Files

Every project in SolaProjects has a Files tab for the project's written knowledge: briefs, meeting notes, specifications, decisions, client notes, wiki pages and release notes. Each document is a page you write in the browser (Markdown text), with version history and comments. It is not a file drive. To attach an actual file such as a PDF, drawing or spreadsheet, use the Attachments section of a task (see Task attachments below).

You can mark a document Client visible so that it appears in guest status reports and can be shared with someone outside your team through a share link.

Where to find it

• Sidebar: Project → Files (folder icon), between Team and Calendar.
• Command palette: Ctrl K → Files · project name.
• URL: /projects/{project}/files.
• From the project Overview, the recent documents list has an All files button that opens the same tab.

What the Files tab shows

Each document card shows:

When nothing exists yet you see No project documents yet — "Create a brief, decision, note, or specification to keep project knowledge in one place." When a search finds nothing: No documents match your filter.

Document types

Visibility

Create a document

1. Open the project and click Files.

2. Click New document (top-right). The New document dialog opens.

3. Optional: if the project has templates, pick one in Start from template. Its title, type, visibility and body are copied into the form.

4. Fill in the form:

   Field	Required	Notes
   Title	Yes	Up to 160 characters.
   Type	Yes	One of the types above. Defaults to Project Brief.
   Visibility	Yes	Internal or Client visible. Defaults to Internal.
   Body	No	Markdown text, up to 50,000 characters.

5. Click Create. You see "Document created." and the new document opens in the document workspace below the cards.

Click Cancel to close without saving.

Open, edit and preview a document

Click the document title or Open on its card. The Document workspace panel opens under the list, showing the title, type, last update, number of versions and number of comments. It has four tabs: Edit, Preview, History and Comments. Click the × (Close document) at the top-right to close it.

Edit

1. Change Title, Type, Visibility or the Markdown body.
2. Use the toolbar buttons Bold, List and Link to append Markdown snippets to the end of the body (**bold**, - item, [link](https://example.com)); then replace the sample text with your own.
3. Click Save document. You see "Document saved."

Each save records a version snapshot in History.

Preview

Click Preview (on the card, in the tab bar, or next to Save document) to see the body rendered as formatted text.

History and restoring a version

The History tab lists every saved version as Version n, with date, author and an excerpt. Before the first save it shows No versions yet — "Saving this document will create a version snapshot."

To go back to an earlier version:

1. Open History and click Restore on the version.
2. Confirm Restore document version — "This restores the selected version and creates a new version snapshot."
3. You see "Version restored." and the workspace switches to Preview.

Restoring brings back that version's title, type, body and visibility. Nothing is lost: the content you replaced remains in history.

Comments

1. Open the Comments tab.
2. Type in Add a document comment... (at least 2 characters, up to 5,000).
3. Editors can tick Internal to hide the comment from guest viewers.
4. Click Add comment. You see "Comment added."

To remove a comment, click Delete under it and confirm Delete comment — "This comment will be removed from the document." You can delete your own comments; project editors can delete any comment.

Guest viewers can comment on guest-visible documents, but their comments are never internal.

Templates

Templates let you start common documents (for example a weekly site meeting note) with the same structure every time.

Create a template

1. On the Files tab click Template (top-right).

2. In New document template fill in:

   Field	Required	Notes
   Template name	Yes	Up to 120 characters. This is the button label in the Templates strip.
   Description	No	Up to 255 characters.
   Default title	Yes	Title given to new documents, up to 160 characters.
   Type	Yes	Default type.
   Visibility	Yes	Default visibility.
   Template body	No	Markdown starter text.

3. Click Save template. You see "Document template saved."

Use a template — either click the template's button in the Templates strip (the document is created immediately and opens in Edit, with "Document created from template."), or choose it in Start from template inside New document to adjust the fields before clicking Create.

Archive a document

The red button on each card is labelled Archive, and the confirmation now says what really happens. (Until 5 October 2026 the dialog was titled Delete document and wrongly said the document would be permanently deleted.)

1. Click Archive on the card.
2. In the Archive document dialog, read "This document will be archived and hidden from the project. It is not permanently deleted, but it cannot be restored from the app." and confirm.
3. You see "Document archived." and the card disappears.

If you may not archive it you see "You can't archive this document."; any other failure shows "Could not archive the document."

The document is hidden from the Files tab, from guest status reports and from any shared view. It is kept in the database, but there is no restore button in the app, so treat the action as final for day-to-day use.

Share a document with someone outside the team

Guest-visible documents can be shared through a secure link. Creating links needs the Standard plan or higher and edit rights on the project. Links are covered in detail in Guest shares; the short version:

1. Set the document's Visibility to Client visible and save.

2. On its card, in Public sharing, click Generate.

3. In Generate share link set:

   Field	Notes
   Expiry date	Optional. Must be after today. Blank means no expiry.
   Access mode	View only (default), Can comment or Can edit.
   Password	Optional, at least 8 characters.

4. Click Generate. A Share link created panel shows the full link. Click Copy ("Link copied."). The full link is shown only once, and passwords are never displayed again.

Each link is listed on the card with its status, access mode, password yes/no, view count and expiry. Click Revoke and confirm Revoke share link ("This link will stop granting access to the shared document.") to switch a link off. Revoking always works, even if your plan no longer includes sharing.

Task attachments

Real files belong to tasks, not to the Files tab.

1. Open a task (the task drawer).
2. Scroll to Attachments.
3. Choose Internal or Guest-visible in the list.
4. Click Upload and pick a file (up to 10 MB).

Each attachment shows its name, size, visibility, uploader and date, with Preview (for previewable files), Download and Delete. Uploading and deleting need edit rights on the task. See Tasks.

Worked example

Al Noor Trading LLC is fitting out a showroom in Dubai. The project manager, Omar Haddad, keeps all written records in the project's Files tab.

1. Omar clicks Template and saves "Weekly site meeting" (type Meeting Note, Internal) with headings for Attendees, Progress, Issues and Next steps.
2. Every Monday he clicks the Weekly site meeting button in Templates, renames the title to "Site meeting – 5 Oct 2026" and fills in the notes.
3. He creates "Joinery specification" as a Specification, Internal. After the client changes the counter finish, he edits and saves; History now shows Version 2.
4. He creates "Handover schedule" as Client visible, then clicks Generate, sets an expiry of 31 Oct 2026, View only and a password, and sends the copied link and password to the client's facilities manager separately.
5. The supplier quotation PDF (AED 48,500) is uploaded as an Internal attachment on the task "Order joinery".

Example 2 — a quick client update

Sara Khan opens Al Noor Showroom Fit-out → Files, filters All types → Client Note, opens "Weekly client update", adds this week's progress (lighting 90 % complete, handover 15 Dec), switches to Preview to check the formatting and clicks Save document → Document saved. Because the note is Client visible, the client Viewer sees it on their guest view and in the shared dashboard link.

Statuses and lifecycle

How it connects

Who can do what

Projects Members can read documents and comment, but see no New document, Template, Archive or Restore buttons. A scoped restriction set by your administrator can also remove edit rights on a specific project.

Messages you may see

Tips

• Use Decision documents for approvals so they are easy to find with the type filter.
• Keep anything with prices or internal margins Internal; only Client visible content reaches guests.
• Search looks in both title and body.
• Before you click Archive, consider changing visibility to Internal instead: the app cannot restore an archived document.

Related

• Guest shares
• Tasks
• Reports
• Team · Overview · Activity
• Project settings
• Secure document links