Internal vs External Documents (the Instructions model)

How document visibility works: new uploads default to Internal, the External/Internal toggle, and why the shop ticket is always internal.

Written By Dennis Rodin

Last updated 17 days ago

Every file on an order is either Internal (visible only to your team) or External (visible to the customer in the Customer Portal). Find it on any order under Notes & Files, in the order's Documents section, where each document shows its visibility.

New uploads default to Internal

When you upload a file and pick a type, the document starts out Internal no matter which category you choose. This is on purpose, so nothing reaches a family by accident. The five upload categories are:

  • Drawing: JPG or PNG design view for the shop ticket, portal, and PDFs.

  • Financial Document: receipts, invoices, and contracts.

  • Permit: cemetery or city paperwork.

  • Instructions: internal production guidance.

  • Reference: photos, supplier specs, inspiration.

When you want a family to see a file, flip it to External (see below). Proofs and drawings you mark External show up in the Customer Portal.

The External / Internal toggle

Most documents carry a small toggle that controls visibility:

  • External (green): the customer can see this document in the Customer Portal.

  • Internal: only your team can see it.

Note: Flip the toggle any time. There's no separate save step, and the change takes effect for the Customer Portal right away.

The shop ticket is always internal

When you press Generate Shop Ticket, MonuDesk downloads the PDF and also saves a copy on the order as an Instructions document. Instructions are production guidance for your shop floor, so they are locked to internal.

An Instructions document does not have a toggle. Instead it shows a non-interactive Internal status, and hovering over it explains why: "Instructions are always internal only and never shown in the Customer Portal." You can't flip a shop ticket to External, and the backend enforces the same rule, so a family never sees it.

What the other generated documents do

The shop ticket is the only generated document that is forced internal. Everything else MonuDesk generates is saved as a Financial Document and is customer-visible by default:

  • Invoice, Receipt, Contract, Quote: financial documents, customer-visible.

  • Purchase Order and Foundation Order: also stored as financial documents (not Instructions), so they carry the normal External / Internal toggle rather than the locked status.

If you'd rather keep one of these from the family, just flip its toggle to Internal.

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