Automation is usually built around a simple idea:
When something happens, do something else.
That works well for many quoting workflows.
A script can run before a document is saved, after a line item is added, before a quote is delivered, before a document is printed, or when another supported event occurs.
But not every action should happen automatically.
Some automation is more useful when the person building the quote decides exactly when to run it.
That is where Custom Buttons in QuoteWerks Web come in.
Custom Buttons bring the power of the QuoteWerks Web Scripting Manager directly into the user's workflow. Instead of waiting for a specific event, a Custom Button can run a script whenever the user chooses.
A button can inspect or update the current quote, visually flag items that need attention, ask the user for information, generate text with AI, connect to another service, or perform a company-specific process.
The QuoteWerks Web scripting environment can work with document and line-item data, display messages and forms, generate text with AI, make HTTP requests, refresh pricing, interact with QuoteWerks data, and more.
The underlying workflow may be sophisticated.
For the person using QuoteWerks, it can be as simple as clicking one button.
QuoteWerks Web scripting already lets companies respond to events throughout the quoting process.
For example, scripts can run:
Some events can even stop the normal action from continuing, making it possible to create company-specific validation and workflow rules.
Event-driven automation is the right choice when something should happen every time.
Custom Buttons solve a different problem.
They let the user decide:
Run this now.
That makes them useful for actions such as:
With Custom Buttons, the user stays in control of when the automation runs.
Consider a quote with dozens of line items.
Most may have healthy profit, but one or two products could have:
There are two different ways to approach this, depending on what the business actually needs.
If a minimum profit level is a firm business rule, QuoteWerks already includes approval mechanisms designed for that purpose.
Approval requirements can be used when a low-profit quote should not be allowed to move forward to the customer without the appropriate authorization.
That is the better approach when the business rule is:
This quote cannot be sent without approval.
Not every company needs that level of enforcement.
Sometimes you simply want an easy way for a salesperson or manager to review a quote before it moves forward.
That is a good use for a Custom Button.
You can create a Profit Check button that reviews the current document whenever the user chooses to run it.
The Profit Check button is configured in the QuoteWerks Web Scripting Manager.
When the salesperson clicks the button, the script:
If every applicable item meets the threshold, the salesperson receives a simple confirmation:
All product/service items are at or above the 5% profit threshold.
If one or more items fall below the threshold, those lines are highlighted directly in the quote.
The script also displays a summary such as:
3 items are below the 5% profit threshold:
Line 4: Microsoft Surface Laptop — 3.8%
Line 7: Docking Station — 1.9%
Line 12: Professional Services — -2.4%Please review these items before sending the quote.
The Profit Check highlights low-profit items directly in the quote and provides a summary of exactly what needs attention.
The salesperson can quickly scan the quote, see which items deserve another look, and decide what to do next:
The check can also be run again after changes are made so the visual results reflect the current state of the quote.
The script makes the potential problem visible. The salesperson keeps control of the decision.
That distinction is important.
If low profit should prevent a quote from being sent, use QuoteWerks approval mechanisms to enforce the rule.
If you simply want an easy way to spot check a quote on demand, a Custom Button can highlight the items that need attention without interrupting the normal quoting workflow.
A Custom Button is not limited to launching a simple predefined action.
Because it runs within the QuoteWerks Web scripting environment, a button can work directly with the quoting workflow.
Depending on the script, it can:
The scripting environment can also identify the current user and check security-group membership, opening the door to workflows that behave differently depending on who runs them.
This means a Custom Button can become a purpose-built workflow for your company.
One sales team may use a button to spot check profit.
Another company may use one to translate descriptions.
A manager could create a specialized quote-review process.
Another workflow might ask the user several questions, use the answers to update the quote, and then perform the next step.
The goal is not to fill QuoteWerks Web with more buttons.
It is to turn repetitive, company-specific processes into actions users can run directly where they already work.
Custom Buttons can also combine QuoteWerks data with AI.
Imagine a company that regularly creates quotes in English but sometimes needs product or service descriptions in another language.
The company could create two buttons:
When the salesperson clicks one of the buttons, the script could:
CustomMemo01.The scripting environment can generate text with AI and can read and update line-item fields, making workflows like this possible.
The original Description remains untouched.
The translated version is stored separately and can be used by the appropriate customer-facing document layout.
This creates a practical multilingual workflow without requiring the salesperson to:
For an English-language quote, the salesperson simply continues working normally.
For a Spanish-language customer, they click Translate to Spanish.
