Before you start
- Open the correct job and use its current drawing PDFs. Verify physical fixture models, openings and hole requirements before confirming them.
- Editing fixtures and preparing approvals require job-update permission; the PDF picker also requires file-read permission.
- A customer template signoff, office fixture confirmation, internal job approval, quote signature and change-order approval are separate records.
1Find and detect fixture details
Open Fixtures / Cutouts from the job's jump links. When the list is empty and the linked quote has cutouts, the page detects them on first load. Detect from drawing adds missing cutouts without replacing already detected or manually entered fixtures. It is unavailable when the linked drawing has no cutouts.
Detected area, piece and model information is a starting point. Hole layout starts blank: a drawing's default faucet spread is not a verified installation requirement. Recheck detected rows after drawing changes; detection does not overwrite your existing fixture details.
2Add a fixture and identify its purpose
Choose Add fixture. Kind can be Sink, Cooktop, Faucet, Outlet, Fireplace or Other. Enter Area and Piece so the team knows where it belongs, then choose Mount and enter the model or description. Area groups the cards; Piece identifies the individual countertop. These fields describe the job fixture and do not draw or resize a cutout in the quote.
3Record holes, warnings and location
For sinks and faucets, enter Faucet holes and Hole layout. These controls are disabled for the other kinds. Accessory holes records items such as a soap dispenser or air switch. Separate Tags with commas; Warning appears prominently as a red pill.
Where is it distinguishes On site, In our shop, Pick up from supplier and Provided by us (fabricator). Use Notes for details the templater or customer needs to review. This location describes the fixture's whereabouts; it does not reserve inventory or schedule a pickup.
4Save, edit or cancel
Save fixture stores the details; Cancel discards the current form edits. The pencil reopens a saved fixture. Saving a detail edit clears its earlier office confirmation and customer answer because those applied to the old values. Review and confirm the corrected details again. Remove asks for confirmation and deletes that fixture; use Hide when you only want to change the job-page display.
5Add and review a fixture photo
Use the camera button to choose an image from your device. After upload, check the thumbnail and reopen it for a larger view. The camera replaces the image; the X removes it. Photos can help identify an unlabelled fixture. They accompany included fixtures in the approval and signed copy.
Adding or removing a photo does not clear the office confirmation. Treat the confirmation as a review of the actual details, not proof that someone inspected a newly replaced image.
6Confirm the office review
Choose Confirm these details after reviewing the physical fixture and specifications. The card shows the confirming person's name and date; tap the confirmed button to unconfirm. Counts at the top refer to visible fixtures. A teammate's confirmation is separate from the customer's answer in the signoff.
If the fixture changed while you were reviewing it, refresh and read the latest details before confirming. A failed save should be resolved before proceeding to approval.
7Hide and restore fixtures without deleting them
Use Hide on one card, select several card checkboxes and choose Hide selected, or use HIDE ALL. These choices are saved for everyone on that job. Expand Hidden fixtures to Show one or Show all.
Hidden fixtures retain their details and remain available in the approval builder. Hiding them does not exclude them from a new customer approval. Review the builder's individual fixture checkboxes explicitly.
8Select PDFs from any job folder
Choose Select files to send for approval in Drawings for approval or in Files. Both entry points open the same picker. Open folders or use Search job files and folders to search by name across folders. All job files returns to the root folder.
Check the PDFs to include. Non-PDF files are disabled and marked PDF required. Selections remain when you change folders; review the selected-files summary and use Remove to exclude an accidental selection. Choose Continue with the displayed number of PDFs.
9Review exactly which fixtures are included
In Template approval portal, review the PDF names. Include fixtures in this portal for approval is on by default when fixtures exist. Untick it for drawings only, or use the individual Fixtures to include checkboxes for a subset. Hidden job fixtures can appear here and can be selected.
The unconfirmed warning means some office fixture details have not been confirmed; it does not automatically block publishing. Resolve incomplete details before sending. Cancel returns without creating a new approval.
10Prepare and publish the approval
Choose Create and publish portal after reviewing the selection. Keep the tab open while SlabOS reads each PDF, renders its pages, uploads them and publishes the link. Wait for Portal is live, then choose Done. Publishing creates the approval link; it does not send the customer an email.
