Overview
You can attach files to your quotes in Tempus Tools. Attachments can be added to the whole quote, or to individual line items (parts and miscellaneous items).
Each attachment has one of two visibility settings:
Staff: visible only to your team in the Web App. This is the default for files your staff upload.
Customer: visible to your team, and downloadable by your customer in your Web Store.
Your customers can also upload files to their quotes from your Web Store. Their uploads are always set to Customer.
Attachments are available on all plans.
Where you can add attachments
Level | Typical uses | Shown in Web Store |
Quote | Purchase orders, contracts, standard terms, general project specifications | Yes |
Part (quote item) | Engineering drawings, PDF prints, CAD specifications, inspection notes, revision notices | Yes |
Miscellaneous item | Delivery dockets, finishing or coating certificates, supplier quotes, freight notes | No. Miscellaneous items do not appear in the Web Store |
Attachments are available at every stage of a quote. You can view, download and manage them while editing a quote, and on quotes that are Ordered, Issued or Invoiced, directly from the quote editing and review screens.
Look for the Attachments label and the paperclip icon. Part rows and miscellaneous item rows show a badge with the number of attached files, so you can see which items have documents without opening them.
Who can see and manage attachments
User | Can see | Can upload | Can delete |
Your staff (Web App) | All attachments (Staff and Customer) | Yes. Uploads are set to Staff by default | Any attachment on your organisation's quotes |
Your customer (Web Store) | Customer attachments on the quote and its parts | Yes, to the quote and to parts. Uploads are always set to Customer | Only files they uploaded themselves, while the quote is editable |
Staff attachments are never shown in the Web Store. They do not appear in file lists or counts, and they cannot be downloaded by customers.
File types and limits
Supported file types
Any file type can be uploaded, including PDFs, Word documents, spreadsheets, images, CAD files, text files and ZIP archives.
Maximum file size
Each file can be up to 20 MB.
How many files you can attach
Each quote, part and miscellaneous item has two separate limits:
Up to 5 Staff attachments
Up to 5 Customer attachments
The 5 Customer slots are shared between your staff and your customer. Files your staff set to Customer and files your customer uploads both count towards the same limit. If the 5 Customer slots are full, your customer cannot upload any more files to that quote or part until a slot is freed.
Limits apply to each quote, part and miscellaneous item separately. Files attached to one part do not use up space on the quote or on any other part. The attachments panel shows both counts, for example: Staff 3 of 5 · Customer 2 of 5.
Zip files
A Zip file counts as one attachment, no matter how many files it contains. If you need to attach more than five files to one item, compress them into a ZIP first.
Uploading several files at once
If you select more files than there are free slots, the whole batch is stopped before uploading, and a message tells you how many slots remain. Remove some files from your selection, or delete existing attachments, then try again.
Changing an attachment's visibility
Any member of your staff can switch an attachment between Staff and Customer.
When you set a file to Customer, a confirmation message reminds you that the customer will be able to see and download it in the Web Store.
The switch only works if there is a free slot in the destination group. For example, if an item already has 5 Customer files, you cannot set a sixth file to Customer until you remove or change one of the others.
You can also set a file your customer uploaded to Staff. The customer will then no longer see that file in the Web Store.
Because staff uploads are set to Staff by default, internal documents such as supplier quotes, margin calculations or internal notes are not shared with your customer unless you choose to share them.
Attachments in the Web Store
Your customer can open a quote in your Web Store once they have signed in with their email and password. If your customer does not have an account yet, they can register one on the homepage of your Web Store.
On a quote in the Web Store, your customer can:
See and download all Customer attachments on the quote and its parts
Upload their own files, such as purchase orders or drawings, to the quote or to individual parts
Delete files they uploaded themselves
Your customer must be signed in to upload files.
Customers can only delete their files while they have access to the quote's editing screen. Once a quote has been Ordered or Invoiced, the customer can no longer access a quote editing or quote review page, so will be unable to delete them.
