How to Access Sub-Calculations
Click the hamburger menu (☰) in the top left corner of your ProLine account.
Scroll down and select "Company Settings"
A new window will appear in your browser
Select the "Measurements" tab on the left side of the screen.
Choose the "Measurement Sub Calculations" drop down
Here, you'll see a list of default sub-calculations already included in your account.
What Are Sub-Calculations?
Sub-calculations are intermediate formulas used to compute values based on raw measurement fields (like total area, eaves, hips, etc.). They're especially useful when:
You want to reuse a formula across multiple price items.
You need to add waste factors or other adjustments before calculating pricing.
You want to organize logic into clean, modular components.
Sub-calculations appear at the bottom of measurement reports and can be referenced by tokens in other calculations.
Default Sub-Calculations (Out of the Box)
ProLine comes with four default sub-calculations:
Total Square
Hip and Ridge Square
Starter Square
Drip Edge
You can modify these or add new ones as needed.
Editing or Creating Sub-Calculations
When you edit or add a new sub-calculation, a configuration panel appears with several key settings:
1. Measurements
Choose one or more measurement fields (e.g., Total Area, Rakes, Eaves). If you select multiple fields, their values will be added together.
2. Operation
Apply a mathematical operation (optional) to the measurement value:
None
Add
Subtract
Multiply
Divide
You’ll input a static number to use in this operation (ex: multiply total area by 1.1).
3. Static Waste Factor
Add a fixed waste factor (10%) to account for overages or material waste.
Warning: If your sub-calculation has a waste factor and a price item using it also has a waste factor, ProLine will flag a warning to help you avoid “double dipping.”
The system doesn’t block you from applying both, but it will alert you with a red warning so you can review before saving.
Testing Sub-Calculations
To verify your logic:
Use the test input field to plug in example values (3,500 sq ft).
The tool will return the calculated value (35 squares) so you can ensure accuracy.
Custom Formulas (Advanced)
For more advanced needs, toggle on Use Custom Formula to write your own expression using ProLine's tokening system.
This behaves similarly to Excel formulas and includes:
Full control over field references
Order of operations
Nested logic and tokens
Use the Formula Guidelines provided in the UI to structure your custom logic properly.
While this is a powerful option, we recommend sticking to the simple builder unless advanced customization is required.
Using Sub-Calculation Tokens
Once created, each sub-calculation generates a token that can be reused in price calculations (Price List Items)
This makes it easy to standardize formulas and reduce duplication.
Best Practices
Use sub-calculations to modularize logic and reduce repetition.
Test each formula with realistic values before applying it to projects.
Be mindful of waste factor stacking; watch for the system warning.
Reserve custom formulas for complex needs, keep it simple when possible.
For help building sub-calculations or interpreting formula behavior, contact ProLine Support or refer to the Formula Guidelines built into the platform.