Transcript
Today I am back to share some updates. We have been looking at the possibilities of making programs and applications. I have been discussing with a friend how to create something he can use, and we have been surveying how to do this with Softr and Airtable.
I want to focus today on what I call a coordination or quotation program. My goal is to build a full system that goes from quotation to invoice. We will add more automation in phases, but for the first phase, I am building the quotation system.
I want to show that we are able to do things for free using some AI support from Softr. For me, Softr is looking really good for creating these things, especially considering the future of these applications. It is not just about the web app, but also the database behind it.
[.blog-callout]
Note from Softr: While this video mentions the free plan, it is a great time to highlight that Softr now offers Unlimited Published Apps across all plans, including the Free version.
[.blog-callout]
Let's focus on the quotations. I will go to the page we built for this application. You can see the web app here, which includes functions for a new quote and quotation details.
For the new quote option, there are two sections. The first section is a table showing all quotations in the draft stage that haven't been sent for approval. I will also show you how to handle the approval process here.
Softr allows us to show these lists as a table or as a list block. With the list block, you can click to see more details. In this case, I have included the customer names and line items.
[.blog-callout]
Note from Softr: Instead of building your quotation views manually, you can use the AI co-builder to instantly generate layouts for portals and order management systems.
[.blog-callout]
When creating a new quote, a pop-up appears asking which customer you want to create a quotation for. To have this list, you must already have a customer database set up. I will select a customer and the salesperson for this demo.
Once you click add, a new line appears with an automatically generated quotation number. It shows the customer names and the primary contact person for that account. You can still change those details afterward.
Next, you need to create the line items. You can edit the customer billing address, shipping address, and contact persons. These are pulled automatically from the selection because the customer is linked to those addresses.
To add line items, you select the product from a dropdown list. If you have hundreds of products, it might be better to use a search function by typing the product name. This is just one example of what we can do.
After selecting a product and adding the quantity, the system shows the product name, reference number, price per unit, and subtotal. The price per unit is multiplied by the quantity automatically.
[.blog-callout]
Note from Softr: For more advanced logic like automated tax calculations or status updates, you should try Softr Workflows. This keeps your business logic inside your app without needing third-party tools.
[.blog-callout]
There are also standard fields for terms and conditions, like 30 days or cash on delivery. You can also select and apply discounts, such as a 10% discount, and the subtotal will update.
With Softr, I need to write formulas to convert text for certain calculations, but that is just an option. Now I will put in a discount number, and it updates the VAT and the total including VAT.
If you do not need an approval process, you can just click on print. I have a page that cleans up the top menus and buttons to show only the pure quotation. Earlier, I looked at options to generate this as a PDF.
To generate a PDF, you sometimes need to pay for integrations with Airtable or Softr. However, I am happy with how it looks just using the browser's print function. It shows all the details we need as expected.
I can just click print and save it as a PDF. You can still adjust the fonts in Softr to make it look better. So far, this is what you can get as a free version.
[.blog-callout]
Note from Softr: If you find that standard blocks don't give you the exact layout you need for a print-ready document, check out the Vibe-Coding block. You can prompt it to build a custom-coded component for your specific needs.
[.blog-callout]
I also want to show you the approval page where managers can see specific data. We can have two options: opening the full page to see details or editing right there in the list. For example, a manager could change a discount from 5% to 10%.
I will show you how we work with the data in Softr Databases. If you want to add a status, you can do it directly in the database. I am adding an approved stage to the orders here.
[.blog-callout]
Note from Softr: While this example uses Airtable, Softr Databases is our native way to manage your data directly within the platform for better performance and ease of use.
[.blog-callout]
Now if I select approval, I can update the status to approved. This updates the record. Other items stay as pending approval until someone opens them and updates the status.
In the free version of Softr, there are some limits on advanced visibility settings for internal user groups. To restrict specific pages or blocks to only managers, you would usually look at higher-level plans.
That is the quotation tool we have built. I will try to keep providing more updates and more videos later on. Thank you and goodbye.
