Templates & Scenarios

Templates and Scenarios can save you a lot of time during the creation of budgets in agCommander

There are also other ways to speed up data entry, such as:

- Pre-Configured Chemical Tank Mixes,

- Chemical Sprayer Configurations,

- Default Rates for Fertilizers and Chemicals and Fuel Consumption

- Default Hectares Per Hour for machinery operations

- Default Output per Hour for Water Sources

- Having all your Input Costs up to date 

Templates are events that are set up like any job or work order, but with no associated areas. Templates can be created on-the-fly by ticking the “Save as Template” tick box at the bottom of the job data entry form. 

… or by setting them up in

Cropping > Configuration > Activity Templates & Scenarios 

Templates are the building blocks for Scenarios as well as a way to get data entered into work orders of jobs very quickly. 

When adding a job or work order you will see the Template option at the very top left corner of the form … with a good set of well constructed templates, you’ll be amazed at how fast data gets entered into agCommander. 

Scenarios are a set of events defined as templates and with specified timings. Timings can be Weekly or Monthly.

For permanent crops (vineyards, orchards), the timings are based on the season or vintage definition. Week or Month 0 being the first period of your season or vintage.

For annual crops, the timings of events are based around the planting period. The Planting Week or Month will be Week or Month 0. Weeks or Months prior to planting are negative…

-3 Weeks, -2 Weeks, -1 Week

Weeks after planting will be

+1 Week, +2 Weeks +3 Weeks etc.

agCommander uses a calendar type user interface for setting up scenarios

1) Name your Scenario (e.g. “Standard Wheat”)

2) Decide if the timings on your scenario will be Monthly or Weekly. We recommend weekly if you intend to convert your weekly events to Work Orders

3) Set up the span of weeks for the Scenario based around the Planting Date if the scenario is for an Annual Crop or Season Start for permanent crops

4) Now select the first Template for the Scenario and click into the calendar in the appropriate week (or month)

5) Deselect that Template & choose the next … click into the calendar in the appropriate week (or month)

6) Continue repeating Step 5 until all templates that are needed for the Scenario are situated in their appropriate week (or month)

If you need to drop different templates into the one cell, you have the option to arrange them in the appropriate order. 

1) Create a new budget & ensure that the timings for your budget will match the timings used for your scenarios (Weekly or Monthly)

2) In Cropping > Budgets .. click Budgets > Create a New Budget. Set it up with a name, timing basis and starting date (or month) and the number or weeks (or months) and Save. 

… Now you will see your new empty budget ready for you. 

3) Click on the Apply Scenario button

4) Choose the Scenario and the Time of Planting if not working with permanent crops

5) Choose the areas to which you want to apply the chosen scenario

If you want each of the events associated with your scenario to be combined into jobs shared by all selected areas, leave the “Separate Events by Area” option unticked. This will enable bulk editing of details across all selected areas

Separating Events by Area will enable you to edit the events on each area independently. It will also enable you to convert events to Work Orders or Actuals area by area.

… and finally click Save to Apply your scenario to all selected areas.