Overview

The Hearthline Home Services website brings in work for four trades: plumbing, heating and cooling, electrical and cleaning. Customers see starting prices, check whether their ZIP code is covered and send a quote request with photos. Staff write the quote, send the customer a private link, and the customer accepts it online with the last 4 digits of their phone number.

From there the staff area runs the job: book a day, a two-hour arrival window and a technician, follow the job to done on the dispatch board, write the invoice and record the payment by card, cash or check. Nothing is paid online.

How the pieces fit together

Customers send requests and answer quotes; staff turn them into jobs and invoices.

The path of a job

1. Getting Started

1.1 Signing in

Click Staff sign in at the bottom of any page of the website, or go to /AdminLogin. Type your User name and Password and click Sign in.

The sign-in card.

• Wrong details show That user name and password do not match.
• After 6 wrong passwords within 5 minutes the page says Too many wrong passwords. Wait five minutes and try again.
• A switched-off account cannot sign in.

1.2 Your first password

When a manager creates your account or resets your password, you get a temporary password. The first time you sign in with it, the card asks you to choose your own: type it twice and click Save and sign in. It must be 8 to 100 characters and different from the one you were given. Any other place where you were signed in is signed out.

1.3 The staff screen

A: the business name. B: the menu, grouped as Work, Business, Website, Admin and You, with orange counts. C: your name, View site (opens the website in a new tab) and Sign out. D: filter chips and search. E: the list; click a row to open it.

• The menu shows only the areas you have rights to. Without the Activity log right you see My activity instead.
• Orange counts: new requests next to Quotes, today's jobs that are not finished next to Jobs, finished jobs without an invoice next to Invoices, unread messages next to Messages.
• Windows close with Close, × or Esc. If you changed something, the site first asks Leave without saving?

1.4 Confirmations

Every step that changes a quote, job or invoice asks first. The right-hand button goes ahead; the left-hand button, Esc or a click outside the box steps back.

1.5 What you can see

A manager gives each person None, View, Edit or Extra for every area (see 17.2). A technician login can be limited to its own jobs. If you open an area you have no right to, the page says No access; refused attempts are written to the activity log.

1.6 On a phone

Everything works on a phone. The menu folds behind ☰; tables turn into cards and the dispatch board lists each technician one under the other.

1.7 Staying signed in

• A sign-in lasts 8 hours and renews while you work. When it runs out, the next click takes you to the sign-in page.
• Click Sign out on shared computers.
• A manager switching you off or resetting your password signs you out at once.

2. Dashboard

The dashboard opens after you sign in and shows what needs doing.

Each box opens the matching list. Below them are Today's jobs by arrival window and Latest activity. You see only the boxes for areas you have rights to; a technician sees only their own jobs today.

A technician's dashboard: their jobs today and their own activity.

3. Quotes

Every job starts as a quote request: from the website's Request a quote form, or typed in by staff for a phone call, email or walk-in. You write the price lines, send the customer a private link, and the customer accepts online.

3.1 Finding a quote

• The chips filter the list: To do (new requests and drafts, the default), New, Draft, Sent, Accepted, Declined, Expired, Closed and All. The number on a chip is how many quotes it holds.
• Search by name, phone, email, ZIP code or Q- number, for example Q-WK3DEG.
• Click a row to open it. The list shows 15 quotes a page.

3.2 Adding a phone request

1. Click New request.
2. Fill in Name, Phone, Email (optional), ZIP code and Street address.
3. Pick How did it come in?: Phone call, Email or In person.
4. Tick one or more Services and describe the job (5 to 2,000 characters).
5. Click Add request. The request gets a Q- number and opens so you can write the quote.

The phone number needs its area code, because the customer types its last 4 digits to accept.

3.3 Writing the quote

Open a request. The top shows where it came from, the customer details and The job: the services ticked, the description, preferred days and times, and any photos (click one to open it full size). A hint under the address says whether the ZIP code is in the service area.

