We’re introducing color support on doors, windows, and wainscot in your product lines. You will now be able to specify custom colors for the following items:

• Door panels

• Door accents

• Window grids and frames

• Window flower boxes

• Window shutters

• Wainscot

Each of the options listed above will allow you to specify:

• Available colors (the list users can choose from)

• Default color (the color applied automatically when a color hasn’t been explicitly saved on a design)

See video example of how this works.

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This improves flexibility, but it also creates a key behavior change:

If you add colors to an option without updating existing building designs that use that option, those saved designs may load with a default color (and possibly a price) or prompt for a color selection.

If you make no changes to the updated options:

• Building Design Templates: no change

• Existing buildings: no change

• New buildings: no change

Result: Everything works as it does today.

If you add Available Colors and a Default Color to an option, you must decide whether to update existing building designs that already reference that option.

You have two sub-options for Path B:

Summary of this approach: More work up front, but it reduces surprises and keeps your building designs behaving predictably.

Here is the expected behavior of your product line from this path:

1. Building Designs (loaded into the Order Form)

   1. The building designs saved colors are used (instead of falling back to default)

   2. Users can still select a different color (from available colors)

2. Existing buildings (loaded into the Order Form)

   1. If the building has an option with a missing/invalid color, the user may still be prompted to select a valid color

   2. Users can select a different color (from available colors)

3. New buildings

   1. The option resolves to the Default Color

   2. Users can select a different color (from available colors)

Summary of this approach: More work up front, but it reduces surprises and keeps your building designs behaving predictably.

Summary of this approach: Easiest setup, but it can produce surprises when older building designs or buildings load (default colors applied, potential price changes, or prompts).

Here is the expected behavior of your product line from this path:

1. Building Designs (loaded into the Order Form)

   1. The option’s color will resolve to the option’s new Default Color

      1. The Building Design does not render as originally designed.

   2. Users can still select a different color (from available colors).

2. Existing buildings (loaded into the Order Form)

   1. If the building has the option but no saved color value, the user may be prompted to select a valid color

   2. Users can select a different color (from available colors)

3. New buildings (adding the option on the Order Form)

   1. The option will resolve to the Default Color

   2. Users can select a different color (from available colors)

These are the main surprises clients should be aware of if you choose Path B2.

• A saved building design loads and the option color becomes the Default Color

• A saved building designs loads and the total price changes because the Default Color has a price

• An existing building loads and the user is prompted to select a color for an option that previously “just worked”

If you want “no surprises”

• Do nothing after release (Path A).

If you want to start using option colors

1. Add Available Colors + Default Color to the option(s)

2. Open each impacted Building Design in the Designer

3. Validate the option color requirements/selections

4. Save the template to store valid color values

Important limitation: Today, building designs must be updated one at a time (no bulk update yet).

For existing buildings (in progress / not finalized). If a building is still editable (for example, before production begins or before it becomes locked/finalized):

1. Open the building in the Designer

2. Validate the option color requirements/selections

3. Save to store valid color values

Will users always be able to change the color?
Yes—if the option has available colors, users can select from them in the Order Form.

Will this affect new orders?
Only if you add colors to the options. Otherwise, behavior remains the same.

Do I have to update building designs immediately after adding colors?
No, but if you don’t, expect the default-color fallback and/or prompts on older saved designs.