Link a purchase order to a task or service request when the purchase needs to be accessible from that job as well. Shared purchase order comments and files support internal collaboration. The message sent to the vendor is prepared separately using the contact person, email template and additional information in the vendor section.
Requirements for linking
Browser use requires warehouse and purchase order features to be enabled for your service. To add or remove a link, you need permission to edit both the purchase order and the selected task or service request. Simply seeing a job in the search results does not guarantee that you can link it. Adding a shared purchase order comment in the browser requires permission to edit the purchase order.
The link applies to the entire purchase order, not an individual vendor section. You can link multiple tasks and service requests to the same purchase order. Job links, shared comments and files cannot be added to a product inquiry alone: their tabs become available once the purchase has a saved purchase order. You can also add this information to an empty purchase order.
Find and link the right job in the browser
- Open Manage warehouses → Product inquiries and purchase orders and open a saved purchase from the list. On the purchase form, select Linked tasks or Linked service requests.
- Enter text that helps identify the job in the search field and check the additional information in the search result.
- Select the job and click Link task or Link service request. The link is saved immediately. Check that the correct job appears in the list of linked jobs.
Task search searches the task title, description and Spot name for text. The field says Search by task number, but this search does not use the task number as a search criterion. Use part of the title or the Spot name, for example. The result shows the title, an icon indicating the status, and any available due date, assignees, Spot, folder and customer information.
Service request search searches the title, description, reporter's name and Spot name. You can also search by service request number: for example, #123 searches for number 123. The digits in the search text are combined for the number search, and text matches may also appear. The result shows the title, an icon indicating the status, creation date, category, and any available Spot, service request number and responsible role.
The search shows up to 50 of the most recent matches you have permission to access. Without search text, it shows the most recent jobs. Refine your search if you cannot find what you are looking for. The search is not limited to open jobs: jobs with other statuses may also appear.
You can open a linked job's details by clicking its name. After confirmation, the trash icon on the row removes only the link; the task, service request and purchase order remain. The same job cannot be linked to the same purchase order twice.
Add a shared comment or file
On the purchase form's Comments tab, write a comment and select Add comment. The comment is saved immediately. On the Files tab, add an attachment using Add files. The upload starts after you select the files, independently of saving the form. Wait for it to finish and check that the file appears in the attachment list and opens.
Comments and files belong to the entire purchase order. They are also visible through linked jobs on Android and iOS; you do not need to add them separately to each job.
The vendor section's Internal notes are separate from the shared purchase order comments. Internal notes are not shown to the vendor. The purchase order's vendor section also has Purchase order notes, which are shown to the vendor on the page opened from the email link. Shared purchase order comments and files are not automatically included in the vendor's email or response page.
Open a purchase order on mobile
Open the linked task or service request and find the Purchase order – number section on Android or the Purchase Order – number section on iOS in its details. Check the number if several orders are linked to the job. Reading comments and files on mobile requires permission to read at least one task or service request linked to the purchase order. Adding a comment or attachment requires the corresponding edit permission. The job view may also restrict adding content based on the job's permissions and status.
Android: expand the section using the arrow. The comment area opens the purchase order's comment list. When adding comments is available, select Add Comment in the list, enter the text and save it. Add an attachment using the icon button next to the section's Attachments heading. The button for adding attachments is hidden when the job is in read-only mode.
iOS: open the comment list using the comment button in the Purchase Order section. Use the list's add function if it is available. The Purchase Order section has a separate button for adding attachments. A task's read-only mode prevents attachments from being added; adding comments to a service request depends on its status and commenting permissions.
Android refresh limitation: the section's comments and attachments may remain out of date if the item counts in both lists stay the same, even when the content has changed. Simply collapsing and expanding the section therefore does not guarantee a refresh. If the content is unclear, check the purchase order's Comments or Files tab in the browser.
Who receives notifications?
Adding a job link, saving a new shared comment and completing an attachment upload generate mobile notifications through the linked jobs. For tasks, recipients are determined by the assignees and assignee roles. For service requests, the notification goes to the responsible mobile role and to the reporter if the service request's email address matches a mobile user's account. Receiving a notification also depends on mobile notification reception.