1. Under Quote, click + Add a line and type a description, quantity and unit price, or pick a service from + Add from the price list, which adds its name and starting price.
2. Check the Trip fee. The hint under it shows the fee for the customer's ZIP zone; type that amount if it applies.
3. Add a Note to the customer if needed. It is shown on the quote.
4. Use the Staff note for anything only staff should see. Do not store card numbers or other sensitive data.
5. Click Save draft, or Send to customer when it is ready.

Two lines, no trip fee for Millbrook, 6.5% tax: $259.86. The totals update as you type.

• A quote can have up to 40 lines. Quantity 0.01 to 9,999; price 0 to 100,000; trip fee 0 to 10,000.
• The services the customer ticked are listed under The job, but they are not added as lines for you.
• Tax uses the rate in Settings and is worked out on the subtotal including the trip fee (see 21.2).
• Close request asks Close this request? with an optional reason; use it for spam, duplicates or jobs we will not take.

3.4 Sending the quote

Send to customer needs the Quotes Extra right. It asks Send this quote?; click Send quote. A quote with no lines is refused: Add at least one line before you send the quote.

The toast says Quote sent. Copy the link or email text to the customer. The quote shows:

• Link for the customer with Copy.
• Email to send: a ready-made message with the link, the total, the last valid day and the business phone. Click Copy email text, or Open in mail program when the customer gave an email address.
• Preview as customer opens the link in a new tab.

A sent quote is valid until the end of the 30th day after it was sent (the number of days is set in Settings). On the next day it turns Expired.

3.5 The customer's answer

The customer opens the link, checks the lines, and types their full name and the last 4 digits of the phone number on the quote. They tick I accept the work and prices in this quote and click Accept quote.

Left: wrong digits are refused. Right: the right digits accept the quote.

• Wrong digits: Those digits do not match the phone number on this quote. After 5 wrong tries in 15 minutes: Too many wrong tries. Please wait 15 minutes or call us.
• I do not want to go ahead declines the quote with an optional reason. It also needs the last 4 digits.
• Print or save as PDF prints the quote.
• After acceptance the quote shows Accepted with the name typed, and moves to Jobs › To schedule.

3.6 Changing a sent quote

3.7 The life of a quote

Solid arrows move forward; red arrows end the quote; the dashed arrow takes a sent quote back to draft.

4. Jobs

A job is an accepted quote booked for a day, a two-hour arrival window and a technician. Jobs move from Scheduled to On the way, In progress and Done; a done job is ready for an invoice.

4.1 The job lists

• To schedule: accepted quotes without a job, oldest answer first.
• Today: today's jobs that are not cancelled.
• Upcoming: open jobs from today on.
• Done, Cancelled and All.
• The technician list filters by person, or Not assigned. Search by name, town or J- number.

4.2 Scheduling a job

1. Open To schedule and click Schedule next to the quote (or Schedule the job in the quote).
2. Read Customer prefers: the days and times the customer picked.
3. Pick the Day, the Arrival window (8–10 am, 10 am–12 pm, 12–2 pm, 2–4 pm or 4–6 pm) and the Technician. Each technician shows their working days; one without the job's trade is marked other trade.
4. Add Notes for the technician: access, parking, pets. Nothing sensitive.
5. Click Book job. The job gets a J- number.

The site refuses a booking it cannot keep and says why under the field:

You may leave the technician as Not assigned yet and assign one later on the dispatch board.

4.3 Moving a job along

The job shows four steps with the time and the person who set each one. The main button moves it one step: Mark on the way, Mark in progress, Mark done. Each asks first; Mark done? adds The job is finished and can be invoiced.

• Save notes saves the technician notes (up to 1,000 characters).
• Step back to … undoes the last step when a status was set by mistake. It needs the Jobs Extra right and is not possible once the job has an invoice: This job already has an invoice.

4.4 The job clock rules

The orange band marks the two steps that can only be set on the job's own day.

