Overview

The custom proposal tool gives you full control over how proposals are built and presented in Solargraf. It provides flexibility to design and organize layouts according to specific project, customer, or branding requirements.
With this tool, you can create personalized proposals that align with your company’s visual standards and adapt to different customer needs while maintaining a consistent, professional presentation.

The capabilities listed below are available only to users who have enabled the ‘Use enhanced proposal format’ toggle. You can change this setting in your user preferences.

Key functionalities

The custom proposal tool helps users:

• Create or duplicate templates
• Design custom layouts within a section using grids, spacers, or dividers
• Insert text boxes, buttons, icons, images, videos, and logos
• Apply advanced formatting such as background, font style, font size, font color, borders, padding, alignment, and margins
• Incorporate charts and tables that automatically update based on project data

Elements available in the first release

The following elements are available in the current release to help you create customized proposal layouts:

• Blocks – Includes the Grid element to divide a section into multiple sub-sections.

• Separators – Includes Spacer and Divider elements to control spacing and separation.

• Components – Includes Text, Button, and Icon elements for content creation and formatting.

• Media – Includes Logo, Battery Image, Image, and Video elements to add visuals and interactive content.

• Tables – Includes system-managed tables such as Cost, Materials List, Backed-up Appliances, Timeline, Payments, Savings Comparison, and Performance Analysis to display real-time project data.

• Charts – Includes system-managed charts such as Payment Comparison, Savings, and Energy Distribution to display real-time visuals.

Each element added in advanced customization has its own set of properties, which are detailed below.

This feature will be released gradually. In the first release, users can create personalized proposals using the following elements:

• Blocks – Includes the Grid element to divide a section into multiple sub-sections.

• Separators – Includes Spacer and Divider elements to create custom layouts and visual spacing.

• Components – Includes Text, Button, and Icon elements for content creation and formatting.

• Media – Includes Logo, Battery Image, Image, and Video elements to add visuals and interactive content.

Each element within the custom proposal has its own set of unique properties, which are detailed below.

Grid properties

A Grid acts as a layout container that organizes content into rows and columns. It provides flexibility for responsive design meaning the layout automatically adapts to different screen sizes (desktop, tablet, or mobile) and helps maintain a structured presentation.

Key properties:

• Add cell

  • Define the number of columns within the grid.

  • Each column can hold one or more cells, and each cell can include different content blocks such as text, images, or buttons.

• Gap

  • Row gap: Adjusts the space between rows with options like none, small, medium, and large.

  • Column gap: Adjusts the space between columns with options like none, small, medium, and large.

• Padding

  • Adjusts the internal spacing between the grid boundary and its content.

  • Left/right and top/bottom padding can be adjusted through options like none, small, medium, and large.

• Border

  • Adjusts border weight with options like unset, thin, medium, and thick.

• Content position

  • Aligns the content within the grid both vertically and horizontally.

Cell properties

A Cell is the smallest layout unit inside a grid. It holds individual content blocks such as text, images, charts, or widgets. Configuring cell properties correctly ensures proper alignment, spacing, and responsiveness.

Key properties:

• Background

  • Apply a solid color or image as the cell background to support branding and visual customization.

• Format cell

  • Row span: Allows a cell to stretch vertically across multiple rows.

  • Column span: Allows a cell to stretch horizontally across multiple columns.

  • Gap: Adjusts the space between cells within a grid.

• Padding

  • Adjusts the internal spacing between the cell boundary and its content.

  • Left/right and top/bottom padding can be adjusted through options like none, small, medium, and large.

• Border

  • Adjusts border weight with options like unset, thin, medium, and thick.

• Content position

  • Aligns content within the cell both vertically and horizontally.

Spacer properties

A Spacer is a layout element used to create empty space between components in a grid or section. It plays an important role in maintaining a clean, structured, and visually balanced design.

Key properties:

• Height

  • Adjusts the vertical space between elements.

  • Users can increase or decrease the height value as needed to control how much space appears between content blocks.

