Overview
SpecLink Cloud Version 2024.2.0 provides the following new features, enhancements, and fixes to the system.
Watch the Release Highlight Video to see these new features, enhancements, and fixes in action.
New Features
The following features were added to SpecLink Cloud:
Automate Reference Standards When Importing a Word Document
SpecLink Cloud has both built in automated Reference Standards, as well as Specification import capabilities from Word documents, but they have not been connected until now. Starting in 2024.2.0 when users import documents from Word, Reference Standards will be automated during the import process.
For more information on Reference Standard Import Automation, please see this related guide article.
Commenting Upgrade
In this release, several new features have been added to the existing Comments feature in SpecLink Cloud. This includes a change to comment labels from "Open Comments" to "Active Comments", referring to all comments not "Resolved" or "Rejected."
These features include:
- Assign a Priority to Comments
- Assign a Status to Comments
- Filter Comments by Priority and Status
- User Tagging and Notifications
Assign a Priority to Comments
Comments will now have the ability to have priority levels assigned to them when creating or editing comments. The priority levels are Critical, High, Medium, Low, and Not Set, and will be color coded. This priority level will apply to both the original comment and all replies.
The Comments Report, exported to Excel through the Reporting menu, will now include a new column for showing the comment priority levels.
Please note, all existing comments in projects created before 2024.2.0 will automatically have the "Not Set" priority level and can then be changed by the user.
Please see the Commenting Article for more information on setting priority levels.
Assign a Status to Comments
Users can now assign one of eight different statuses to a comment, as well as change the status existing comments. A comment status can be assigned when creating a comment, editing a comment, or replying to a comment.
A brief explanation of each of the different comment statuses is below, but users are free to utilize them internally in any way that works.
| Status | Description of Comment |
| Draft | Comment currently being written or edited |
| Open | Comment submitted and ready for action |
| Pending | Waiting for a response or action to be taken |
| In Progress | Action has been taken or work has begun |
| Ready for Review | Action/Work finished, resolution pending review |
| In Review | Resolution has been completed and is now under final review |
| Rejected | Proposed resolution has been rejected |
| Resolved | Proposed resolution accepted or all necessary action completed |
Please note, all existing comments in projects created before 2024.2.0 will automatically have the "Open" status applied to them, but can then be changed by the user. Previously Rejected or Resolved comments can be reopened with one of the new status options as well.
Please see the Commenting Article for more information on assigning statuses.
Filter Comments by Priority and Status
With the addition of both Priority and Status being added to commenting, the ability to filter comments based on each of those criteria has been added to SpecLink Cloud as well.
From the updated comment filter on the SpecLink Cloud toolbar, users can now toggle the different filters and views for comments. The count in red indicates the total number of filtered (Priority and Status) comments.
When the filters are visible, each of the drop-down lists will indicate which aspects are being filtered with checkmarks. By simply clicking on a priority level or status, the various filter checkmarks can be toggled on or off.
User Tagging and Notifications
By utilizing the '@' symbol immediately before typing a users name, (ex. @Alex), users are now able to mention other users in comments so that they can be notified automatically within SpecLink Cloud and via email.
User Tagging
As you type an @mention, a drop-down list will appear with all the potential user's names on your account available to be tagged. There are some restrictions on whether a user can be @mentioned in a comment:
- They must be active users or contributors
- They must have access to the project (if Private or Hidden)
- They must have access to all levels of the section division
Notifications
Once @mentioned in a new comment, edited comment, or a comment reply, the tagged user will be receive a notification. There are two types of notifications, a SpecLink Cloud in-app notification and an automated email notification.
The in-app notification system will alert users when they have been mentioned in comments. The notification bell in the top right will display each of the @mentions when clicking to open the menu. Comment notifications will be separated from other notification types, there will be a Comments tab, and an Activity tab for other types of notifications.
The automated email notification will send any tagged user an email with a preview of the comment, as well as information about the associated project, including the priority level.
While the default setting for email notifications is set to On, all users will have the ability to enable or disable the automated email notifications when they are @mentioned in comments, to control whether or not an email is sent.
Users can find this setting from the SpecLink Cloud Dashboard and going to the Settings tab, selecting My Settings, and toggling the Email Notifications option as desired.
