1.  Use the work order transaction entry to enter time.  Select Type Labor.  Of course you have to put the item in the template to begin with.

2.  You can create OPTIONS in bills that allow you to select from different item options (however based on your last paragraph that may not be feasible).

3.  If you are tracking inventory of tiles by different colors then what you want to do is probably not feasible.  If you generically track the different colors (all colors are tracked as one inventory item) then you would just be in the common inventory item.

Note that if you create a general template,  they can be edited on the fly when you create the work order.

You should use some type of shop floor software to track time and then import into W/O transaction entry, type = Labor

If you end up trying the import in to w/o for time.   Contact me.

I went through this with another client and it was absolutely painful.  Fought with it for quite some time before we got it to work correctly.   There seem to be some leftover files from and earlier version in the v/I and if you select the wrong ones you are screwed.

I won't even try to describe the process as I don't even recall.   I would end up going to my client's install and copying it.

Hopefully when the work order upgrade comes out (this fall I think?) it will work much more simply.

So, I would probably create a shop floor app using a web interface or a pc to prototype the integration using BOI.

Did you use VI to do the integration or? Sounds like a nightmare. Better see Dr Phil. Kidding.

No need to kid, I think I needed Dr. Phil by the time I got done.  ;)

I used V/I.

What is most common is to use something like Kronos and import the data.

Job Pack is a good shop floor app where your employees can clock in and out of work orders on a shop terminal.  It also does work order scheduling and integrates with Sage 100.  You might check it out.