Project Documents page
Each project has a Documents section alongside the estimate workspace. Navigate to it from the project menu to see every document associated with the project, regardless of which estimate tab you are on. The page lists both synced files (brought in automatically from a connected cloud drive) and manually uploaded files. Documents stay visible here even after you add them to the estimate. Documents appear in a file explorer table. Each row is a folder or a document, and folder rows always sit above document rows. Select a folder row to go into that folder. Select a document row to open the document. Every action for a document is in the row’s actions menu at the end of the row.Organising documents with folders
Documents can be grouped into folders using a virtual folder path stored on each document. Folders are not separate objects — they exist wherever documents are filed. A Folders panel on the left side of the page shows the folder tree for the current project. The tree shows All documents at the top, then the named folders derived from the documents currently loaded. Select a folder to show it in the table. Use the Hide folders / Show folders button at the top of the panel to collapse or expand the panel. The current folder selection is encoded in the URL as?folder=, so folder views are deep-linkable and can be opened in a new tab.
Browsing folders
By default, the table shows the folders one level below the selected folder, then the documents filed directly in it. At All documents, that means the top-level folders and any documents with no folder. A breadcrumb above the table shows where you are. Select any part of it to go back up. When the selected folder has folders inside it, a This folder only switch appears above the table. It is on by default. Turn it off to list every document in this folder and the folders below it as one flat list, with no folder rows. Turning it off is saved in the URL, so a link or bookmark reopens the same view. The search box above the table filters the current view by name. With This folder only on, it reads Search this folder and matches folder and file names. With the switch off, it reads Search files here and below and matches file names. The search clears when you go into another folder.Table columns
The table always shows Name. As the table gets wider, it adds Status, Added, Folder and Type. Folder appears only when This folder only is off, and shows where each document sits below the current folder. Select the Name, Added or Folder heading to sort by that column. Folders stay above documents whatever the sort.Folder paths
Folder paths use/ as a level separator. Stralos stores a canonical path with a space on each side (for example, Tender / Drawings) and displays it as a breadcrumb (Tender › Drawings). When typing a path you can omit the spaces — Tender/Drawings and Tender / Drawings refer to the same folder.
Setting or changing a document’s folder
Use Set folder (or Change folder if one is already set) in a document’s actions menu to assign or reassign it to a folder. The picker autocompletes against folders that already exist in the project. Click the empty field to see the folder list, including + New folder… for typing a new path. When the path you type matches no folder, select + Create new folder “path” at the end of the list. The field then notes that the folder is new and is made when you save. Pressing Enter while typing picks the top matching folder.Drive sync
When drive sync is switched on in Stralos, a Drive sync strip shows the status of each shared drive connection mapped to the project. The strip is read-only. Select Shared drive settings in the strip to open the project’s Shared drive settings, where an admin can manage the mappings. For each connection you can see:- What is mapped: Whole drive, or Folder: followed by the folder path
- Connection status: active, paused, or error
- Last sync time and a Latest run summary of files ingested, skipped, and errored
- A Sync now button (available when the connection is active) to request a sync run
- An expandable detail list of skipped, errored, or failed files
If no drive is mapped, the strip says so and points to the project’s shared drive settings, where an admin can map one. Connecting a drive is covered in Shared drives.
Drive files
Synced files appear on the Documents page straight away, but Stralos doesn’t copy a file in from the drive until someone opens it or asks to process it. Until then, the row shows a chip starting In SharePoint or In Google Drive to say the file hasn’t been downloaded yet. Every drive file’s actions menu has Open in SharePoint or Open in Google Drive, as well as Open.Drive chips
If a file is deleted from the drive while an estimate still uses it, the row’s details say so, and Stralos keeps its copy.
Opening a drive file
Select the document row, or Open in its actions menu:- If Stralos already holds the latest copy, the file opens straight away.
- If Stralos needs to fetch it, a progress window shows each step: getting it from the drive, saving it to secure storage, and the virus scan. You can close the window with the Keep working button and carry on. The fetch continues, and Stralos tells you when the file is ready with an Open button. The file doesn’t open by itself.
- If an estimate used an older version and the drive now has a newer one, Stralos asks what to do (see below).
- If the file is too large or the drive doesn’t allow it to be downloaded, Stralos offers only the drive link.