The approval captures the chosen drawings, included fixture details and terms. Changing the job later does not silently rewrite that published document. Use a new approval when the content to review changes.
11Recover an interrupted draft
If preparation fails, read the error and use Try again. The retry uses the same draft. You can close the dialog and choose Resume preparing pages from the draft in Drawings for approval. A draft is not a published customer link.
Resuming keeps the saved PDF and fixture selection. Start a new approval to change that selection. If a draft was retired, close the dialog and select files again. A password-protected, damaged or unavailable PDF needs to be corrected before its pages can be prepared.
12Inspect the link and choose how to send
In Drawings for approval, Ready to send means the portal exists but has not yet been emailed. Use Open to inspect the customer view, or Copy link when sharing it through your intended channel. Treat the approval link as access to that document.
Send to customer immediately uses the default Template Approval email and attaches the PDFs when available within attachment limits. More send options offers Quick send or Customize. Customize opens recipients, subject and message for review before SEND; Preview helps inspect the composed email. Cancel closes the composer without sending.
System emails use the SlabOS mailing engine by default. A connected Gmail or Outlook mailbox is used only when the user also enables Send system emails as me. Connecting a mailbox alone does not switch system delivery; inbox replies and synchronization are separate workflows.
13Review and initial every drawing page
The customer opens the approval link, checks the job and draws their initials once. Clear removes the initial drawing; Use these initials prepares it for the document pages. Review each PDF page, using Zoom for a closer look, and choose Initial here on every page. An initialed page can be tapped again to remove that page's initials before submission.
The page counter helps identify what remains. Initials on one page do not approve all pages. On a phone, use the same controls and scroll through the complete document.
14Answer the included fixture questions
Each included fixture needs an answer. Confirm agrees with the listed details. Request a change opens a note field; describe what needs correcting. A change request without a note does not count as a completed answer. The customer can revise these choices before submitting.
A completed drawing signoff can still contain fixture change requests. The office must resolve those requests before fabrication rather than relying only on the signed state.
15Read the terms and submit the signoff
The customer reads the approval terms, draws a signature, types their full name and optionally enters an email address. Clear signature resets the signature pad. The review-and-approval checkbox records the customer's agreement.
Submit approval becomes available only after every page is initialed, every included fixture has a valid answer, the initials and signature are present, the name is entered and the agreement is checked. The customer submits their own signoff. If a version or fixture changed and the system rejects submission, reload and review the current content.
16Read the result, signed copy and history
Drawings for approval distinguishes Ready to send, Sent, Viewed and signed results. Viewed is not approval. A signed result normally reads Drawings approved; Fixture changes requested highlights follow-up even though the drawing signoff is signed. Check who signed, when, the included files and the fixture answers.
Open signed copy appears when the generated PDF has been filed into the source drawing folders. If filing is delayed, the signature can already be saved while the signed copy is being prepared or retried. View portal opens the signed view. Earlier approvals expands the record history; a draft may be resumed there without replacing the current published record.
17Replace or retire the correct version
The trash action on an unsigned approval asks whether to retire that portal; its link stops working. Publishing a newer approval makes older unsigned links unavailable for approval. Merely starting a draft does not replace the last published approval.
A signed approval cannot be voided. Preserve it and create a new approval for corrected drawings. Use Template Correction or the appropriate change-order workflow when drawing details or commercial scope also need updating; a signoff does not update quote pricing by itself.
Check the result
- Reopen the saved job and inspect fixture details, photos, office confirmations and hidden items.
- The approval contains the intended PDF versions and exact fixture subset. Publishing and sending are checked separately.
- The signed record matches the intended document, and every fixture change request has been reviewed.
If something looks wrong
- If a fixture is absent from the job display, inspect Hidden fixtures before creating a duplicate.
- Detection adds missing drawing cutouts; it does not refresh an already detected row's model or hole layout.
- A failed upload can briefly show a local photo preview. Verify the stored image remains after reloading.
- Use Retry for file/fixture loading errors and Try again or Resume preparing pages for preparation errors. Correct password-protected or damaged PDFs before retrying.
- Do not treat quote acceptance, a viewed link, an office confirmation or an internal approval as the customer's template signoff.