; it would not be so terrible if it didn’t resize and move existing/open document windows, but it always does!

19

With the latest MasterSpec update, Arcom has released a upgrade to MasterWorks that includes changes to SpecAgent behavior. If you haven’t upgraded MasterWorks, you should. You may find it more to your liking.

20

We have been burned on this thing to the point that we are now very nervouos about uploading the newer version, for fear that there is no turning back (which is what heppened to us last update with all the flaws of SpecAgent in full effect).

John, can you please put our minds at ease by explaining how this “may be more to” our liking? Can you give us specifics about what the new version does, and tell what of the offending behaviors it no longer does?

thanks for being the Guinea pig!