Newer versions
When the drive has a newer version of a file that an estimate uses, Open or Sync new version shows a dialog comparing the version the estimate used with the one in the drive:- Sync new version adds the new version beside the one you used, for example as Version 2. Nothing is replaced: items from the old version are flagged so you can review them, and the old version stays until you remove it. If the old version was processed, you can tick an option to process the new version for the same areas.
- Keep the version I used records that you’ve seen the newer version. Stralos won’t flag it again for that estimate unless the file changes again.
Older versions
When Stralos holds more than one version of a drive file, the row’s details list the older versions, such as 1 older version. Open any older version from there. You can remove an older version from the estimate once its items have moved to the newer one. In takeoff, each drawing version is named, so an older version with measurements stays selectable.Supported files
The project Documents page accepts:
The Import action inside estimate areas accepts PDF, PNG, JPEG and TIFF images, DOCX, XLSX, XLSM, XLTM, XLSB and CSV. PNG and JPEG images must be 10 MB or smaller there. Upload AutoCAD drawings, emails and MS Project plans on the project Documents page instead.
Temporary and system files, such as Office lock files (
~$Rates.xlsx), .tmp files, Thumbs.db, .DS_Store and desktop.ini, are not accepted.
Stralos validates file type and size before upload. A rejected file is recorded with a reason so the team can see what happened. If Stralos rejects a drawing upload, no file bytes are transferred; upload a PDF version instead.
Files kept to open
Emails, MS Project plans and images over 10 MB are kept to open but never processed. Their actions menu has no Process. The same applies to drive files Stralos can open but won’t process.- Kept to open — not processed: files of a type Stralos never processes, whatever their size, such as emails and MS Project plans.
- Too big to process — view only: files that are too large to process, such as images over 10 MB.
AutoCAD drawing conversion
When you upload a DWG or DXF file, Stralos converts it to a PDF so you can take off from it on the canvas. The original file is preserved and downloaded as-is when you use Open. Conversion runs server-side after the file uploads. The document row shows a badge while conversion is in progress or needs attention, and the row’s details explain it:
A drawing remains in the Stored state throughout conversion. It becomes available for takeoff once conversion succeeds and the document is processed.
Processing lifecycle
Documents move through the pipeline after they are added to the estimate for AI processing. Project-uploaded files start in the Stored state: scanned and ready, but not yet analysed. Synced drive files start as links until Stralos downloads them.- Uploading: Stralos creates a document record and returns upload instructions.
- Scanning: the uploaded object is scanned before it can be downloaded.
- Parsing: text and structured content are extracted from the file.
- Summarising: the document is summarised for review.
- Processing areas: Stralos creates suggestions for takeoff, work items, and project rates.
- Processed: the document is ready for review.
Adding a document to the estimate
For a document not yet in the estimate, select Add to estimate in its actions menu to open the route panel. In the panel you can optionally select the areas you want the AI to analyse immediately (Takeoff, Work Items, Project Rates). The confirm button shows the count of selected sections, for example Add and process 2 sections. Leave all areas unselected to add the document without analysis and use the button labelled Add without processing. You can run Process from the actions menu later. If processing did not start after routing: the panel stays open and shows a notice rather than closing with a success toast. The document is still added to the estimate. Two situations can produce this outcome:- Document not yet ready: the file had not finished scanning when routing completed. Once it reaches the Stored state, use Process to analyse it.
- Other reason: processing could not start for a different server-side reason. Use Process at any time to start analysis.
Processing on demand
For a document that is already in the estimate and in the Stored state, use Process in its actions menu to start AI analysis. If processing is already underway, Stralos acknowledges this without restarting it. If the document is a DWG or DXF file that is still converting, Stralos says so and processing cannot start yet. Wait for conversion to finish, then use Process. If the document is a drive file Stralos hasn’t downloaded yet, adding it to the estimate with processing, or using Process, fetches it first. Processing starts once the file passes the virus scan.Suggest files to process
When the project has documents that haven’t been processed, the Documents page shows Suggest files to process. Select it to open a panel where Stralos AI suggests which files are worth processing. Stralos AI reads only the names and folder paths of the project’s documents, not their contents. Select Suggest to see the suggestions. The suggestions are a checklist with nothing ticked. Each shows the file, its folder, the reason, and the areas it suggests. Tick the files you want, then select Process selected. Stralos adds each file to the estimate if it isn’t there already and starts processing. Drive files are fetched first.Reviewing suggestions
After a document reaches Processed, its row shows a Review link with the number of suggestions to review, for example Review (4). Select it, or Review suggestions in the actions menu, to open the suggestion review view directly on the project Documents page. You can also arrive there by selecting a suggestion review pill from within the estimate workspace. The Documents section heading also shows a total count of pending suggestions across all documents. The count is labelled — for example “4 suggestions to review” — so it is distinct from the document count shown in the folder rail. The suggestion preview shows the source page alongside the cited text. If the page cannot be rendered — for example, a text-only document set in a font that is not embedded — the preview shows the cited text and a link to open the original document instead of a blank box. When you close a review mid-way through a section, Stralos preserves which section you were on. The Review all suggestions (n) button at the top of the page reopens the review at that section so you can continue where you left off. The count shown on Review all suggestions (n) reflects pending suggestions only. The tabs in the review view show the same pending counts. The Takeoff tab carries no count — its page classification suggestions are handled as a whole-document approve or reject, not as individual records in the pending count. Opening a review from an individual document row opens a review view titled Review suggestions (n), scoped to that document. Opening Review all suggestions (n) from the page header opens a review view with the same title, scoped to all documents with pending suggestions.Reviewing suggestions
Learn how to edit, re-file, accept, reject, and bulk accept document suggestions.