Enhancements
Enhancements that have been made to SpecLink Cloud include:
- The Comments Filter Visually Indicates Active or Inactive State
- Comments Filter Shows a Count of Open Comments
- Option to Copy or Not Copy Comments When Copying a Section
- Option to Include Comments when Importing Sections
- Include Comments When Sending a Project or Office Master
- Persistent Keynote Number for Project/Office Master
- Import from Project Now Includes a Search Filter
- Added "Show All Choices" to the Print Menu Options
- “Last Modified By” Column Added to the Sections List
- Access the Linking Menu While in Active View
- Linking Choice List Now Hidden by Default
- Linking Choice Options Are View Only Until Editing/Creating Links
- Dashboard Project Count Will Include Archived Projects
- Labels Changed to Reflect Filtered Content
- Expanding the Collaboration Feature
- The "Header/Footer" and "Toggle Page Break" Icons Have Been Relocated
- A Tooltip Now Appears When the Auto-Select New function is Toggled On or Off
- The Print Sheet Specs Feature Is Enabled for All Users
- The Settings Tab has been Visually Updated
The Comments Filter Visually Indicates Active or Inactive State
Previously, if you click the Comments Filter icon to view or hide comments in a section, the icon did not have a visible change to indicate if viewing of comments is on or off. Now, users will be able to see at a glance if the comments view is active or inactive.
Comments Filter Now Shows a Count of Open Comments
A red notification number will now appear on the Comment Filter to indicate to users how many open comments are in the section they are editing. This open comment count will remain visible regardless of if the Comment view is toggled on or off.
Option to Copy or Not Copy Comments When Copying a Section
By default, comments were always copied when copying sections in SpecLink Cloud. However, since comments are not always applicable to the copy of a section, copying comments is now optional when copying a section.
In the Copy Section menu, a new option “Copy comments from source section” will appear at the bottom. There will be two options when selecting to copy comments, "Copy all comments" or "Copy active comments".
Option to Include Comments when Importing Sections
Users are now able to include comments when importing sections from another project. When importing sections from another project, there is a new option on the Import from Project menu that will allow the inclusion of comments. There will be two options when selecting to include comments, "Include all comments" or "Include active comments".
Include Comments When Sending a Project or Office Master
The ability to include comments when sending a project or office master to another SpecLink Cloud user is now added. Now, when a user opens the Send project menu, they will see the “Include Comments” checkbox at the bottom of the menu. There will be two options when selecting to include comments, "Include all comments" or "Include active comments".
Persistent Keynote Number for Project/Office Master
Previously, if Keynotes were exported for a project/office master, but an edit was made to the "Section Includes" within a project/office master afterwards, the Keynote number was renumbering to match the updated "Section Includes".
This has now been modified, so once a Keynote text file has been exported for a project/office master, the specific Keynote number will only be used for the paragraph to which it refers. This means that if a paragraph is deleted, then the Keynote number will not be re-used for any new paragraphs; or if a paragraph is added, the Keynote number will be the next available that has not been used for the section in that project/office master.
Import from Project Now Includes a Search Filter
The "Import from Project" menu now includes a Search Project filter to quickly narrow down the list of projects to choose from when importing. Users can search with either the project name or the project ID.
Added "Show All Choices" to the Print Menu Options
Users can now print/export with all choice options visible on both Documents and Document Drafts printing menus. On the Documents tab and the Document Drafts tab, there is a new option labeled “Show All Choice Options”. When selected, all choice options from choice fields, not just the selected choice options, will appear in the print/export. This will apply when printing/exporting at project, branch, and section levels.
For more information on Print Menu Options, see this related guide article.
“Last Modified By” Column Added to the Sections List
A "Last Modified By" column now appears to the right of the "Last Modified" column in the section list in order to view which users made the most recent modifications to each section.
Access the Linking Menu While in Active View
Users will now be able to access the Linking menu while in Active View. This includes the ability to switch from Normal View to Active View while the link menu is open.
Linking Choice List Now Hidden by Default
In order to have a cleaner look in the Links Panel, the choice list in the focus paragraph will be hidden by default, showing a "Show Choice List" option instead. Clicking on the "Show Choice List" will open the full list of choice options for the focus paragraph.
Please see this article on linking with choice lists for more information.
Linking Choice Options Are View Only Until Editing/Creating Links
To simplify the link creation workflow, Choice Tree selections in the focus paragraph of the Links panel will not be able to be selected before creating or editing links.
Dashboard Project Count Will Include Archived Projects
In the SpecLink Cloud Dashboard on the Projects and Office Masters tabs, the number of projects/office masters in the Projects/Office Masters Created field will now include the total or active and archives projects/office masters.
Migrated Projects, Incoming Projects, and Deleted Projects will still not be included in the total.