For a French-language customer, they click Translate to French.
The underlying script may be sophisticated, but the salesperson's workflow is one click.
There are actually two different ways AI can be part of the process.
The first is inside the workflow itself, as in the translation example above.
The second is while creating the script.
The Scripting Manager includes an AI Assistant that can help generate JavaScript based on a description of what you want the script to accomplish.
For example, you might start with a request such as:
Review every product and service line in the current document. Highlight any item with less than 5% profit and show me a summary of the affected items.
Or:
Translate the Description for each applicable line item into Spanish and place the translation in CustomMemo01.
The AI Assistant helps create the code.
The script can then be reviewed, tested, and refined before it is enabled for users.
That makes scripting more approachable while still giving you control over what the script actually does.
A useful workflow should also be easy to find.
When creating a Custom Button, you can give it:
You can also choose where the button appears in QuoteWerks Web:
A Profit Check button might belong close to the document itself.
A specialized administrative utility may make more sense in the Tools menu.
A workflow used constantly throughout the day may deserve a more prominent location.
The objective is not simply to make the button visible.
It is to place the action where users naturally need it.
The best Custom Button ideas probably will not come from a standard feature list.
They will come from the small, repetitive steps your team already performs while building and reviewing quotes.
Ask yourself:
What does someone on our team regularly stop quoting to check, calculate, copy, translate, validate, look up, or clean up?
That process may be a good candidate for a Custom Button.
You might create a button to:
But not every process should become a button.
If something must happen every time, an Event Hook may be the better approach.
If a rule must be enforced, a built-in QuoteWerks control or approval mechanism may be the better solution.
Custom Buttons are most useful when the action should be available on demand.
That is where they add something different.
Custom Buttons are created in:
Setup → Scripting Manager → Custom Buttons
From there, you can:
Once enabled, the configured script runs whenever the user selects the Custom Button.
The real opportunity is to look at the repetitive steps unique to your own quoting process and ask:
Could this become a button?
With Custom Buttons and the QuoteWerks Web Scripting Manager, the answer may be yes.
Explore the QuoteWerks Web Scripting Manager to learn how Custom Buttons, Event Hooks, AI-assisted scripting, and other automation capabilities can help you adapt QuoteWerks to your workflow.
Explore QuoteWerks Web Scripting →
Custom Buttons let you run a script in QuoteWerks Web whenever the user chooses. Instead of waiting for an automatic event, the user can click a button to perform an on-demand action such as checking profit, translating descriptions, validating information, refreshing data, or running another company-specific workflow.
Custom Buttons can run scripts that read or update quote data, review line items, visually flag items that need attention, add or remove items, display prompts or custom forms, refresh pricing, generate text with AI, connect to external services, and perform other company-specific workflows.
Event Hooks run automatically before or after supported actions, such as saving a document, adding a line item, or generating a PDF. Custom Buttons run only when the user chooses to click them. Event Hooks are better for actions that should happen automatically, while Custom Buttons are better for optional or on-demand workflows.
Yes. A Custom Button can run a script that reviews product and service lines, calculates profit percentages, highlights items below a defined threshold, and displays a summary of the items that may need attention.
Yes. A script can change the highlight color of a line item. For example, a Profit Check script can highlight items that fall below a defined profit threshold so the salesperson can quickly identify which lines need review.
Use QuoteWerks approvals when a low-profit quote must be prevented from moving forward without authorization. Use a Custom Button when you want a salesperson or manager to perform an optional spot check and review items that fall below an internal profit guideline.
Yes. A running script can use QuoteWerks AI to generate or transform text. For example, a script could translate product descriptions into another language and store the translated text in a custom field.
Yes. The Scripting Manager includes an AI Assistant that can help generate JavaScript based on a description of the workflow you want to create. The generated script can then be reviewed, tested, and refined before it is enabled for users.
Yes. Scripts can read and update document header fields and line-item fields. This makes it possible to build workflows that populate custom fields, update descriptions, change item values, add or remove line items, and perform other actions within the quote.
Yes. Scripts can make HTTP requests to external services and can also query QuoteWerks data through the QuoteWerks Web APIs. This makes it possible to build Custom Buttons that look up information, exchange data with other systems, or support more advanced company-specific workflows.
Custom Buttons can be placed in several areas of QuoteWerks Web, including the Main Navigation, Document Toolbar, Tools Menu, and Top Header Bar. This lets you place each action where users are most likely to need it.