Creating Custom Sections

See also: 

• Your Education with Aurora Academy
• Aurora Academy - Sales Mode: Basic Customization 
• Aurora Academy - Sales Mode: Advanced Customization

 

Table of Contents

Choosing a layout

Formatting Custom Sections

Add content to custom sections 

Reordering sections

Managing section visibility

Updating Project Proposals to New Templates

FAQ

 

Overview

Admins can create custom sections and add them anywhere in the proposal template. For the best experience when customizing your proposal follow the below process: 

1. Determine first how you want your section to look and what content you'd like added
2. Then, choose a layout that best suits your vision
3. Add content to your custom sections
4. Use the preview button to see how you're section will look
5. Fine-tune adjustments with additional formatting 

What can you add into custom sections? 

Admins can add a variety of information into their custom sections. With custom sections you can add: 

• Images, text, video
• Interactive charts
• Variables

Before adding custom sections, you will need to duplicate a Standard template, or create a new proposal template. Learn more by reading Sales Mode Proposal Templates Configuration

 

Choosing a layout 

To get started

1. Open a Custom proposal template in the Proposal Template Database page.
2. Click on the Edit button in the top right corner of the page
3. Click on the Library button near the top left corner of the page
4. Click a Layout button (One By One, One By Two, or One By Three) and drag it to the right side of the page.

 

After you select a section layout, you can customize how the section will appear in PDF proposals. Click the Gear icon in the top left corner of the section to reveal PDF layout options in the menu on the left.

1. Allow content to span multiple PDF pages: Selecting this option will turn this section into multiple pages in the PDF proposal to fit all content added to the section.
2. Scale down content to fit a single PDF page: Selecting this option will scale the content on the section down to fit into one page on the PDF proposal.

 

Adding Premade Sections

Aurora’s content Library tab includes pre-made sections that you can further customize. To customize, click the Library tab, scroll down to Premade Sections in the left menu, then click and drag a Premade Section from the left menu to the right side of the screen.

From there, you can edit the content like you would for custom sections.

 

Formatting Custom Sections

To start, it's important to know the definitions of what makes up a blank custom section. 

 

Cell

A cell is the most granular section of a proposal section. This is where you'll add in your widgets such as text, video, images, and explainer sections. You can add multiple widgets to one cell and arrange them how you'd like. 

Once you've placed your content blocks within a cell, you'll then be able to format your cell correctly. 

1. Place all your desired blocks in a cell
2. Hover over the cell and click the gear icon
3. On the left side of your screen is where you'll find the formatting option 

Formatting a cell: 

1.  Left/Right padding - the space on the left and right of the widgets inside a cell
2. Top/Bottom padding - the space from the top and bottom of the widgets inside a cell
3. Gap - the space between widgets
4. Row span - the number refers to the number of rows extended across. If the number exceeds the # of columns in that grid, it will span across all rows.
5. Column span - the number refers to the number of columns extended across. If the number exceeds the # of columns in that grid, it will span across all columns.
6. Justify - works alongside row span. When a measurement is added to the row span box, you'll be able to decide where the widgets are located within a cell spanning across a row.
7. Align - works alongside column span. When a measurement is added to the align box, you'll be able to decide where the widgets are located within a cell spanning across a column 

You can copy a cell’s contents and paste them into another cell. The formatting of the copied content will be retained when it is pasted in the new cell.

 

Grid 

A grid is made up of one or more cells and can be formatted if you wish to add additional sections to your section. To get even more granular, you can add a grid to a cell. 

Aurora recommends formatting a grid as a first step. After formatting your grid, add your widgets, and then format your cells afterward. 

To make changes to your grid, hover over the grid and select the gear icon You'll see 6 options. 

1. Column Count - where you can add or subtract the number of columns you have 
2. Cell Count - you have the ability to change the number of cells. Note: make sure to change the cell count only before starting to add content and widgets to your custom section. If the cell count is changed after you've added content, the entire section will be deleted. 
3. Row Gap - If your gird is made up of multiple cells, you can change the gap between the cells (top to bottom between cells)
4. Column Gap - if your grid is made up of multiple cells, you can change the gap between the cells (left to right between cells)
5. Left/Right padding - spacing between the grid and the cell from left to right (around the outside of the cell)
6. Top/Bottom padding - spacing between the grid and the cell from top to bottom (around the outside of the cell) 

 

Section 

A section is another term referring to an entire section. A section is the highest level that is made up of grids and cells. 