4.5 Rescheduling and cancelling

• Change day or technician appears while the job is scheduled. Pick the new day, window or technician and click Save changes; the same booking checks apply.
• Cancel job works while the job is scheduled or on the way. It asks for an optional reason. The quote goes back to To schedule so it can be booked again.
• When the job is done, Create invoice opens a draft invoice (Invoices Edit right).

4.6 What a technician sees

A technician login set to Own jobs only sees My jobs: Your jobs only. Move each one along as you go: on the way, in progress, done. There is no To schedule chip. They can move their own jobs along and save notes, but cannot book, reassign, reschedule or cancel. Another technician's job cannot be opened.

On a phone each job is a card.

5. Dispatch Board

The dispatch board shows one day: one column per technician who works that day, one row per arrival window, and a Not assigned column when that day has jobs without a technician. Each card shows the customer, the work, the town and the status, with the trade's colour on its edge.

5.1 Reading the board

• ← Previous, the date box, Next → and Today change the day.
• Technicians who do not work that weekday are left out. If one still has a job that day, their column shows Not a working day.
• Cancelled jobs are not shown.

5.2 Assigning or moving a job

1. Click a scheduled job's card.
2. Change the Arrival window or the Technician.
3. Click Save. The board checks working days, trades and clashes just as booking does.

This needs the Dispatch board Edit right. Jobs that are on the way or later show Only scheduled jobs can be moved on the board. Open in Jobs opens the full job. To change the day, use Change day or technician in Jobs.

5.3 The technician's board

A technician with own jobs only sees just their own column: Your day, window by window. They can open a card but not move it.

6. Invoices

Customers pay after the job, by card, cash or check. A finished job becomes a draft invoice copied from the accepted quote; you check it, issue it, and record the payment when it comes in. Nothing is paid online.

6.1 The invoice lists

• To invoice: done jobs without an invoice. Draft, Unpaid, Overdue, Paid, Void and All.
• The top right shows Unpaid (the total of issued, unpaid invoices) and Paid this month.
• Search by name, invoice number or job number.

6.2 Creating the invoice

1. Open To invoice and click Create invoice (or use the button on the done job).
2. The draft copies the lines, trip fee and tax rate of the accepted quote: Draft created from the accepted quote. Check the lines, then issue it.
3. Change lines if the work changed (+ Add a line, × to remove), adjust the trip fee, add a Note on the invoice.
4. Click Save draft to keep working later, or Issue invoice.

Discard draft deletes the draft; the job goes back to To invoice.

6.3 Issuing

Issue this invoice? It gets the next invoice number and can no longer be edited. The number is the prefix, the year and the next number, for example HL-2026-0006. The invoice date is today; the due date is 14 days later (set in Settings).

Print prints the invoice or saves it as a PDF to hand or email to the customer. The printed invoice says Pay by card, cash or check. Please write the invoice number on your check.

6.4 Recording a payment

This needs the Invoices Extra right.

1. Under Record payment, pick Paid by: Card, Cash or Check.
2. Type the Reference: the check number, or the last digits on the card slip. A check needs its number.
3. Check Paid on. It cannot be in the future or before the invoice date.
4. Click Mark paid and confirm.

Paid Tue, Oct 20 by check, reference 1187.

6.5 Voiding an invoice

Void invoice (Extra right) is for an issued, unpaid invoice that was wrong. Give a reason of at least 3 characters. The invoice shows Void and its number is never used again.

6.6 The life of an invoice

Issue, then Mark paid. Unpaid turns Overdue by itself after the due date; both can be voided.

7. Customers

Customers are built from the quotes: everyone who asked for a quote, grouped by email or phone. This page is view-only; change details on the quote.

7.1 Finding a customer

• The list shows quotes, jobs, the amount paid and the amount owed per customer.
• Filter All customers, With jobs or With unpaid invoices. Search by name, email, phone or town.

7.2 A customer's history

Click a customer to see their phone, email, address and History: every quote request, job and invoice, newest first. Click a Q-, J- or invoice number to open it.

8. Technicians

Technicians are the people who can be booked for jobs: their trades, their working days and their photo on the dispatch board.