A new comment or file also triggers an email to the person who created the purchase, provided they have a valid email address. Adding a job link does not trigger this email. These notifications are separate from the inquiry or order sent to the vendor.
Opening from a comment notification: both Android and iOS open the purchase order's comment list without the area for adding a comment, even if the user has permission to edit the job. To add a new comment, open the linked job and its own Purchase order – number section on Android or Purchase Order – number section on iOS. The absence of an add function when opening from a notification does not by itself indicate missing permission or a cancelled job. A notification about a link or file opens the linked job's details.
Save changes to the form
The purchase form uses the following buttons:
- Save saves changes to the form's inquiry and purchase order sections and leaves the purchase open. When editing, you return to the same tab.
- Save and close saves the same changes and closes the form.
- Close without saving closes the form without saving unfinished field changes. Links and comments already saved, and completed file uploads, remain.
Complete any missing required information if saving fails. Saving does not send a message to the vendor. If you change the details of a vendor section that has already been sent or is waiting for processing, saving returns the section to Draft status and disables the vendor's old response link. This reset does not apply to a partially delivered section. Send the updated inquiry or order separately if the changes need to be communicated to the vendor.
Create or edit an email template
In the browser, open Manage warehouses → Product inquiries and purchase orders → Email templates. Select Email templates for inquiries or Email templates for orders: inquiries and orders use different template types. Create a template using Create new email template for inquiries or Create new email template for orders. Open an existing template by clicking its name. Viewing, creating, editing and deleting require the corresponding email template permissions.
Enter the Email template name, email subject, Email body and language. The name helps you select the template; the subject and body are included in the email. A new template's language defaults to the browser service's interface language. Select either one vendor or Global, which makes the template available for different vendors. Selecting Global clears the vendor selection and prevents it from being edited until you clear the checkbox.
Your custom content appears in the email before the Default body for the language and message type, which includes the vendor's response link. The default body cannot be edited on this form. The default template's subject and language are locked when editing. If you need your own subject or a different language, create your own template.
Save a new template using Save and an edited template using Update email template. Check the saved name, language and global or vendor-specific scope in the list. Saving a template does not send an email.
Limits and effects of deleting an email template
The trash icon on an email template list row deletes the template after confirmation, provided you have delete permission and deletion is allowed. At least one global template must remain for each message type. The last global inquiry template or the last global order template cannot be deleted or made vendor-specific.
This limit is not language-specific. For example, if there is one global order template in Finnish and one in English, either can be deleted, even if that leaves its language without a global order template. The last remaining global order template cannot be deleted. The number of inquiry templates does not compensate for a missing order template.
Deleting a template clears the template selection in vendor sections that use it. It does not delete the purchase or its vendor sections. Reopen those purchases and select a replacement template if needed before sending again. A vendor section with a status other than Draft requires an email template, except when recording a completed purchase. After changing a template's scope, you should also check that it still applies to the vendors using it.
Select a template and send a message to the vendor
Open the correct vendor section on the purchase's Product inquiry or Purchase order tab. Check the contact person and use the section's Select email template function to preview the message and select a template. The available templates are those you have permission to access for that vendor and message type, along with global templates of the same type. Check the recipient's email address, language, subject, custom content and default body.
For a new regular inquiry or order, selecting a contact person may select a template automatically. The vendor's own template in the contact person's language takes priority; if none exists, a global template in the same language is selected. If no template in a suitable language is found, no automatic selection is made. When editing a saved purchase, changing the contact person does not trigger this automatic template selection. Always check the template yourself.
Send using the vendor section's Send product inquiry or Send purchase order button, and confirm sending only after checking the content. Sending requires send permission, a contact person belonging to that vendor, and a template of the correct message type that is either global or specific to the vendor. Recording a completed purchase is for recording a purchase already made, and does not send a purchase order to the vendor.
Sending first saves that vendor section and queues the message for the selected contact person's email address. The section changes to Sent status, and the response link is valid for seven days from sending. Check the success message and the section's status. These indicate that the send request succeeded, not that the recipient has read the message. Unfinished changes in other sections are saved using the form's save button.
When you copy a vendor section or an order, review the job links, recipient and message content again before sending. Linking to a job and sending a message do not record products in warehouse stock. See creating and processing a purchase order, receiving a purchase order and sending a product inquiry.