Adding content to custom sections

Once you've decided on your section's layout, it's time to add content. To do this, drag and drop a block from the Blocks tab located on the left into a cell. Ensure all blocks you want to have the same alignment, padding, or background are in the same cell to ensure that content is kept together. Also, use the Preview tab to check your progress often.

 

Undo and Redo

Users may undo or redo any action taken during the customization process using the Undo/Redo buttons near the top of the page. 

Copying and Pasting Content and Formatting

Each cell and grid is able to be copied for content or formatting. Select the vertical dots icon to select between copying content or copying the content of any cell or grid.

Once content or formatting is copied to the clipboard, select another vertical dots icon to paste the content.

Background Images for Sections

Select a background image for your sections by clicking the Gear icon in the top left of that section. Select background image from the menu on the left, and upload the background image from your drive.

Background images have two layout choices: fit, or fill.

With fit, the image is scaled to fit within the dimensions of the container while maintaining its original aspect ratio (the ratio of width to height). The entire image is visible, but there may be empty space (like borders) if the aspect ratio of the image does not match the aspect ratio of the container. Fit is useful when you want to ensure the entire image is displayed without distortion or cropping.

With fill, the image is scaled to cover the entire container, potentially extending beyond its boundaries to fill the space, while still maintaining the aspect ratio. The screen is fully covered with the image, but part of the image might be cropped out if the aspect ratio does not match. This is ideal when you want to ensure there are no gaps or empty spaces in the page even if that means some of the image is cropped out.

 

Fit visual example:

 

Fill visual example:

Aspect Ratio for Full-Screen Image

Choosing an aspect ratio that showcase most of your image on most devices is key. A 3:2 aspect ratio is a versatile option that scales well for many landscape tablets while maintaining great presentation on desktop and mobile devices. Please note that there is a 1MB file size limit for uploaded images to allow for rapid loading of the presentation view and Web Proposals.

Borders

Select a border for your content block by clicking the Gear icon in the top left of that block. Select border width from the preset options or choose a custom width. Select the border color. Use the Radius feature to determine how rounded the border’s edges will be. 

Text

To add text, click and hold on the Text can and drag it to your desired cell. Purple indicates that you can place text and red means you aren't able to place text in that space. Once you've placed your text box in the cell, you're able to start adding text.

1. To edit text to bold, italicize, underline, add hyperlinks, or change color or sizes, hover over the text box to see your options.
   
   • Note: Any hyperlinked text will open in a new tab.
2. Click the gear icon to add padding (spacing) around the text. We recommend doing this only after all your content blocks are placed including images, videos, and interactive charts and graphs.
3. To see a preview of what your padding will look like on your newly created section, click Preview located on the top right. To exit the preview, click the preview icon again.
4. By default, text is only editable by admins within the proposal template builder. If you want a specific text box to be editable from within Sales Mode, check the box in in the top left of the settings panel saying “Allow this text to be edited in a proposal”:
   

Tip: Aurora recommends adding all of the content you wish to include on your section before starting on any formatting such as adding padding around a content block. 

If you'd like to re-order where your textbox is placed in the cell, hover over the textbox, click and hold the vertical dot column, and move it to your desired location. 

To delete a textbox, hover over the textbox, and in the toolbar that pop up, click on the trash can located on the right. 

Variables

With a textbox, you have the ability to add variables. To do this, hover over the textbox and the toolbar will appear. Select "Variable" on the right and you can choose from a long list of datapoints that will automatically populate based on your project inputs. You can either use the search box or scroll through the available list manually. 

• When a text box is selected, variables are highlighted in purple. To see what the variable is, or to swap variables, hover over the placeholder (dummy data) when in edit mode.

Tip: To change a variable, make sure to first delete your prior variable text 

 

Images 

Once you've added an image block to your cell, you'll have the option to choose the image either by dragging and dropping, uploading one from your computer, or selecting one from Aurora's image gallery. Please note that there is a 1MB file size limit for uploaded images to allow for rapid loading of the presentation and Web Proposal.

To edit padding and the width and height of your image,

1. Select the gear icon
2. Enter in your desired measurements on the left.

To delete an image, click the Gear button, and click the Delete button on the left side menu.

 

Videos 

To add a video to your section, select the video block on the left side menu and drag it to your desired cell. 

Once the block is placed,

1. Hover over the video and select the gear icon from the toolbar
2. Enter the YouTube URL on the left of the screen. 

Tip: Currently, videos must be added via YouTube URL. 

