When the Materials tab is selected, the page focuses on planning and tracking material-related costs through two main sections: Forecasted Material Cost and Total Material Cost by Month.
At the top, the Forecasted Material Cost table allows you to enter and manage material expenses. Each row represents a material cost entry where you can define a description, assign a vendor, and input both monthly and annual cost values.
The Vendor field is connected to an existing vendor list, allowing you to select from previously added vendors. If a vendor is not listed, you can create a new one directly from the dropdown by selecting the option to add a vendor, which opens a form to input vendor details.
On the right side of the table, the “+ Add Line” button allows you to insert additional material entries. Each new line appears directly within the table, and existing lines can be removed using the action column.
Each row also includes a small expand/collapse control (double arrow icon). When selected, it expands the row to display a mini column chart showing the monthly distribution of that specific material cost.
This allows you to visualize how the entered value is allocated across the year without leaving the table.
Below this section, the Total Material Cost by Month table provides a broader visual summary. When no data is entered, this section remains empty.
Once material costs are added, it automatically generates a column chart showing the total distribution of material expenses across each month.
This chart updates dynamically based on the values entered above, giving you a clear, aggregated view of how material costs are spread throughout the year.