Annotations

You can add different types of annotations to a spec section or specification set and link items to them. The name of the annotation tool is displayed when you hover over it on the toolbar.

Annotations can't be added, edited, or removed in published spec sections in specification sets. However, you can add, edit, and remove the annotations in the specification viewer.

When a new revision is uploaded in specification set, the annotations from the published current version are carried over to the corresponding pages in the revision and are marked for review.

  • Click the annotation.

    • You may need to click the border of the annotation.

    Opening Annotation menu

    Opening the Annotation menu

  1. If the Layers panel is closed, click layers (Layers) on the navigation toolbar.
  2. Ensure that the Show Annotations toggle is on.
  3. To hide the public or private annotations, turn off the Show Public Annotations or Show Private Annotations toggle.
  4. In the Records section, filter the annotations based on linked records.
    • Record Types: The record types that you have access to.
    • Status: The statuses for the record types that you have access to. This list is filtered based on the selected record types.
    • Assigned To Contact: The project contacts with open assignments for linked records that are unlocked.
    • Assigned To Company: The companies of the project contacts with open assignments for linked records that are unlocked.
  5. In the Annotations section, filter the annotations by their properties.
    • Type: The annotation types.
    • Color: The stroke and fill colors from the Annotation toolbar and Annotation menu. If the stroke and fill colors of an annotation are different, the annotation is displayed when you select either color.
    • Created By: The users who added annotations that are visible to you. Your name is included even if you haven't added any annotations yet.
  6. To hide the labels for linked records, turn off the Show Annotation Labels toggle.
  7. To hide the linked or unlinked annotations, turn off the Show Linked Annotations or Show Unlinked Annotations toggle.
  • An annotation must meet all the selected filters to be visible in the specification set or spec section.
  • If you select any filters in the Records section, any annotations that are unlinked or linked to other items such as drawings are hidden.
  • The selected filters are applied as new annotations are added or linked records are updated. If an annotation disappears, you can click Remove Applied Filters to see all the annotations.
  • All the items in the Links panel are available even when the linked annotations are hidden.
  • The selected filters are still applied when you click Previous item icon (Previous) or Next item icon (Next) to navigate to another specification set or spec section.
  • At the bottom of the specification set or spec section, click Remove Applied Filters.

    • —Or—

    In the Layers panel, click Reset Filters.

The visibility of an annotation depends on who added the annotation, whether it's public or private, and what it's linked to. You can see an annotation if:

  • It's an annotation that you added to the spec section or specification set.
  • It's an unlinked public annotation.
  • It's a public annotation that's linked to an item that you have access to.

In a spec section or specification set, you see the following annotations:

  • A private annotation that you added and linked to a file.
  • A public annotation that another user added and linked to an RFI that you have access to.

You don't see the following annotations:

  • A private annotation that another user added.
  • A public annotation that's linked to a draft record created by another user.
  1. Click the annotation.
  2. On the Annotation menu, turn the Public toggle on or off:
    • Public annotation icon (Public)
    • Private annotation icon (Private)

If you don't have permission to create and modify public annotations, you can make your own annotations public by linking them to a record. To make the annotation private again, you can unlink the record.

The toolbar contains tools for adding annotations.

Button Name Description
Text tools Annotation tools Display the annotation tools.
Underline Underline Underline the text.
Highlight Highlight Highlight the text.
Squiggly Squiggly Add a squiggly line to the text.
Strikethrough Strikethrough Add a strikethrough to the text.
Rectangle Rectangle Add a rectangle.
Free text Free Text Add a text box.
Free hand Free Hand Draw a freehand line.
Comment Note Add a note.
Arrow Arrow Add an arrow.
Cloud Cloud Draw multi-sided cloud.
Callout Callout Add a callout.
Annotation color Color Select a color for the annotation.

These buttons change based on the selected annotation.
Undo Undo Undo the last action.
Redo Redo Redo the last action.
Eraser Eraser Erase an annotation.

You can add different types of annotations to a spec section. The name of the annotation tool is displayed when you hover over it on the toolbar.

Some annotations use a default style, but you can select a different style. You can't set the default styles, but your current selections are used as long as you open spec sections in the same tab and module. After you open another spec section in a new tab or navigate to a different module and then open a spec section, the annotations use the default styles again.

