Overview
The Components step defines everything between the posts: fabric, rails, pickets, tension bands, concrete, screws, and other line items. Each row links to a component (or collection rule) from My Components and specifies how quantity is calculated on takeoff.
Where in the app: Template wizard → Components (step 4)
Open: Fence Builder
How the setup modal works
The Components step uses the same pattern as Posts: pick a collection, set size attributes, and review a combinations table with one row per height and color. Dirt Face auto-matches catalog components from the collection; rows show Auto, Manual, or Component Not Found. You can add a secondary collection or manually assign a part to a specific variation when auto-match does not fill every row.
See Template Step: Posts — setup modal for the full walkthrough of matching behavior.
Add a component row
- Click Add component.
- Give the row a descriptor (for example, Top Rail, Chain Link Fabric, Tension Bands).
- Select the primary collection from My Components.
- Optionally enable a secondary collection when the part varies by attribute (diameter, gauge, mesh size).
- For each height and color combination, pick the specific catalog component and set the quantity formula (per foot, per post, per panel, each, and similar).
- Save the row.
The status indicator shows when every combination is configured.
Quantity formulas
Formulas drive material lists when you lay out a fence in the designer or enter quantities manually. Common patterns:
- Per linear foot — fabric, top rail, bottom rail
- Per post — post caps, tie wires
- Per panel or bay — prefab panel units
- Each — fixed accessories per run segment
Use the sample preview in the modal to sanity-check counts against a typical job.
Step-by-step
- Complete Posts and continue to Components.
- Add each material category your template needs.
- Configure all height/color cells for every row.
- Remove unused rows with the trash icon.
- Click Save and continue to move to Gates.
Tips
- Pull components from any catalog section — they do not need to live under a section named like the fence type.
- When black and galvanized are different products (different gauge, coating, or spec), catalog them in separate collections and use a secondary collection in the modal so each color variation can auto-match.
- Update costs in My Components, not on the template. The template references catalog parts; cost changes flow through on the next quote.
- Clone a similar template and edit component rows instead of rebuilding from scratch.
Troubleshooting
Have the parts in My Components before you build the template
Every component row on a template points at real records in My Components. A template is the digital version of the fence — you would not go to a jobsite without all the parts on the truck, and you cannot build an accurate template without those parts in the catalog first.
Before you open the template wizard, confirm rails, fabric, hardware, concrete, and every other line item you will assign are already in My Components with costs, colors, and sizes filled in.
Component Not Found after choosing a collection
When a height/color row shows Component Not Found, the usual cause is that the part is not in the catalog yet (or not in the collection you selected). The matcher searches components already stored in My Components; it does not invent SKUs.
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Missing SKU entirely | Add the component in My Components, place it in the correct collection, then return to the component row |
| Part in catalog but wrong collection | Select a different collection or reorganize the part into the collection you are using |
| Part exists but wrong color or height | Update the component attributes or manually assign that variation |
| Only some variations fail | Missing color rows may be in a different collection — add a secondary collection or manual assign per row |
Variations in different collections (materially different by color)
Most collections include every color variant of the same part — for example, white, tan, and khaki vinyl posts in one collection. You need a secondary collection only when a color is a materially different SKU (different gauge, coating, or spec), not just a different finish on the same item.
Black chain link mesh is a common example: vinyl-coated wire with an 11 ga core and 9 ga finish is not the same part as galvanized 9 ga mesh. Those lines belong in separate collections, and the template must search both.
Example — chain link mesh on one template:
| Variation | Part | Typical collection |
|---|---|---|
| Galvanized | 9 gauge mesh | Galvanized chain link fabric |
| Black | Vinyl-coated 11 ga core / 9 ga finish | Black or vinyl-coated chain link fabric |
Selecting only the galvanized collection matches galvanized rows but leaves black as Component Not Found until you add the black mesh collection as a secondary collection in the component row setup modal.
Use the same approach only when color means a materially different manufacturer line, gauge, or coating — not when all colors of the same part already share one collection. See Posts — variations in different collections.
Color names still must match
If the part is cataloged but will not auto-match, check that component color matches the fence template color name exactly. See Fence Types — colors.
Warning: Fix missing catalog data before you activate the template for production quotes. Gaps here become gaps on material lists and estimates.