App Mode and Network Lock

VisionPlan ships with two modes: Customer (homeowner-facing) and Contractor (trade-facing). Each mode tailors the visible terminology, the fields shown on entity panels, the print dialog labels, and the schedule contents. You pick one at first launch and can switch mid-session from the Settings panel - unless you're signed in with a Construction Network contractor account, in which case the mode is locked.

For the first-launch choice and what each mode is for, see Mode Selection. This article focuses on switching modes and the network-authentication lock.

Switching modes

1. Open Settings.
2. Scroll to the App Mode section.
3. Tap the Customer or Contractor option in the segmented toggle.
4. The switch is immediate.

Your current project stays the same - only the editor's framing changes. Walls, fixtures, dimensions, room data: all unchanged. What changes is how things are labelled, which fields appear on entity panels, and the contents of the schedule.

Per-mode settings persistence

Each mode keeps its own complete settings. If you set Imperial in Customer mode and Metric in Contractor mode, switching back and forth keeps each one's preference. This applies to every setting in the Settings panel - units, snapping, inferences, autosave, viewing toggles, default wall thickness, all of it.

When you switch modes, VisionPlan saves the outgoing mode's settings and loads the incoming mode's. You don't need to manually save - it happens at the switch.

The only app-wide setting that's not per-mode is the Light / Dark theme - see Theme.

Network-Authenticated Lock

If you're signed in to VisionPlan with a Construction Network account flagged as a contractor, App Mode is locked to Contractor.

In this state:

• The Customer / Contractor segmented toggle hides.
• A locked panel appears in its place: a hard-hat icon, the heading "Contractor mode", and the line "Locked while signed in to the Construction Network." below it.
• There is no override - the lock is not unlockable from within VisionPlan.

This is by design, not a bug. Contractor accounts surface contractor-mode features that depend on the network profile:

• Business info on print output (your company name, contact info, license, insurance)
• The contractor schedule columns (more trade-specific fields than the customer schedule)
• Entity-panel fields that reference contractor-level data

Switching to Customer mode while signed in as a contractor would put the editor into a state where the business info pipeline is wired but unused, the schedule loses columns the user expects, and the print output stops carrying the company identity. Locking avoids that whole class of confusion.

Working around the lock

If you specifically want to use Customer mode while you have a Construction Network contractor account:

1. Sign out of your Construction Network account from the network site.
2. The mode lock lifts; the toggle returns to the App Mode section.
3. Switch to Customer mode.
4. Work in Customer mode for as long as you need.
5. Sign back in when you're ready - the lock re-engages and Contractor mode is restored.

You can also use a Customer-tier account if you have one - the lock only applies to accounts flagged as contractors.

What changes between modes

A high-level summary. Specific articles cover each surface.

Print dialog:

• Contractor: "Show business info on print" - your company identity at the top of the document
• Customer: "Show my info on print" - personal contact info

Entity panel field visibility:

• Contractor: more technical fields exposed (rough-in offsets, material specs, install notes)
• Customer: simpler property sets focused on layout and finish

Schedule columns:

• Contractor schedules carry trade-specific columns (material, model, supplier, lead time, install notes)
• Customer schedules focus on what's in the room and how it's finished

Profile data:

• Contractor: My Business Info - company name, license, insurance, business contact
• Customer: My Info - personal name and contact

When to switch

Most users pick a mode at first launch and stay there. The two situations where switching mid-session is the right move:

1. You're a contractor preparing a homeowner-friendly version of a plan - switch to Customer mode for that copy of the project, print or export, switch back.
2. You started in the wrong mode at first launch - just switch in Settings; no need to recreate the project.

For everything else, the mode you picked at the start is the mode you want.

Related

• Settings overview
• Mode Selection
• Saving your work