Files and Photos are two separate sections of ConstructionOnline that assist with different aspects of file management. For the most effective use of ConstructionOnline, we recommend all users adhere to the following guidelines when using each individual section.

Files

The Files section acts as the primary point of management for files & folders as well as images & albums. The Files section is responsible for basic file functions, such as uploading, sharing, copying, moving, and downloading files & images. Within the Files section, you can share files with clients, create a hierarchical folder structure, download entire folders & albums, move files from one location to another, and more.

⭐ We recommend using the Files section to organize and manage your files & images.

Photos

The Photos section is specialized for gallery viewing, photo editing, and social media sharing. Any images uploaded in the Files section will appear in professional image galleries within the Photos section. The Photos section also contains powerful features such as the Photostream, which displays select Project images in chronological order.

⭐ We recommend only using the Photos section to view and edit images.

The Photos section is not recommended for downloading, uploading, or managing images. Additionally, many actions involving multiple images (i.e. sharing an album with a client) are not possible from the Photos section of ConstructionOnline. These actions are exclusively available from within the Files section of ConstructionOnline.

What are the differences between Company Files, My Files, and Project Files?

ConstructionOnline provides users with three different location options for uploading & storing files. Each option has unlimited storage but a different level of access, allowing you to customize what files you want to share with other users.

My Files: serves as your personal file storage within ConstructionOnline. Only you can access the files or images stored within My Files.
Company Files: files are stored within your respective ConstructionOnline Company Account. Company Users with permissions for Files and Photos set as "Can View" or above will be able to view files stored within Company Files.
Project Files: files are stored within a specific Project. Company Users with permissions for Files and Photos set as "Can View" or above will be able to view files stored within Project Files. Additionally, these files can be shared with ClientLink or TeamLink Users if desired—please note that this is NOT automatically enabled.

What is the Photostream?

The Photostream is a dynamic, chronological timeline of select Project images. It compiles images from several different ConstructionOnline features including Files, Photos, Daily Logs, Punch Lists, and Checklists. Additionally, features such as Daily Logs and Punch Lists have their own individual Photostream views, which allow you to easily view all image attachments for a specific feature.

Because the Photostream is an aggregation of select Project photos, it is not something that can be "shared" with clients or vendors. If you want to share an image from within the Photostream with a client (i.e. an attachment from a Daily Log), you will have to manually save the image within the Project and then share it with your client.

Where can I access/view my Project photos?

You can access and view your Project's photos from both the Photos and Files section of ConstructionOnline. Please note that the Photos section contains the Photostream, which gathers images from select ConstructionOnline features (Files, Photos, Daily Logs, Punch Lists, and Checklists). Images from features such as Daily Logs, Punch Lists, and Checklists are not automatically saved to the Project, so unless they have been manually saved, they will not also appear in the Files section.

What types of files can I upload?

You can upload any file type to ConstructionOnline! Common file types include JPG, JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF, PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, XLS, XLSX, PPT, MOV4, RTF, and HEIC. Please note that any HEIC files will be converted to JPG during the upload process.

However, certain file types or file extensions cannot be previewed or opened from ConstructionOnline. These include PAGES, NUMBERS, and TIFF file types. While these files can be uploaded to ConstructionOnline, you will not be able to preview or open the files directly from ConstructionOnline like you can with a PDF or JPG file.

You can also upload more than one file at a time! However—if you choose to upload files in batches, make sure that the total combined file size of the files does not exceed 1 GB. ConstructionOnline limits the total batch file size as 1 GB per upload. Any file batch sizes greater than 1 GB will likely stall out and fail.

Can I upload videos?

Yes, you can upload videos to the Files section of ConstructionOnline! If you are attempting to upload multiple videos at a time, ensure that the total combined file size of the videos does not exceed 1 GB. Additionally, we highly recommend videos are uploaded in MOV4 file format.

Can I upload 360-degree photos?

Yes, you can upload 360-degree photos to ConstructionOnline! ConstructionOnline's image galleries feature full viewing support for 360-degree photos, so you can view all aspects of the image directly within ConstructionOnline.

Can I edit files in ConstructionOnline?

