Releases & updates
      Back to home
      1. User hub
      2. Releases & updates

      Release notes - May 2025

      In this article

      Release summary

      We're excited to announce significant improvements to Chalkstring, particularly focused on making plant hire management easier and more accurate. This update eliminates the need for external spreadsheets to track plant items and provides a more accurate view of your project costs. 

      > Back to top

      New features

      Automated Plant Hire Cost Management 

      • Daily Cost Calculation - Option to automatically calculate daily costs for plant hire, providing a real-time view of costs as they're incurred rather than recording everything on the order date.
      For further details, see knowledge base article Understanding the automated cost updates for Fixed-Cost orders
      • Non-Billing Period Configuration - Set up holidays and shutdown periods where hire costs shouldn't be charged, with weekends automatically excluded. 
      For further details, see knowledge base article Adding and editing fixed cost holidays
      • Enhanced Cost Reporting - Project Hub and CVR reports now use calculated daily costs for more accurate period reporting. 

      > Back to top


      Plant Item Tracking and Management 

      • Fixed Cost Order Line Items Page - New dedicated page showing all your hired plant items in one place, with status indicators showing calculation state.
      For further details, see knowledge base article Fixed cost item management
      • Bulk Update Capabilities - Update multiple fixed cost line items at once, making it faster to manage off-hire dates across several items.
      • Plant Identification - New "Is Plant" flag to improve filtering, with system defaults for "Plant Hired" and "Plant Purchased" types. 
      For further details, see knowledge base article Adding and editing fixed cost types

          > Back to top


          Improvements 

          Improved Fixed Cost Organisation 

          • Fixed Cost Type Management - Create, edit and manage fixed cost types with four system defaults: "Plant Hired", "Plant Purchased", "Labour", and "Other".
          For further details, see knowledge base article Adding and editing fixed cost types
          • Project-Specific Rate Management - Set rates for fixed cost items specific to each project without creating duplicates in your central library.
          • Adjustable Display Order - Move and reorder fixed cost items on assessments for more logical grouping. 

          > Back to top

          Streamlined Order Workflow 

          • Enhanced Fixed Costs Bill Layout - Redesigned table with clear column labelling and customisable column visibility.
          • Enhanced Order Creation - Redesigned order modal with cost summary section and editable order lines.
          • Related Order Visibility - Easily view all related orders directly from the fixed costs bill. 
          For further details, see knowledge base article How to order fixed costs

                > Back to top

                Administrative Improvements 

                • Nominal Code Assignment - Link accounting codes to fixed cost types to ensure consistent financial reporting without requiring code selection by non-accounting users.
                For further details, see knowledge base article How to set up nominal codes
                • Enhanced Role Permissions - New permission controls for fixed cost types, holidays, and items pages.
                For further details, see knowledge base article How to set role permissions
                • Export Enhancements - Improved fixed cost bill export with items grouped by type. 

                For further details, see knowledge base article How to order fixed costs

                > Back to top



                Questions or Feedback? 

                If you have any questions about these new features or need assistance, please contact our helpdesk at help@chalkstring.com. 

                Thank you for your continued support and feedback that helps us improve Chalkstring for your business needs. 

                > Back to top

                Want to know more?