Removing a document from the estimate
Use Remove from estimate in a document’s actions menu to unlink it from the estimate. The document stays on the project Documents page. If the document is still referenced by estimate items, Stralos blocks the removal and lists the reasons. Each reason is written in plain language — for example, “2 pending or accepted suggestions” or “1 area run in progress”. Resolve those references first, then retry.Superseded documents
When a newer version of a drive file is added, the older version is marked Superseded. Superseded documents are hidden by default. Use Show superseded to display them, or open them from the older versions in the current version’s row details. Superseded documents can’t be added to the estimate or processed. You can still open them if they have a clean virus scan, and remove them from the estimate.Opening and downloading
Opening and downloading are deliberately fail-closed. A file can only be opened after it has a clean scan verdict. Infected files and files without a clean verdict cannot be downloaded.Deleting a document
Delete is in the actions menu for documents in a settled state (Stored, Processed, Failed, Infected, or Rejected, or a drive file not yet downloaded) that are not superseded. Selecting Delete shows a confirmation step. The file, and any pending suggestions from it, are removed from Documents and kept for history. If the document is still referenced by estimate items, suggestions or measurements, Stralos blocks the deletion and lists the reasons in plain language.Uploading documents manually
Use Add documents on the project Documents page to upload files directly to the project. See Supported files for the accepted formats. Uploaded files land as project-scoped, unrouted documents in the Stored state. Add them to the estimate when you are ready to analyse them.Uploading a whole folder
The Add documents modal accepts whole folder uploads from the project Documents page. Drop a folder onto the drop zone, or select Select folder to pick one from your device. Each file is filed at the path matching its position in the original folder tree. You can set a Related folder path before uploading to place the files inside an existing folder. A dropped folder’s internal structure is preserved underneath the base folder you choose. Before uploading, the modal shows a preview of how many folders and files will be created. Expand the preview to see the full folder tree. Files that cannot be uploaded (unsupported type, empty file, or path too long) are listed in a skip list rather than silently dropped. Empty folders in a dropped tree are noted in the preview — because folders are virtual, an empty folder creates nothing.Folder uploads are available on the project Documents page only. The Import modals inside individual estimate areas accept files only, to avoid triggering large numbers of AI processing jobs at once.
Failed uploads and retries
When a document fails, is rejected or is flagged by the virus scan, its status chip says what went wrong in plain words. Upload rows in the import drawer use the same words. To see the raw server detail for a support query, hover over the chip: the tooltip starts Code:.
In Takeoff, a file of an unsupported type reads “This file type can’t be used for takeoff. Upload a PDF.” Elsewhere, the rejection shows its reason without suggesting a format.
- If a file is rejected before upload, fix the file type or size and upload it again.
- If a document reaches Failed, use Retry in its actions menu to re-enter the pipeline at the furthest stage with evidence behind it.
- If the upload never completed, upload the file again rather than retrying the incomplete record.
- If a document is still scanning, parsing, summarising, or processing areas, wait before deleting it.
Contract document badges
Documents that are part of the project’s contract profile are marked with a Contract document badge. The contract profile is fetched once per project and cached for the session, so the badge is stable as you navigate between tabs.What to review
After processing, review:- Document summary and page context.
- Area run status and confidence.
- Pending suggestion count.
- Suggestions grouped by Takeoff, Work Items, and Project Rates.