Miscellaneous items do not appear in the Web Store, so attachments on miscellaneous items are not shown to customers.
Downloading attachments
To download an attachment, click the download icon next to it:
For quote level attachments, use the quote's attachments list.
For part or miscellaneous item attachments, open that item's attachments pop-up.
This is currently the only way to download attachments. Files always download to your device. They never open or run inside the browser.
Malware scanning and file status
Every uploaded file is automatically scanned for malware before it can be downloaded. Each file shows one of three statuses:
Status | What it means | What you can do |
Ready | The file has been scanned and has passed the checks that are in place. | Download or delete it as normal. |
Checking | The file is being scanned. This usually takes a few seconds. | Wait. The file cannot be downloaded or deleted until the scan finishes. |
Could not be accepted | The file failed the scan, or the scan took longer than 15 minutes. | The file cannot be downloaded. Delete it to free up the slot, then try uploading again. |
If a part has a file that could not be accepted, a warning badge appears next to its attachment count.
Duplicating a quote
When you duplicate a quote, attachments are copied to the new quote automatically:
All Ready attachments are copied at quote, part and miscellaneous item level.
Each file keeps its visibility setting (Staff or Customer).
Files that are still Checking, or that could not be accepted, are not copied. A message lists the files that were skipped.
Copied files are independent. Deleting a file on the new quote does not affect the original quote.
Deleting Attachments
Deleting an attachment is permanent and cannot be undone.
Deleting a part or miscellaneous item also deletes all files attached to it.
Deleting a quote deletes all of its attachments at every level.
Attachments are not removed automatically. They are kept until someone deletes them.
Current limitations
The following are not available yet:
Bulk download: files must be downloaded one at a time, using the download icon next to each attachment.
Bulk delete: files must be deleted one at a time.
Exports and emails: attachments are not included in the quote ZIP export, quote PDFs or emails.
Notifications: you are not notified when a customer uploads a file.
We plan to improve the attachments feature, and bulk download and bulk delete are under consideration. If these, or any other improvements, would help you, please tell us. Customer feedback directly shapes which enhancements we build next.
Frequently asked questions
Can my customer see files I upload?
Not by default. Staff uploads are set to Staff. Your customer can only see a file if you set it to Customer, and only on a quote or part they can open in the Web Store.
Can my customer upload files?
Yes. Signed-in customers can upload files to the quote and to individual parts in your Web Store. These files are always set to Customer.
Why can't my customer upload a file?
Either they are not signed in, or the 5 Customer slots on that quote or part are already full. Slots are shared between files you set to Customer and files your customer uploads. Delete a file, or set one of your files back to Staff, to free a slot.
Why can't I upload more files?
Each quote, part and miscellaneous item allows 5 Staff and 5 Customer files. If the relevant group is full, delete a file you no longer need, or combine several files into one ZIP file.
Why can't I set a file to Customer?
The item already has 5 Customer files. Delete one, or set one back to Staff, then try again.
Can my customer see attachments on miscellaneous items?
No. Miscellaneous items do not appear in the Web Store.
Will I be notified when my customer uploads a file?
No. There are no notifications for attachments at the moment. Check the attachments panel on the quote and its parts.
Are attachments included when I email or export a quote?
No. Attachments are not included in emails, quote PDFs or the ZIP export. Each file must be downloaded individually.
Why can't I download a file?
The file is either still being scanned (Checking) or it failed the scan (Could not be accepted). Wait a few seconds for a file that is checking. Delete and re-upload a file that could not be accepted.
Is there a file size limit?
Yes. Each file can be up to 20 MB.
Can I download all attachments at once?
Not yet. Each file must be downloaded individually. Let us know if bulk download would help you, as we are recording requests for this.
Can I delete several attachments at once?
Not yet. Each file must be deleted individually. Let us know if bulk delete would help you.
Are old attachments deleted automatically?
No. Attachments are kept until someone deletes them.
Can I recover a deleted attachment?
No. Deleting an attachment is permanent.