CONTEXT #
This guide describes how to use File review in AjourBox (web). You can place annotations directly on files, assign them to colleagues, follow their status and get a complete overview of all annotations in the project without leaving the system.
A file can have several annotations. They are shown in the comment panel on the right side of the file view. Each annotation has a Created by (the user who created it) and can have one or more Assigned users (the users who must act on it).
RELEVANCE #
File review is used when you need to review drawings and other files digitally, for example during quality assurance or internal review. Instead of sending comments by email, you can see which decisions have been made, when and by whom. Each annotation has its own history, and you can see who the task is assigned to and how far along it is.
PREREQUISITES AND REQUIREMENTS #
All four prerequisites must be met before you can use File review:
- The system setting File review has been activated by Ajour at customer level.
- You are assigned to the relevant project in AjourBox.
- You have the File review permission on the project.
- You have read access to the folder the file is stored in.
You can only review the file types PDF, JPG, JPEG and PNG.
Optional system settings (activated by Ajour):
| Setting | Purpose |
|---|---|
| File review | The core function: annotations, comments and the File review tab |
| Compare | Side-by-side comparison of two revisions of a file |
| Links | Clickable links inside documents |
The File review permission per role:
| Role | Permission |
|---|---|
| System administrator | Yes |
| Project administrator | Yes |
| Project manager | Yes |
| Project assistant | Yes |
| User, Observer, Box user, Tender user | No (can be granted manually, project by project) |
📋 Note: File review respects all folder permissions in AjourBox. If you do not have read access to a folder, you can neither see nor interact with annotations on the files in that folder, even if you have the File review permission on the project.
What can you do with and without the permission?
| Action | Without | With |
|---|---|---|
| Open a file in read-only view | Yes | Yes |
| Create an annotation | No | Yes |
| Edit and delete an annotation | No | Own annotations only |
| Assign an annotation to others | No | Own annotations only |
| Restore an archived annotation | No | Yes |
| Reply to comments and @mention a colleague | No | Yes |
| Change the status of an annotation | No | Yes |
| Add and remove links in the document | No | Yes |
| Compare file revisions | No | Yes |
| View the overview under the File review tab | No | Yes |
| View the history of an annotation | No | Yes |
| Print the overview | No | Yes |
GUIDE (step by step) #
Open a file and create an annotation
Step 1: Click AjourBox in the top navigation menu. Select the project in the dropdown menu at the top left, and find the folder you want in the folder tree.
Step 2: Click the file you want to review. The file is highlighted with a blue background, and an information panel with a preview opens on the right side.
Step 3: Click the full view icon (square with an arrow) at the top right of the preview. The file opens in the File review view, where you find the tabs View, File review, Measure and, if activated, Compare and Links.
Step 4: Click the File review tab. Under the tabs, the markup tools are shown, for example rectangle, freehand, line, arrow, circle and cloud. You can also choose a colour and erase.
Step 5: Select a markup tool and draw the markup at the spot in the document you want to draw attention to. The annotation is created and shown in the comment panel on the right, where you can write your text in the annotation field. The number next to Comments shows how many annotations and links the file has.
💡 Tip: You can search the comments at the top of the panel and sort them, for example by position in the document.
Assign an annotation to one or more users
Step 6: Type @ followed by the user’s name in the annotation field itself, and select the user from the list. You can assign the annotation to several users by mentioning them all in the annotation field. The users are now shown in the Assigned column in the overview.
❗ Important: Assignment only happens when you write @username in the annotation field (the original text of the annotation). If you write @username in a reply under the annotation instead, the user only receives a notification that they have been mentioned in a comment. The user is not assigned the annotation and therefore does not appear under Assigned.
⚠️ Warning: Only the user who created the annotation can assign it to other users.
Reply and change status
Step 7: Type in the Reply… field at the bottom of the annotation to reply to it, and click the send icon. Replies and status changes are shown in the annotation’s thread with date and time.
Step 8: Click the icon at the top right of the annotation to change its status. You can choose between Done, Rejected, Not approved, Closed and None. The status change is shown in the annotation’s thread and in the Status column in the overview.
📋 Note: All users with the File review permission can change the status of an annotation, regardless of who created it or who it is assigned to.
Edit or delete an annotation
Step 9: Click the three dots (…) on your annotation, and select Edit to change the annotation or Delete to delete it.
📋 Note: Only the user who created the annotation can edit and delete it.
⚠️ Warning: When you delete an annotation, it is archived for 30 days and then permanently deleted. Until then, you can restore it from the archive (see Step 19).
Use the annotation overview
Step 10: Click the File review tab at the top of AjourBox, next to the AjourBox button. The number on the tab shows the number of active annotations. The overview shows the columns Id, File name, Rev/Vers, File path, Description, Created by, Assigned, Status, Created and Updated. You can sort by clicking a column header.
Step 11: Click the project button next to Menu, and select Switch project to see annotations in another project. You can type in the search field at the top of the dropdown menu to find the project faster.
Step 12: Click the My annotations dropdown menu, and select what the list should show:
- My annotations
- All annotations
- Archived annotations
Step 13: Click the filter icon (funnel) to filter by status. Select or clear the checkboxes next to Done, Rejected, Not approved, Closed and None, so the list only shows the statuses you want.
Step 14: Type in the Search annotations field at the top right to find a specific annotation. Next to Show, select how many annotations to display at a time. Use the page numbers at the bottom to browse.
Step 15: Click the icon next to the file name to open the file directly in the File review view.
Step 16: Click the History button in the Description column to see the annotation’s log. It shows Time, Changed by, Original, New and Change, for example creation, changed description, added replies and status changes.
Step 17: Click Menu and select Print to print the overview.
💡 Tip: Print if you need a copy of the list.
Find and restore archived annotations
Step 18: Select Archived annotations in the dropdown menu. The list shows deleted annotations with the date in the Archived column. Above the list, a red warning states that archived annotations are permanently deleted after 30 days.
Step 19: Click the trash can icon next to the file name to restore the annotation. The annotation is moved back to the active list.
⚠️ Warning: After 30 days, the annotation can no longer be restored.
Troubleshooting: the File review tab is missing
Step 20: If a user cannot see the File review tab, an administrator must open the Administration module, find the user and open User data.
Step 21: Go to the Permissions tab, expand AjourBox under Project permissions, and check that File review is selected for the relevant project. Click Save.
💡 Tip: If the permission is correct but the user still cannot see the annotations on a file, check that the user has read access to the folder.
NEXT STEPS #
- Assign or adjust folder permissions in AjourBox for the users who need access to the reviewed files.
- Review the user’s project permissions in the Administration module if the File review tab is missing.
- Ask Ajour to activate the optional settings Compare or Links if you want to compare revisions or insert links in documents.