Collaborate with specifications

Paid version

Explore the Specifications module, which allows you to manage project specifications. When you're ready to upload and publish spec sections, follow the steps below.

Create a specification set

A specification set groups spec sections together. You need to first create a specification set and upload documents (.pdf files) into the specification set.

During processing, the spec sections are detected automatically from the bookmarks, or if no spec sections are found, they are identified from the text in the files.

  1. In the Records section of the project menu, click Specification Sets.
    2. Open specification set
  2. In the Specification Sets view, click add_circle (Create).
    3. Create specification set
  3. Upload the specification document.
    4. Upload specification document
  4. Enter the information for the specification set.
    5. Enter specification set information
  5. Click Done.

Edit specification sets

You can enter or edit information for the spec sections and the specification set.

  1. Open the specification set.
  2. If a spec section is missing information, enter it in the Information panel.
    3. Add missing spec section information
  3. To save the changes, click save (Save).
    4. Save edits
  4. In the Information panel, edit the details for the specification set.
    5. Edit specification set details

Create a new spec section

If the specification document wasn't broken down into the correct spec sections, you can add section breaks to create new ones in the specification set.

  1. Navigate to the page that will start the new spec section.
    2. Navigate to first page
  2. Click Add break.
    3. Add break button
  3. In the Information panel, enter the information for the new spec section.
    4. Add info for new spec section
  4. To save the new spec section, click save (Save).
    5. Save new spec section

Remove a spec section

When you remove a spec section, its content is not deleted. The content is merged with the next section (if the first section is removed) or with the previous spec section.

  1. Click the Batch Edit button.
    2. Batch Edit button
  2. Select the spec section.
    3. Select spec section
  3. Click the Remove button.
    4. Remove button
  4. In the confirmation dialog, click Remove.
    5. Confirm removal

Add an annotation

You can add annotations and comments to communicate with other team members.

  1. To open the annotation tools, click Annotate.
    2. Open annotation tools
  2. To add an annotation, click an annotation tool, and then click the spec section.
    3. Add annotation
  3. To add a comment to the annotation:
    1. To open the Comments panel, click Notes (Comments) on the toolbar.
    2. In the Comments panel, click the annotation card.
    3. In the Reply field, enter the comment, and then click Save.
      4. Add comment
  4. To edit the annotation:
    1. To open the annotation menu, click the annotation.
    2. To link the annotation to an item, click Link and then select the item.
    3. To make the annotation visible to other team members, turn the Public toggle on.
    4. To change the color of the annotation, click Style and then select a color.
      5. Edit annotation

Publish spec sections

You can publish spec sections so that they're available to your team members in the specification viewer.

  1. In the Specification Sections panel, click Publish All Sections.
    2. Publish All button

    —Or—

    Click the Batch Edit button, select the spec sections, and then click Publish Selected.

    Publish Selected button
  2. In the Publish Specifications dialog, set the publishing notification.
    3. Publish notification
  3. Click Publish.

View the published spec sections

In the specification viewer, you can review the published spec sections and add annotations and comments.

  1. In the project menu, click Specifications.
    2. Open spec sections
  2. To open a spec section, click the spec section in the list.
    3. Open published spec section
  3. To add a comment to an annotation:
    1. To open the Comments panel, click Notes (Comments) on the toolbar.
    2. In the Comments panel, click the annotation card.
    3. In the Reply field, enter the comment, and then click Post (Post).
      4. Review annotation in Comments panel

    You can also add annotations to the spec section.

    Annotation tools

    Annotation tools in the published spec section

  4. To save the changes, click Done.

Upload and publish a revision

You can upload and published new spec section revisions. The revisions must be uploaded in a new specification set.

  1. In the Specification Sets view, click add_circle (Create).
    2. Create specification set
  2. Upload the revised specification document.
    3. Upload specification document
  3. Enter the information for the specification set.

    4. The Group field must be the same as the specification set that contains the previous revision.

    Enter specification set information
  4. Click Done.
  5. Open the specification set.
  6. To review the annotation:
    1. To open the Comments panel, click Notes (Comments) on the toolbar.
    2. In the Comments panel, click the annotation card.
    3. In the Reply field, enter the comment, and then click Post (Post).
      4. Review annotation in Comments panel
  7. To save changes, click save (Save).
  8. Click Publish All Sections, set the publishing notification, and then click Publish.