8.1 Adding or changing a technician

1. Click Add technician, or Edit on a card.
2. Fill in Name (2 to 60 characters), Role shown on the website and Work phone (optional).
3. Tick the Trades and Working days. At least one of each.
4. Click Choose photo to pick a photo from the media library, or upload one.
5. Click Save.

• Jobs can only be booked on a technician's working days and in their trades.
• Removing a working day is refused while booked jobs fall on that day: move them first.
• The photo shows on the dispatch board. To show the technician on the About page, add them under Pages.

8.2 Switching off or deleting

• Untick Active: can be booked for jobs when someone leaves. This is refused while they still have booked jobs: Move them to someone else first.
• Delete works only for technicians with no jobs on record and no staff login linked to them.

9. Services and Prices

The four trades and their services, with the starting prices shown on the Services page, in the quote form and in the quote price list.

9.1 Editing a trade

Click Edit trade to change the trade's name (2 to 40 characters), its short description, its Colour on cards and the dispatch board (a code like #2F6F8F) and its Picture on the Home and Services pages.

9.2 Adding or changing a service

1. Click Add service, or click a service row.
2. Fill in Name, Trade, Starting price ($) (0 to 100,000), Price unit, like per visit, Typical time and What is included (up to 300 characters).
3. Tick Show on the website and in the quote form to offer it.
4. Click Save.

A service that quotes refer to cannot be deleted; untick Show on the website instead, so the history stays.

10. Service Area

The ZIP codes we cover, grouped in zones. Each zone has a trip fee per visit. The ZIP check on the website and the trip fee hint on quotes come from here.

10.1 Zones and trip fees

• Add zone: a zone name and Trip fee per visit ($) from 0 to 1,000. A zone with fee 0 shows No trip fee.
• Click a zone card to change it. A zone can be deleted only when no ZIP codes use it.

10.2 ZIP codes

• Add ZIP code: 5 digits, the town (2 to 40 characters) and the zone. Each ZIP code can be on the list once.
• Click a row to change it or Delete it. Visitors from a removed ZIP code are told we do not cover it yet, but can still send a request.

11. Reviews

The Reviews page shows only reviews written up by staff from real feedback a customer gave after a job, and only with their permission. Never invent one. The page starts empty and says so.

11.1 Writing up feedback

1. Click Write up feedback.
2. Pick the Job (optional). Linking a finished job fills in the name, town and trade.
3. Fill in Name to show (first name and initial, like Dana R.), Town, Trade, Rating the customer gave, Date of the feedback (not in the future) and How it reached us: phone call, email, in person, feedback card or text message.
4. Type the review in the customer's own words as far as possible: 20 to 800 characters.
5. Tick This is real feedback from this customer, and they agreed that we may publish it. Saving is refused without it.
6. Click Save (not published yet).

11.2 Publishing

Publish needs the Reviews Extra right. It asks Publish this review? Only publish feedback the customer agreed to share. It shows on the website right away. Then: Published. It shows on the Reviews page now. Unpublish takes it off the website; Delete removes it for good. Both also need the Extra right. A published review cannot be changed: unpublish it first.

12. Pages

Pages changes the words and pictures of the public website. Each page is a list of blocks you edit right on a preview of the page.

12.1 Editing a page

1. Pick a tab: Home, Services, Service area, Request a quote, Reviews, About or Contact.
2. Click any text to change it. Type {name} to show the business name from Settings.
3. Click Change on a picture to pick another from the media library, or Remove it.
4. Move a block by dragging its handle, or with the arrows. Hide keeps a block but takes it off the website.
5. Click Save page. Changes go live when you save; View page opens it in a new tab.

Leaving with unsaved changes asks Leave without saving?

12.2 Blocks

Add a block offers: Page top, Text, Picture and text, Cards, Steps, Numbers, Checklists, People, Questions, Quote, Picture or video and Call to action. The bin icon removes a block when you save.