Notes:

• Spacers are invisible—they only create empty space.

• They are helpful for keeping layouts readable and properly spaced across desktop and mobile views.

Divider properties

A Divider is a visual element used to separate content blocks within a proposal. It helps organize information and create a professional appearance.

Key properties:

• Margin

  • Adjusts the space above and below the divider to prevent overlap with nearby elements.

Notes:

• Dividers are decorative lines used to structure content visually.

• Adjust margins to control spacing and improve readability.

Text box properties

A Text box allows users to add and format text within custom sections of a proposal. It is used for headings, descriptions, disclaimers, or any other text content.

Key properties:

• Background

  • Apply a solid color or image as the text box background to support branding and visual customization.

• Rich text formatting

  • Supports advanced text options such as bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, hyperlinks, font size, text color, and placeholders (similar to DocuSign).

• Alignment

  • Align text horizontally with left, center, right, and justify options.

• Border

  • Adjust border weight with options like unset, thin, medium, and thick.

• Margin

  • Adjust the space between the text box and surrounding elements.

  • Left/right and top/bottom margins can be set through options like none, small, medium, and large to avoid cluttered layouts.

Icon properties

Icons enhance the clarity and visual appeal of a proposal. They can be used to highlight key points, features, or actions.

Key properties:

• Change color, alignment, border, margin, and icon size based on design needs.

• Select icons from the available list under Format icon.

• Icons are static visual elements—they do not perform actions when clicked.

Button properties

A Button is a clickable element that triggers an action or redirect. It can open an external page, link to another proposal section, or perform another function as configured.

Key properties:

• Format button

  • URL: Enter the external or internal link to open when the button is clicked.

  • Text: The label displayed inside the button.

  • Variant: Choose between visual styles (e.g., solid or outline).

  • Color: Customize the button color to match your branding.

  • Alignment: Align the button position (left, center, right).

Additional settings:
Buttons also support margin and border configuration, consistent with other elements.

Video properties

A Video element lets users embed a playable video directly inside the proposal. It opens in a preview mode, allowing playback without leaving the page.

Key properties:

• Video link

  • Enter a valid YouTube link in the “Format video” field to embed the video.

• Playback behavior

  • The video launches within the proposal, not in a separate window or tab.

• Customization

  • Adjust margin and border as needed for layout consistency.

Image properties

The Image element allows users to upload and display visuals that enhance proposal presentation.

Key properties:

• Upload requirement: An image must be uploaded when this element is selected.

• Supported formats:.jpeg and .png.

• Customization options: Adjust alignment, height, width, layout, margin, and border for better visual balance.

Notes:
Use consistent image sizing and alignment to maintain a professional, polished layout.

Battery image properties

The Battery image element automatically imports the image generated from the project’s Battery Design Tool in Solargraf. This ensures that the proposal always displays the most up-to-date battery design.

Key details:

• The image is linked directly to the Solargraf project and updates automatically when changes are made in the Battery Design Tool.

• The image cannot be manually edited within the proposal template.

• Styling options such as margin and border are available and consistent with other visual elements.

Chart properties

The Chart element provides multiple chart options that can be added to a custom section. Once added, charts automatically update based on the project’s data, ensuring the proposal always reflects the most accurate information.

Key details:

• Available chart options include Energy Distribution, Savings, and Payment Comparison.

• Charts remain in sync with the latest project data.

• Charts cannot be manually edited within the proposal template.

• Styling options such as margin and height are available and consistent with other elements.

• Under Contents, users can choose which chart data or toggles to display, where applicable.

Table properties

The Table element allows users to add predefined, system-managed tables to a custom section. These tables automatically update based on the project’s data.

Key details:

• Available table options include Cost, Materials List, Payments, Savings Comparison, Timeline, Backed-up Appliances, and Performance Analysis.

• Tables stay in sync with the latest project data.

• Tables cannot be manually edited within the proposal template.

• Margin is the only available styling option for tables.

• Under Contents, users can choose which table data or toggles to display, where applicable.

Release scope