Kraft Features

Kraft is a free software project that helps to create and handle office documents in small enterprises. In a workshop or any similar company, daily tasks can be done in a smart manner.

Provided features are:

• Customer management, also deeply integrated in the KDE infrastructure using KAddressbook
• Automated creation of quotes, invoices and similar documents
• Document lifecycle - from draft over final docs to subsequent documents
• Text templates for document texts and items
• Calculation of items in a template catalogue
• Material management
• Configurable document creation in PDF format
• Built in file management of the document files

Creating Office Documents

Kraft provides a well-structured and easy-to-use user interface. The main view offers a clear overview of the entire document while hiding information that is not currently relevant.

The focus is always on the active section — for example, the document header, the list of items, or the footer.

Kraft automatically calculates quantities and costs for document items.
Prices can be entered manually, retrieved from template catalogs, or defined on demand.
Alternative items are supported as well.

Documents can be duplicated to simplify the creation of similar or recurring documents.
Follow-up documents — for example, an invoice based on a quote — can easily be created from the data of the preceding document.

Templates

Kraft provides document templates to reduce repetitive tasks.
There are templates for document headers and footers, as well as for individual items.
Templates are organized in catalogs of items and materials and can be used across all types of new documents.

Catalogs can be created and named as needed.

Templates are stored within these catalogs and can be arranged in chapters.
Each template records its creation and last-used timestamps.
A fast and convenient search function makes it easy to find the desired template.

Calculation

Each item template can be linked to a calculation scheme that determines the final price based on the standard unit price and quantity.

Kraft automatically calculates and proposes this price. After inserting a template into a document, the calculated values can still be adjusted manually.

The following calculation modules are available:

• Time Calculation: Calculates the price based on the time in minutes contributed by each employee.
• Fixed Calculation: Uses a fixed amount of money for each unit.
• Material Calculation: Calculates costs per unit from a list of materials and their individual prices.

Output

Kraft delivers high-quality document output on standard printers.

Documents are generated in the PDF format, ensuring consistent, high-quality results across all operating systems.
PDFs also provide a level of security, as they cannot easily be altered. They can be sent to customers via email for self-printing.

The layout of the output is defined by customizable templates, allowing users to adapt the design to their needs — for example, to match the company’s stationery.

Kraft can also generate electronic invoices in the XRechnung format.

Document Management and Archiving

Kraft manages the entire document lifecycle — from draft to final and follow-up documents.

Whenever a document is printed or sent, an exact PDF copy is generated and archived.
This archived version is identical to the one delivered to the customer and remains unchanged thereafter.

Technology and Integration

Kraft is written in the C++ programming language and is based on the Qt framework and KDE Frameworks.

The application benefits from the extensive work of the KDE Project, which provides core functionality used by Kraft — such as address book integration, printing, and document viewing services.

All data in Kraft is stored in a well-defined XML format, ensuring data security and portability when documents need to be transferred to another system.