Labels Changed to Reflect Filtered Content
When applying a filter to the Projects, Office Masters, Sections, or Files list, the total will now dynamically update to show the count of what is found based on filter applied.
Expanding the Collaboration Feature
The Collaboration feature in SpecLink Cloud has been expanded so that all users that currently have Collaboration enabled will have unlimited access to collaboration. New users will also receive this unlimited access when Collaboration is added to their account.
The "Header/Footer" and "Toggle Page Break" Icons Have Been Relocated
The Header/Footer and Toggle Page Break icons have been relocated from the More menu to a permanent home on the SpecLink Cloud Toolbar to give quicker access to these items.
A Tooltip Now Appears When the Auto-Select New function is Toggled On or Off
A new tooltip has been added to enhance the clarity of that status of the "Auto-Select New" feature in the More Menu. When hovering the mouse over the "Auto-Select New", a prompt will now appear to indicate "Turn on Auto-Select New" or "Turn Off Auto-Select New" so users can tell what action will be performed more clearly.
The Print Sheet Specs Feature Is Enabled for All Users
SpecLink Cloud has a Print Sheet Specs feature that will be enabled for all users. Now, when opening the Print menu, all users will see an additional tab for "Sheet Specs" printing and exporting options.
The Settings Tab Has Been Visually Updated
The layout of drop-down menus on the Settings tab on the SpecLink Cloud dashboard has received a visual update.
Fixes
The follow fixes have been made to SpecLink Cloud:
- Last Modified Date on Sections Should Not Change When the Section is Opened
- Last Modified Date on Sections Should Change When Activation/Selection State is Changed for Sections and Paragraphs
- Dropdown Lists Close When Clicking the Scroll Bar
- Keynotes Are Created When No Section Includes Article Exists
- "Can Comment" Access Able to Change Section IDs and Names
- "Can Comment" and "Can View" Access Able to Hide Sections and Folders
- Text Disappearing from Comment Replies
- Notification When Restoring a Project or Office Master from Archive
- Various Menu Items And Pop-Up Notifications Have Been Revised For Clarity
- Various Code and Data Fixes
Last Modified Date on Sections Should Not Change When the Section is Opened
Currently, if a user opens a section in a project and does not make any changes or edits to the section, the Last Modified date on the Section list still updates to the current date. This feature has been corrected so the last Modified date will not update on sections when a user does not make any modifications
Last Modified Date on Sections Should Change When Activation/Selection State is Changed for Sections and Paragraphs
The last modified date for individual sections will now correctly update in the Sections list when one of the following actions is performed on a section:
- Activate section
- Deactivate section
- Exclude section
- Select a paragraph
- Deselect a paragraph
- Exclude a paragraph.
Dropdown Lists Close When Clicking the Scroll Bar
When creating a new project, and attempting to to make selections in the drop-down lists, the lists close when clicking on the scroll bar to move through the list. This has been corrected.
Keynotes Are Created When No Section Includes Article Exists
Previously, when exporting a Keynotes text file, if the phrase "section includes" appears in a paragraph that is not part of the SECTION INCLUDES article, keynotes were being created for any subparagraphs under that paragraph. This has been corrected so that Keynotes are only created for paragraphs under the SECTION INCLUDES article.
"Can Comment" Access Able to Change Section IDs and Names
Previously, when a project was being share with users with the "Can Comment" access only have been able to change Section IDs and Section Names. This has been corrected so users restricted to "Can Comment" access can no longer change Section IDs and Section Names.
"Can Comment" and "Can View" Access Able to Hide Sections and Folders
Corrected the issue where users with “Can Comment” and “Can View” on shared projects can no longer hide sections and folders.
Text Disappearing from Comment Replies
Previously, when writing a reply to a comment in SpecLink Cloud, if a user clicked outside of the reply box before clicking the "Reply" button, the text of the reply disappeared. This has been corrected so the text does not disappear unless the user clicks Cancel while creating the reply.
Notification When Restoring a Project or Office Master from Archive
Previously, when a user restored a project or office master from archive, the user did not receive a notification that the restore was completed, even though the restore did in fact complete. This has been corrected so that users will now see a notification under the activity tab in the notification menu.
Various Menu Items And Pop-Up Notifications Have Been Revised For Clarity
Various wording changes to menu items and pop-up notifications have been revised for clarity throughout SpecLink Cloud.
Various Code and Data Fixes
Various code and data fixes that are project or customer specific have been applied since the previous SpecLink Cloud release.
New Release Video
Watch the SpecLink Cloud Release 2024.2.0 Highlight Video to see the new features and enhancements in action:
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