Blocks marked From your data come from other areas: the trades and the ZIP check on Home, the service list, towns and trip fees, the quote form, the published reviews and the contact form. You can move them, change their titles or hide them, but not remove them. Change their content where it lives: Services and prices, Service area, Reviews or Settings.

12.3 Versions

Versions lists the last five saved versions of the page. Restore puts one back live right away; the current version is kept in the list, so you can switch back.

13. Media Library

The photos and videos used on the website pages, the trades and the technicians.

13.1 Uploading

• Click Upload photos or videos and choose up to 20 files at a time.
• Photos: JPG, PNG, WebP or GIF up to 8 MB. Videos: MP4 up to 30 MB; a manager can change the video limit (1 to 100 MB) in Settings.
• Filter All, Photos or Videos, or search by name or description. The library shows the newest 240; search to find older files.

13.2 Describing a file

Click Edit on a file. Fill in Description for screen readers (alt text): say what the picture shows, in a few words. Note for staff is optional. Used in lists where the file appears.

13.3 Deleting

Delete needs the Media library Extra right and removes the file from the server for good. A file still in use is refused, with the places it is used: replace it there first.

14. Messages

Notes sent with the website's contact form. Reply by email or phone, then mark them done.

14.1 Reading a message

• Chips: To answer (not done), Unread, Done and All. Search by name, email or text.
• Opening a message marks it read. It shows the sender, email, phone, topic and time.

14.2 Answering

• Reply by email opens your mail program with the address and a subject filled in.
• Mark done when it is answered; Mark as not done moves it back to To answer.
• Mark unread puts it back under Unread, for a colleague to pick up.
• Delete (Extra right) removes it for good.

15. Activity Log

Every sign-in, change and refused request, newest first. The latest 5,000 are kept. Quote requests and online answers from customers show as Customer.

• Pick a person instead of Everyone, tick Refused only, or search by action or record.
• Refused marks a wrong password or an attempt without the right.
• Without the Activity log right the menu shows My activity: what you did, newest first.

16. Settings

Business details shown on every page, and the rules for quotes and invoices. Managers only.

16.1 Business details

16.2 Quotes and invoices

Click Save settings. Quotes already sent, and the invoices made from them, keep the tax rate they were written with; a draft quote takes the new rate when you save it again.

17. Users and Rights

Each person signs in with their own account. Managers only.

17.1 Adding a user

1. Click Add user.
2. Type the User name (3 to 30 lower-case letters, digits, dot or dash), Full name and Job title.
3. Pick a Quick start set (Technician, Office, Bookkeeper, Website editor) or Clear, then adjust the rights grid.
4. Click Add user. A temporary password is shown once. Give it to the person in private; they choose their own at their first sign-in.

• Manager: every right, including Settings and Users gives every area.
• Untick Active: may sign in to switch someone off; their sessions end.
• You cannot remove your own manager right or switch yourself off.

17.2 The rights grid

Each area gets None, View, Edit or Extra. Edit includes View; Extra includes Edit.

17.3 Technician logins

Pick the Technician record and tick Own jobs only. Jobs, the dispatch board and the dashboard then show only that technician's jobs, and they cannot reassign or reschedule. The Technician quick start gives Jobs Edit and Dispatch board View.

17.4 Status and password reset

• The list shows Manager, Active, Must set password or Switched off.
• Reset password gives a new temporary password and ends their open sessions: Password reset. Their open sessions are closed. Change your own password under My account.

18. My Account

Everyone can change their own password and see what they are allowed to do.

18.1 Changing your password

1. Type your Current password.
2. Type the New password (8 characters or more, different from the current one) and again in New password again.
3. Click Change password. Your other signed-in devices are signed out; this one stays.

18.2 What you can do

The table lists every area with your right: No access, View, View and edit, or View, edit and the extra right.

19. The Public Website

Eight pages for customers. The menu at the top has Home, Services, Service area, Reviews, About and Contact, a phone button and Request a quote. Words and pictures are edited under Pages.