Yes, you can edit specific document and image file types directly within ConstructionOnline!

You can edit common document file types such as PDF, DOC, DOCX, and TXT with TXEditor—ConstructionOnline's built-in text editor. Like other word processing software platforms, TXEditor allows you to make direct edits to the file such as adding text, inserting page breaks, adjusting page layout, enabling spell check, and more. Step-by-step instructions for editing a document file can be found here.

You can also edit image files, such as JPG, IMG, JPEG, or BMP, with ConstructionOnline's built-in photo editing tools. Options include image resize, crop, rotate, markup, and more. Step-by-step instructions for editing an image file can be found here.

Can I edit an Excel document in ConstructionOnline?

No, you cannot edit an Excel document within ConstructionOnline. Any edits to Excel documents or templates must be made within Excel itself, then uploaded or imported back to ConstructionOnline.

How can I restrict access to Project files?

There are several different options to restrict a Company User's access to Project files.

Limit permissions: ConstructionOnline allows you to customize permissions for each Company User within your Company Account. If you do not want a user to have access to files for a specific Project, or files in general, set their permissions for Files and Photos as "Cannot View".
1. If you want to limit their file permissions for specific Projects, visit this article.
2. If you want to limit their file permissions for all Projects, visit this article.
Special folder/album permissions: ConstructionOnline allows you to restrict a Company User's access to specific Project files, save the files within a folder or album, and add custom permissions to the folder/album. Folder/album permissions allow you to customize different levels of permissions for each folder/album and specific Company User, while still allowing the Company User general access to Files and Photos.
Make the folder/album private: ConstructionOnline also allows you to restrict access to specific files for everyone except you. To do this, save the desired files within a folder or album and set the folder/album as "Private". This will hide the folder and its contents from everyone but its creator. Step-by-step instructions for making a folder/album private can be found in this article.

How should I organize my Files?

We highly recommend utilizing folders to store your files and albums to store your images. This not only gives you and your team better options for organizing your project's documents, but also gives you better options for moving, downloading, and sharing files and images once they are uploaded to ConstructionOnline.

Can I download multiple Project files at one time?

Yes! Multiple Project files can be downloaded in bulk to your personal device (or to ConstructionOnline Company Files or My Files) using your device's built-in multi-select commands. For step-by-step instructions on downloading multiple Project files visit here.

How can I download all of my Project's files?

All of a Project's files can be easily downloaded to your device using the "Download All Project Files" option available within the Company Dropdown menu. However, please note that this option only downloads documents saved to the All Files Category. Any files not saved to the All Files Category will not be downloaded, including those attached to Daily Logs, Checklists, Client Selections, etc. and ClientLink and TeamLink Files not also saved to All Files.

For more important information regarding downloading all Project files and step-by-step instructions, visit the Download All Project Files article.

Can I restore deleted files?

It depends. If the file has been deleted from any File Category outside of Trash (All Files, Recent Files, ClientLink Files, or TeamLink Files), the file will go to Trash and can be restored. If the file has been deleted from within Trash, the file cannot be restored. This applies to albums and folders as well.

For more information on restoring deleted albums, folders, and files, visit here.

How can I share files with my ClientLink/TeamLink Users?

ConstructionOnline provides two different options for you to choose from when you are looking to share files with ClientLink and TeamLink Users. Once you've organized your Project's files and images into albums and/or folders, you can either share the album/folder which will ensure they are instantly updated in the Portal if any changes are made in ConstructionOnline, or you can copy the album/folder to ClientLink/TeamLink Files. Copying initiates a one-time copy of the album/folder and its contents, and any additional changes made in ConstructionOnline will not be reflected in the Portal.

Once shared or copied, you can view and manage the documents your clients and subs will see when they log into the Portal within the ClientLink Files and TeamLink Files Categories. From here you can choose to make certain documents visible to all clients and subs associated with the Project as well as view documents uploaded by each individual user.

What is the difference between copying and sharing files with ClientLink/TeamLink Users?

Files, albums, and/or folders that have been shared with ClientLink/TeamLink Users will instantly update in the Portal if any changes are made in ConstructionOnline. Files, albums, and/or folders that have been copied to ClientLink/TeamLink Files are a one-time copy of the document(s), and any additional changes made in ConstructionOnline will not be reflected in the Portal.