Interactive Charts and Graphs

Aurora has a robust offering of interactive charts and graphs to choose from to add to your proposal to engage and wow your customers. 

To add an interactive chart or graph, select a block from the left located under the "Interactive" section. Select the chart or graph you'd like to use and drop it in a cell. 

To edit a chart's height,

1. Hover over the chart and select the gear icon.
2. Make changes on the left. 

Tip: Although certain blocks seem to take over the entire section when placed- once you've clicked on a widget and view the section within your proposal, you'll notice that your desired outcome will be achieved. The preview button is a good tool to use to get a general sense of how the section will look or you can see the actual outcome by clicking "Done" in the top right and viewing your section alongside the other sections within your proposal. 

Solar models

Aurora allows you to add one or more solar model blocks to your custom pages so users can show multiple views and angles of their design.

To add a solar model, select the block from the left located under the “Interactive” section, then drop it into the cell.

To edit the solar model’s height,

1. Hover over the block and select the gear icon.
2. Make changes on the left.

In the presentation view and Web Proposal, users are able to adjust the angle and zoom of the selected solar model, and toggle irradiance and LIDAR on/off. If multiple solar model widgets are shown on a page, each view can be adjusted independent of one another. 

Summary Line Items

You can incorporate summary line items anywhere in your template. When added, these widgets will populate with dynamic information from each proposal. The available summaries and additional customizations are:

• Adders
  • Edit/show/hide title
  • Show/hide quantities
• Discounts
  • Edit/show/hide title
  • Show/hide quantities
• Energy optimizations
  • Edit/show/hide title
  • Show/hide quantities
  • Show/hide totals
• Incentives
  • Edit/show/hide title
  • Show/hide amounts
  • Show/hide rates
  • Show/hide totals
• Storage
  • Edit/show/hide title
  • Show/hide components: batteries, inverters
  • Show/hide component data: manufacturers, quantities, totals
• System
  • Show/hide title
  • Show/hide components: modules, inverters, DC optimizers, load centers, disconnects, service panels, meters
  • Show/hide component data: component type, manufacturers, quantities

Note: To edit visibility of individual adders or discounts, admins must configure these settings in the database. Learn more in Adders and Discounts.

For example, the below section incorporates the Storage Summary Line Item into a page that covers why a homeowner should invest in storage. This way, you can incorporate educational information with specific proposal line items in one section.

Grid

With grids, you can create additional layouts or sub-layouts within an existing layout. A grid allows you to make more complex section designs by adding cells--or even other grids--in a structured layout that ensures your content can always responsively scale with screen size.

Imagine you have a space divided into two sections. Using grids, you can take one of those sections and further divide it into smaller sections, allowing you to create even more customizable spaces within that one section. It's like having smaller sections within a larger section, giving you more control over your layout. 

To add a grid you'll first need a cell to add it into. Once you've determined which cell you'd like to add the grid, drag and drop the grid widget into that cell to begin customizing. 

Hover over the newly created grid and select the gear icon. You'll now be able to edit the column count and the cell count. You'll also have the ability to add padding and gaps around your newly formed grid. 

Reordering Sections in Sales Mode

See Reordering Sections in Sales Mode

Managing Section Visibility

See Managing Section Visibility in Sales Mode

Updating Project Proposals to New Templates

If an admin makes updates to a proposal template, you can update your existing proposals to the new template. Simply follow these steps:

1. Click into the presentation view for any existing project
2. Navigate to the hamburger menu in the top left
3. Click the Refresh icon at the top right of the menu
4. Confirm your selection by clicking Refresh in the pop-up menu

When you refresh your template, it will update all sections in your proposal to the new template while preserving the homeowner inputs for the proposal. However, the refresh will reset section visibility to template defaults, so if you chose to hide or show any pages previously, you will need to hide or show those sections again (learn more in Hiding or Showing Pages in Sales Mode).

FAQ

If I delete a custom page, can I access it later to add again?
No, you will not have access to your custom page content after you’ve deleted it.

Can I include pages in the Web Proposal and not in the presentation view of the proposal?
Yes. Sales reps are able to toggle which pages are on/off in presentation mode vs. the leave-behind (web & print) for each design.

Can admins restrict the ability for users to hide certain pages?
Yes, admins can turn on Visibility locked to restrict reps from hiding certain pages.

What font is used for custom pages?
Roobert. 

Can I add Vimeo links to custom pages?
Not at this time. Only YouTube links are supported.