19.1 Home

The page top with Request a quote and See starting prices, the four trades with their lowest starting price, a ZIP code check, and up to three published reviews.

19.2 Services

Every service shown on the website, grouped by trade, with its starting price, price unit and typical time. Get a quote opens the quote form with that service ticked.

19.3 Service area

Visitors type a ZIP code and click Check my ZIP: Yes, we come to Linden Falls (40112). The trip fee is $25.00 per visit. A ZIP code not on the list says We do not cover … yet, with a link to send a request anyway. Below are the zones with their towns and trip fees.

19.4 Request a quote

1. What do you need? One or more services. The box on the right shows where prices start.
2. Describe the job: 20 to 2,000 characters.
3. Photos (optional): up to 6, JPG, PNG or WebP, 8 MB each.
4. When suits you? Up to 6 of the next 12 days (Sundays left out), and Morning (8 am–12 pm), Afternoon (12–4 pm) or Late afternoon (4–6 pm).
5. Your details: name, phone (the last 4 digits accept the quote), email, ZIP code and street address.

Missing answers are marked in red. When it is sent, the customer sees their Q- reference and the last 4 digits they will need. The request appears in Quotes as a new request.

19.5 The quote link

The private page a customer opens from the email: the lines, totals, the last valid day and the note, with Accept quote, I do not want to go ahead and Print or save as PDF. See 3.5. A withdrawn quote shows We are updating this quote; an expired one This quote has expired. Ask us for a fresh one.

19.6 Reviews

Every published review, newest first, with a filter by trade. Until one is published the page says No reviews yet. and explains that reviews come only from real customer feedback. Send feedback opens the Contact page.

19.7 About

The story, the numbers and the team, all edited under Pages.

19.8 Contact

Phone, email, shop address and hours from Settings, beside the message form: name, email, phone (optional), topic (A quote, A booked job, An invoice, Feedback on a job, Something else) and a message of 10 to 2,000 characters. Messages arrive in Messages.

20. Installation & Setup

20.1 Run mode

Open appConfig/application.cfg and set app.app.runmode | 1 before you go live. In mode 1 staff sign in with their own accounts only.

20.2 The first sign-in

The first-sign-in box appears only while no manager has chosen a password.

1. On the computer the site runs on, open /AdminLogin in a browser at localhost. The card shows First sign-in with the user name admin and a password made just for this site. The same password is in appConfig/initial-admin.txt. From any other computer the box is not shown.
2. Type them in and click Sign in. The card asks you to choose your own password: type it twice and click Save and sign in.
3. You are signed in as Administrator, a manager. The box and the file are gone.
4. Open Settings and fill in the business details, then Users and rights to add an account for each person.

The first password is masked in this manual; yours is different.

20.3 Locked out

• Forgot the first password before using it: delete appConfig/initial-admin.txt and open the sign-in page again. A new one is made.
• A person forgot their password: a manager clicks Reset password under Users and rights.
• Every manager is locked out: remove the manager accounts from data/staff.json on the server and open the sign-in page on that computer. The first-sign-in box appears again.
• Too many wrong passwords pause that user name for five minutes.

20.4 Hosting

1. Publish with the project's web.config (IIS, .NET 10).
2. Give the application pool Modify rights on data/, temp/, appConfig/, images/uploads/ and images/requests/ (create the last two first).
3. Use HTTPS, and open the staff area through the public https address: the customer quote links are built from the address you use.
4. Check that /data/staff.json and /appConfig/initial-admin.txt answer 404 in a browser.

20.5 Backups and redeploying

• Back up data/ (quotes, jobs, invoices, reviews, messages, staff, settings, pages, media list), images/uploads/ and images/requests/ (customer photos) every day.
• Publishing copies data/ over the live files. Download the live data/ folder first, or leave it out of the publish.

21. Reference

21.1 Numbers and codes

21.2 How totals are worked out

The quote and invoice for Rita Gomez: $244.00 + 6.5% tax = $259.86.

21.3 Limits

21.4 Quick start sets

22. Quick Answers

22.1 At the front desk