Some annotation tools remain active until you click Select tool (Select) or press Esc.

  1. On the toolbar, click Freehand tools , and then click the Free Hand or Arrow tool.
  2. To draw the line, do one of the following:
    • Free Hand Highlight or Free Hand: Click the spec section and draw the line. There's a brief delay before the annotation is created so you can draw multiple lines.

      • A note is added to the Comments panel when the annotation is created. If you click arrow_back Done before that happens, the annotation isn't saved.

    • Arrow: Click the spec section and draw the line.
  1. On the toolbar, clickShape tools, and then click the Rectangle or Cloud tool.
  2. To draw the shape, do one of the following:
    • Rectangle: Click the spec section and draw the shape.
    • Cloud: ClosedDraw the first side, and then add the other sides.
      1. For the first side, click the spec section, draw the side, and then click again for the endpoint.
      2. For each additional side, draw the side, and then click for the endpoint.
      3. To finish the annotation, double-click for the endpoint.
  1. On the toolbar, click Insert tools, and then click the Callout tool.
  2. Click the spec section, draw the first side of the callout arrow, and then click again for the endpoint.
  3. Draw the other side of the callout arrow, and then click for the endpoint.
  4. Enter the callout text.
  1. On the toolbar, click Annotate tools, and then click the (Free text) tool.
  2. Click the spec section, and draw the text box.

    3. —Or—

    Click the spec section to place the text box.

  3. Enter the text.
  • On the toolbar, click Annotate tools, click the text tool, and then select the text on the spec section.

    • —Or—

    Click Select tool (Select), select the text, and then click an option on the menu.

    Menu

You can add notes and replies to annotations.

  • On the toolbar, click Notes (Comments).
  1. In the Comments panel, click Filter, and then select the filters.
  2. Click Apply.
  • In the Comments panel, select an option:
    • Position: Sort the notes by the order (top to bottom) that they appear in the spec section.
    • Created Date: Sort the notes by the date that they were created.
    • Modified Date: Sort the notes and replies by the time that they were modified.
    • Status: Sort the notes by the status.
    • Author: Sort the notes the author's name.
    • Type: Sort the notes by the annotation type.
    • Color: Sort the notes by the annotation color.
  1. On the toolbar, click Annotate tools > Comment (Note).

    2. The icon changes to the default color. You can also change the color from the Style menu.

  2. Click the spec section in the viewer to place the note.
  3. In the Comments panel, enter your comment, and then click Save.

You can also click an annotation and then add a note in the Comments panel.

  1. In the Comments panel, click the note.
  2. At the top-right of the note, click the status icon, and then select a status.
    3. Set status
  1. In the Comments panel, click the note.
  2. Enter your comment in the reply field, and then click Post (Post).
  1. In the Comments panel, click the note.
  2. In your reply, click Notes panel > Edit or Delete.
    • You can only edit but not delete the first note of an annotation.
    • If you have permission to add and modify notes and replies for public annotations, you can edit the first note that you or another user added. Otherwise, you can only edit the first note that you added.
    • You can only edit and delete your own replies to the first note of an annotation.

You can edit public annotations, if you have permission to do so, and your own annotations.

  1. Click the annotation.
  2. On the Annotation menu, click Style button in the annotation menu (Style).
  3. Do any of the following:
    • To change the color of an annotation, click a color. Depending on the type of annotation, you can select a color on the Text, Stroke and Fill tabs.
      • Tabs for styling annotations

      Style tabs that may be available for an annotation

    • To adjust the opacity of an annotation, click and move the Opacity slider.
    • To adjust the stroke width of a line annotation, click and move the Stroke slider.
    • To adjust the text of an annotation, modify the options on the Text tab.
    • To change the line style of a shape annotation, select an option from the Style list.
      • Line style
  1. Click the annotation.
  2. To move the annotation, click and drag the middle of it.
  3. To resize the annotation, click and drag a sizing handle.
    4. Annotation sizing handles example

You can delete public annotations, if you have permission to do so, and your own annotations.

  1. Click the annotation.
  2. On the Annotation menu, click delete (Delete).

    3. —Or—

    Press the Delete key.