24 · Admin · Projects config

Admin pages for projects: project types (with auto-numbered project codes) and task templates. Both are reachable from the Projects sidebar group, or directly at /admin/projects/types and /admin/projects/templates.

Project types

/admin/projects/types

A project type categorises projects and owns the counter that hands out the auto-numbered code.

+--------------------------------------------------------+
| Project types                            [+ New type]  |
|--------------------------------------------------------|
| ●  Code     Name        Next number   Projects   …     |
|--------------------------------------------------------|
| ●  SNAG     Snagging     SNAG-015      14   [edit]…     |
| ●  ONBOARD  Onboarding   ONBOARD-008    7   [edit]…     |
| ●  MIG      Migration    MIG-004        3   [edit]…     |
+--------------------------------------------------------+

📷 Screenshot placeholder: screenshots/admin-project-types.png

Creating a type

1. + New project type.
2. Name — the display label (e.g. Snagging).
3. Code — 2–16 characters, uppercase letters/digits, starting with a letter (e.g. SNAG, MAINT2). Used as the code prefix.
4. Description — optional.
5. Number padding — digit count, 1–8. The form previews the next code as you change it.
6. Start counter at — optional; seed the counter when migrating an existing numbering scheme (e.g. start at 5 so the first code is SNAG-005).
7. Colour — pick from the swatches; shown as the group dot on the project list.
8. Create type.

Project code rules

• Code can be edited only while the type has no projects. Once SNAG-001 exists the code is locked — renaming it would silently rewrite every existing project's identifier.
• Number padding can be changed only while the counter is still at 1. Once the counter has advanced it is locked, because re-padding would rewrite codes already printed in invoices and audit logs.
• Next number is monotonic and never reused — even when a project is deleted or archived, its number stays consumed.

This guarantees a printed snag list saying SNAG-014 always resolves to the same project.

Archiving

A type can be archived instead of deleted. Archived types drop out of the create-project type dropdown but keep all their history and their counter. Un-archive at any time.

A type can be deleted only when it has zero projects — otherwise the UI blocks it and tells you to archive instead.

Task templates

/admin/projects/templates

A task template is a reusable task shape: a default task title, a rich-text default description, and a default checklist. It is applied when adding a task to a project — it is not a multi-task project skeleton.

+--------------------------------------------------------+
| Task templates                          [+ New template]|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
| Template name          Default title       Checklist   |
|--------------------------------------------------------|
| Server provisioning    Provision server     6 items     |
| Site survey            Carry out survey      4 items     |
| Handover checklist     Complete handover    9 items     |
+--------------------------------------------------------+

📷 Screenshot placeholder: screenshots/admin-task-templates.png

Creating a template

1. + New template.
2. Template name — how it appears in the "+ from template…" dropdown.
3. Default task title — seeds the task's title (the user can still override it).
4. Default description — rich text, seeds the task body.
5. Default checklist — add items, each with:
   • a label
   • a type: Checkbox, Yes/No, Single-line text, Rich text, Number, or Date
   • an optional Required flag Reorder items with the ↑ / ↓ buttons.
6. Save.

Applying a template

On any project's Tasks card, the + from template… dropdown creates a task seeded from the template — title, description, and a fresh copy of the checklist items.

Editing existing templates

Editing a template does not change tasks already created from it — each task is a snapshot taken at creation time. Removing a checklist item from a template only affects future tasks.

Permissions

Both admin pages are wrapped in the admin guard, so only admins can open them and manage types or templates. Any user with the projects feature can then use the types and templates when creating projects and tasks.

Common workflows

Add a new project category

1. Project types → + New type, name Rack audit, code RACK, padding 3.
2. Create type.
3. The new-project form now offers RACK for auto-numbering and produces RACK-001, RACK-002, …

Standardise a recurring task

1. Task templates → + New template.
2. Name it (e.g. Firewall swap), set the default title and description.
3. Build the checklist — typed items for each step that needs a specific answer.
4. Save. Engineers now pick it from + from template… on any project.

Retire a type

• Open the type, Archive it. It vanishes from the create dropdown but all its projects and its counter are preserved.

See also

• Projects — using the module
• Admin → Integrations — InvoiceNinja for billable projects