What it is for
Some routines end with a piece of paper: the pest controller's visit report, a gas safety certificate, a PAT test certificate, a fire alarm service sheet or a waste transfer note. A Document upload field on the routine asks for that file and files it in Documents under the category you choose. Filed there, it counts as that category's evidence on the EHO visit page and in the audit pack, the same as a document you uploaded by hand, and the task it came from stays linked to it.
Adding the field
Open the routine from Tasks & routines > Routines, or create a new one
Under Checklist Fields, add a field and choose Document upload
Under File it in Documents as, choose the category, such as Pest Control, Gas Safety, PAT Testing, Fire Safety or Waste Transfer Notes. On a Pest Control routine, Pest Control is suggested for you
Tick Allow more than one file if the report comes in several parts, and Required field if the task should not count as done without it
Save the routine
Files can be PDFs or photos, up to 20 MB each. A field takes up to 10 files when more than one is allowed. Only the categories of modules you have switched on are offered, and the field type only shows while the Documents module is on.
Attaching the report
Owners and managers attach reports in the admin panel. Open the task from Tasks & routines > Today, or from the routine's records with View records. There are two ways in:
When you resolve a missed task. Press Resolve task and choose Completed offline. An upload appears for each document field. If the field is required, attach the file before you resolve, or the window says so. The file is filed first, then the task is resolved
Afterwards. On a task that is done or missed, each document field shows what it has filed, with Open to view it, and Add document to file another. Use this when the contractor emails the report a few days after the visit
Each file is saved in Documents at the task's site, in the field's category, named after the file. Paddl reads it as it reads any upload, so an expiry date on a certificate is picked up and tracked.
Report attached and Report to follow
On the routine's records, a task with a document filed shows Report attached. A task whose required document is still missing shows Report to follow. That happens when the task is resolved somewhere that cannot take a file, such as the Inbox, a bulk resolve or the app, or when a filed document is later deleted. Open the task and use Add document to clear it.
In the app
Attaching a file in the app is coming in a later app update. For now, staff complete the rest of the check in the app as usual, and an owner or manager attaches the report in the admin panel. Anything typed into the field in the app is not kept. A required document never stops staff completing the task in the app; the task shows Report to follow until the report is attached.
Example: pest control every 6 weeks
Create a routine in the Pest Control category, set to Weekly on the visit day, with Repeat every 6 weeks
Add the checks the contractor asks you to make, then a Document upload field called Visit report, filed as Pest Control and marked as a required field
After each visit, open the task and attach the report. It is filed under Documents in Pest Control and counts as pest control evidence on the EHO visit page and in the audit pack
See Routines and Checklists for scheduling, Recording Pest Control for the rest of your pest records, and Late and missed tasks for resolving.