How Fluvial fits together¶
For: all users
Five ideas explain almost everything in Fluvial. Ten minutes here will make every other article quicker.
The hierarchy¶
Account (your firm)
└── Projects
└── Documents (one register entry per document number)
└── Versions (one per revision: A, B, 0, C1, T3 …)
- Your account is your firm's private space. Every user assigned to the account can view every project, document, revision and transmittal.
- A project holds a flat, searchable register of documents. There are no folders — search and filters replace the folder tree.
- A document is defined by a number (e.g.
S-201), a name, and a type (Drawing, Specification, Report…). It has exactly one current version at any time. - A version is one uploaded file at one revision (e.g. Rev B). New revisions supersede older ones, but nothing is deleted — superseded versions stay visible and clearly marked. Version numbers are automatically incremented each time a document is updated. Duplicate revision names are discouraged, but possible.
Transmittals connect documents to the outside world¶
Documents enter Fluvial by being uploaded into a draft transmittal, and leave it by that transmittal being issued to recipients. A draft is fully editable; an issued transmittal is a permanent, read-only snapshot. See Transmittals.
Approvals gate the issue¶
Your account chooses which approval roles — drafter, designer, manager — must sign off before any transmittal can be issued. See Approvals.
Document statuses¶
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Uploaded but not yet issued on any transmittal. Fully editable; can be deleted by anyone. |
| Active | Issued at least once. The current revision of record. Its revision name is locked. |
| Withdrawn | Deliberately removed from use — retained and visible, but flagged as not for use. |
A document shows as draft only while all of its versions are drafts; issuing any version makes the document active.
No per-document review states
Fluvial has exactly these three statuses. Approvals apply to transmittals (the act of issuing), not to individual documents — there is no "for review" / "approved" state on a document.
The portal — how recipients receive documents¶
Issuing a transmittal emails each recipient a private, tokenized link to a public portal page where they view and download the documents. Recipients need no account; the link is the credential. Every access is recorded. See You've received a transmittal.