Why can't my ClientLink/TeamLink Users see photos in the Photostream?

There are a couple of reasons why your client or sub may not be able to view photos in the Photostream. First, ensure you have Files and Photos permissions engaged for your ClientLink and/or TeamLink Users. Next, verify you've shared or copied the desired Photo album or folder with them.

⭐ Albums or folders that have been shared with ClientLink/TeamLink Users will instantly update in the Portal if any changes are made in ConstructionOnline.

⭐ Albums or folders that have been copied to ClientLink/TeamLink Files/Albums are a one-time copy of the album/folder and its contents. Any additional changes made in ConstructionOnline will not be reflected in the Portal.

Step-by-step instructions on sharing albums/folders to the Portal can be found here. Step-by-step instruction on copying albums/folders to the Portal can be found here.

Can ClientLink and TeamLink Users upload files?

Yes! ClientLink and TeamLink Users can upload documents from the Portal within the Files tab of their Project. The files and images uploaded by ClientLink and TeamLink Users are only visible to them and the Project Creator in ConstructionOnline. If you wish to extend visibility and access to the documents uploaded by your clients and subs, we recommend moving documents to folders and/or albums visible to all Company Users.

Can ClientLink and TeamLink Users delete files?

Within the Portal, ClientLink and TeamLink Users have the option to "delete" documents they have uploaded. However, these documents are not permanently deleted from the cloud, but are moved to the Trash Category in ConstructionOnline. If one of your clients or subs has a deleted a file that your team needs to recover, visit the Restore Deleted Albums, Folders, and Files article.

Why are my files/photos disappearing?

If your documents are disappearing, or you are receiving an error message when attempting to download, view, edit, etc. your document, it's likely that the upload of your document to ConstructionOnline was initiated but not successfully completed (most commonly due to a loss of internet connection).

In any of these instances, we recommend ensuring the document is re-uploaded successfully using the instructions outlined here. For more information regarding general system requirements for ConstructionOnline (i.e. internet speed, recommended browsers, etc.) visit our System Requirements FAQ.

Can I upload files and photos from other integrated platforms like Dropbox and Google Drive?

Yes! ConstructionOnline supports integrations with Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, box, and Google Maps! When uploading Files or Photos into ConstructionOnline, choose the option to "Upload from Your Cloud File Storage". If you have integrated your preferred cloud storage to ConstructionOnline, the available documents will appear within the respective cloud storage option. If you have not integrated your preferred cloud storage to ConstructionOnline, select the hyperlinked "Click here" text within your preferred cloud storage option to allow ConstructionOnline access to your cloud storage contents.

Can I upload files or photos from ConstructionOnline to other integrated platforms?

No. ConstructionOnline's Files and Photos features were engineered to pull documents into our system exclusively.

Can I upload more than 20 photos at one time to the CO™ Mobile App?

No. For the most successful performance of the CO Mobile App, we recommend uploading no more than 20 photos at one time.

If you are uploading photos as attachments to a feature, we recommend uploading an initial batch of 20 photos, then using the feature's "edit" capabilities to add additional photos in batches of 20 photos at one time. So, for example, if you need to upload 40 photos to a Daily Log, create the Daily Log and add the first 20 photos as attachments. Then, edit the Daily Log to add the remaining 20 photos. A new log does not need to be created in order to upload more photos.

I'm attempting to upload a document from the CO Mobile App, but it is stuck as a pending upload. How can I fix this?

If you are experiencing trouble uploading documents to Files from the CO Mobile App, we recommend cancelling the pending upload and using the following steps to troubleshoot and identify the cause:

Verify you have a strong, stable internet connection (200-300 Mbps download speed).
Ensure you are using the most up-to-date version of the CO Mobile App
Close and then reopen the app to refresh

Once you have followed through this sequence, initiate another upload of your documents. In the rare instance that you are still experiencing trouble uploading documents after following through these steps at least two times, contact our Support Team for additional assistance. Be sure to indicate exactly which steps you’ve already tried so that we can better assist you.

Have more questions?

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