GoHelios provides a comprehensive online suite of tools for searching and selecting planting materials, products and services for the landscape and related environmental professions.
All users are able to run basic searches for plants and associated specifications in accordance with the National Plant Specification (NPS) and to freely search for products and services, details and suppliers' information at www.gohelios.co.uk.
In addition, subscribing members are able to run advanced plant searches including plant characteristics and photographs and are able to save selected plant species, specifications and products to user-defined 'Palettes'. GoHelios Palettes are stored against user accounts and can be accessed from any computer with internet access; copies can be saved to create new palettes and users are free to download palettes to a spreadsheet format for future editing or to PDF documents for printing or e-mailing.
Palettes are divided into descriptions (palettes) and specifications (schedules) for both plants and products.
Palettes can be output in various options in the Downloads area.
GoHelios members can save user-defined plants, products and services as GoHelios Palettes. GoHelios Palettes are stored against a member’s account and may be saved to file for reference or to take into standard word processor, spreadsheet (e.g. Microsoft products) and computer aided design (CAD) packages including CS Artisan, CS Artisan SL and Garden Designer products. Palettes can also be output to PDF format via the Downloads area (View Palette).
When GoHelios members login to the members’ area, plant and product selections are added to a ‘current’ palette, for which statistics are recorded under members’ login details.
The details of the current palette are displayed by picking ‘View palette’ from the Members’ login area. By default, the Plants Palette is displayed.
Plants Palettes display Species name, Common (English) name, Plant class, Characteristics and Photo. Picking on the Plant's Photo re-displays the Plant Characteristics page.
Plant species (and associated specifications) are removed from the current palette by picking the cross ('x') to the right of the plant description.
The details of the current palette are displayed by picking ‘View palette’ from the Members’ login area. By default, the Plants Palette is displayed, which may be blank if no plants have been selected. Pick the 'Products Palette' tab to display the current Products palette.
Products Palettes display Description, Supplier, Category, Code, Dimensions, Finishes and Photo. Picking on the Product's Photo re-displays the Product Details page.
Products are removed from the current palette by picking the cross ('x') to the right of the product description.
Picking View palette, displays the current palette with the Plants Palette tab opened by default. Palette pages are divided into the following areas as defined by the tabs at the top to the results area.
Pick 'Plants Schedule' from the Palette tab to display full planting specification details.
The 'Plants Schedule' is displayed in tabular format with a Quantity (Quan), Cost (Unit cost) and Total (Cost) field. Enter quantities and Unit costs as required, which will auto-sum in the Total (Cost) field. Note that options exist to output schedules (without costs) and estimates (with costs) from the Downloads area.
Pick 'Products Schedule' to display the selected products.
The 'Products Schedule' is displayed in tabular format with a Quantity (Quan), Cost (Unit cost) and Total (Cost) field. Enter quantities and Unit costs as required, which will auto-sum in the Total (Cost) field. Note that options exist to output schedules (without costs) and estimates (with costs) from the Downloads area.
Previously saved palettes are accessed by picking ‘Recall palette’ from the Members’ login area to display the Saved Palettes page. If a palette is already being viewed, users can pick 'List all palettes' to display the Saved Palettes page.
From the Saved Palettes page, members are able to open palettes by picking the Recall palette icon.
Note that users can also delete palettes from the Saved Palettes page by picking the Delete palette icon.
From the Saved Palettes page, members are also able to remove palettes by picking the Delete palette icon.
Members have to confirm that they wish to delete a palette to ensure such action is required.
A copy of the current GoHelios palette can be saved to a members’ account by picking 'Save copy of palette'. Users may choose to create 'master' palettes that are used as templates for particular schemes. Open a previously-created palette by selecting 'List all Palettes', selecting a palette as required and pick 'Recall'.
Rename the new copy palette by picking 'Save copy of palette' and type a name as required.
Having typed a name for the new palette and picked 'OK', the newly-created palette becomes the current palette, ready for modifications as required.
The current GoHelios Palette is automatically saved on a user's account, which will be "untitled" by default. When plants or products are added to a current untitled palette, these will be saved until another palette is recalled. If a GoHelios session terminates, for example by a user losing internet connection, the data in the current palette is saved in their account as "untitled". Rename a palette by picking 'Save copy of palette' and defining a name as required. Note that, as the name implies, this creates a copy of the selected palette which is still retained in the account as "untitled". To remove unwanted palettes including "untitled" palettes that have been copied using the 'Save copy of palette', these can be deleted through 'List all palettes'.
When viewing a current palette, pick 'Downloads' to display the Downloads tab.
The Portable Document Format (PDF) is an open standard for electronic document exchange originally created by Adobe Systems.
Users are able to output the entire current palette or selected areas of the current palette in PDF format.
By default, the following palette sections are selected for PDF output:
Plants Palette Summary
Products Palette Summary
Plants Palette Detail
Products Palette Detail
Plants Schedule (No Costs)
Products Schedule (No Costs)
Picking 'Download' with the default selections, creates a composite PDF document including all areas identified. Schedules that do not include cost information are intended for contract documentation, tendering or subsequent pricing.
Select or de-select palette areas as required prior to picking 'Download'.
Two additional palette sections area available for PDF:
Plants Estimate (With Costs)
Products Estimate (With Costs)
Select or de-select palette areas as required prior to picking 'Download'.
Outputting palettes to a CSV (comma separated variable) format are able to open directly in spreadsheet applications such as Microsoft Excel for modification as required.
GoHelios palettes can be opened directly into CS Artisan, CS ArtisanSL & CS Garden Designer, supplied by CS Design Software, enabling all GoHelios specification information to be incorporated into the Artisan system for labelling and reporting (schedules, estimates).
Pick 'Download' to create an Artisan Palette (*.spl).
GoHelios palettes can be output for incorporation into the Keyscape product produced by Key Systems.
Pick 'Download' to create a Keyscape Palette (*.ksc).
