Documents

XBuddy Documents is the central repository for all company files — proposals, policies, SOPs, templates, and contracts. Every document is versioned, permission-controlled, and linked to the business processes that need it.

Key Entities

Getting Started

1. Create your folder hierarchy — Go to Documents → My Library. Click New Folder and build a structure that reflects your org (e.g., Finance / Invoices / 2026, HR / Policies, Sales / Proposals).
2. Set folder permissions — Right-click a folder → Manage Access. Assign view/edit/manage rights to roles or specific users. Child folders inherit parent permissions by default.
3. Upload your first document — Click Upload or drag files into a folder. Supports PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PNG, JPG, and ZIP up to 500 MB.
4. Add metadata — After upload, fill in Tags, Category, and optionally link to an entity (e.g., a Contact, Project, or Contract).
5. Share or collaborate — Click Share on any document to generate a view-only link or invite specific users with edit access.
6. Create a template — Go to Templates → New Template. Upload a base file and mark variable fields with {{variable_name}} syntax. Templates can be used from any module’s document picker.
7. Trigger an approval — On any document, click Request Approval. Choose an approval workflow (or create one) and notify reviewers. Track status in the Approvals module.

Core Workflows

1. Document Lifecycle: Draft → Review → Published

Upload / Create Draft
        ↓
Internal Review (comments, suggestions)
        ↓
Approval Request (optional — see Approvals module)
        ↓
Published (marked as current version)
        ↓
Archived (superseded by newer version or manually archived)

How to manage versions:

• Open a document → Version History tab → see every version with uploader, timestamp, and size.
• Click Restore on any version to make it the current one (creates a new version entry, never overwrites history).
• Add a version note when uploading to describe what changed (e.g., “Updated payment terms per legal review”).

2. Template-Based Document Generation

1. Go to Templates and select the desired template.
2. Click Generate Document.
3. Fill in the variable fields in the popup form (e.g., client_name, contract_date, value).
4. XBuddy generates the file and saves it to your selected folder.
5. The generated document is automatically linked to any entity you specified (e.g., a Deal in CRM or a Project).

3. Cross-Module Document Attachment

Documents can be attached directly from other modules:

• CRM / Sales — Attach proposals and NDAs to Deals
• HR — Attach offer letters, contracts, and policies to Employee records
• Projects — Attach SOWs and deliverables to Project records
• Finance — Attach supporting invoices and receipts to Transactions
• Contracts — Contracts module auto-stores signed documents here

When you open any attached document, you land directly in Documents with full version and approval history.

4. Bulk Upload & Folder Migration

1. Bulk Upload: Drag a folder from your desktop into the Documents panel — XBuddy preserves the sub-folder structure automatically.
2. Move: Select multiple files with ⌘/Ctrl + click → Move → pick destination folder.
3. Bulk Tag: Select files → Edit Tags → apply shared tags in one action.

Configuration

Permissions

Integration Map

AI Agents

FAQ

Q: How many versions of a document are kept? All versions are kept indefinitely by default. You can enable auto-purge of versions older than N days in Admin → Settings → Documents → Version Retention.

Q: Can external users (clients, vendors) access documents? Yes — use Share → External Link to generate a view-only or comment-enabled link. Links can be password-protected and set to expire. External users do not need an XBuddy account.

Q: What happens if two people edit the same document at the same time? XBuddy uses optimistic locking: the second save creates a new version. Both versions are preserved. Use the Version History to merge changes manually if needed.

Q: Can I recover a deleted document? Yes — deleted documents go to Trash and are held for 30 days before permanent deletion. Go to Documents → Trash to restore.

Q: How do I restrict a subfolder from being visible to a role that has access to the parent? Open the subfolder → Manage Access → toggle off Inherit parent permissions → set explicit access rules. The parent folder’s permissions no longer cascade into this subfolder.

Q: Can I link a document to multiple entities (e.g., both a Deal and a Contact)? Yes — open the document → Links tab → Add Link → search for any entity type. Documents support multiple entity links simultaneously.

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Onboarding Document Pack for New Hire

1. Create folder HR / Onboarding / [Employee Name].
2. Generate offer letter from template → fill employee details → save to folder.
3. Attach employment contract → send for e-signature via E-Signatures module.
4. Upload signed contract → link to HR employee record.
5. Add policies (handbook, NDA) → set as required reading → notify employee via Communications.

Scenario 2: Proposal-to-Contract Flow for a Sales Deal

1. In CRM, open a Deal → Documents tab → Generate from Template → select Proposal template.
2. Fill in deal-specific variables → save to Sales / Proposals / [Deal Name].
3. Share with prospect via external link.
4. Once accepted, generate Contract → route through approval workflow.
5. Send approved contract for e-signature → signed PDF auto-archived under the Deal.

Scenario 3: Policy Update with Audit Trail

1. Upload new version of a policy document to HR / Policies.
2. Add version note: “Updated leave policy per 2026 labor law amendment”.
3. Create approval request → assign to Legal and HR Director.
4. After approval, mark as Published → notify all staff via Communications.
5. Previous version remains in Version History for compliance auditing.