A designer link opens one estimate's Takeoff for someone without an account. A customer can trace their own panels and send them back; a colleague or partner can work on the estimate without joining your team. Anyone who has the link can open it, so the link itself is the key.
Creating a link#
In the Takeoff, press Share in the header. The dialog lists the estimate's links, with how often each was opened, when it was last opened, when it was submitted and when it expires. Copy, open or Revoke a link from there.
Under New link:
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Label | A name for you, such as "Customer review". |
| Role | Customer or Staff (below). |
| Show sell prices | Customer links only: show the price of the parts they draw. Off: measurements only. |
| Allow adding files | Customer links only: let them upload more artwork. |
| Customer can add parts by size | Customer links only, off by default: let them add lines by typing a size instead of drawing (below). |
| Expires after (days) | 1 to 365 days, or empty for a link that never expires. |
| Return URL after Finish | Where the browser goes when they press Finish, for example back to your web shop. https or http only. |
Create and copy link creates it and copies it to your clipboard.
Customer and staff roles#
| Customer | Staff | |
|---|---|---|
| Draw, measure, set scales, set quantities | Yes | Yes |
| Pick materials | From the materials offered | From the materials offered |
| Sell prices | If Show sell prices is on | Yes |
| Your costs, margins, machine and printer rates | Never | Yes |
| Production tab, nest settings, cut files | No | Yes |
| Create materials | No | Yes |
| Edit the estimate's name, customer, reference, status, units and notes | No | Yes |
| Add files | If Allow adding files is on | Yes |
| Add lines by size | If Customer can add parts by size is on | Yes |
| Change your lines | The quantity only, when parts by size are on | Yes |
Hidden information isn't just hidden on screen: the server removes costs, rates and (when prices are off) prices from everything it sends to a customer link.
Files added through a link are saved in your team's Files library, in the estimate's folder under Estimates, like any other upload to the estimate (see Takeoff: tracing parts). Nobody with a link can see your library or pick from it, whatever the role: From Files is only in your team's own Takeoff. When your team's storage is full, a file added through a link is refused with a message that says only that; it never shows your storage figures.
Through a designer link, the materials on offer are the estimate's allowed materials, or every active material when none were set. Allowed materials are set when an estimate is created through the API. Materials that parts already use stay available, and staff links can also add a new material.
For customers#
If someone sent you a designer link:
- Open it. There is nothing to sign up for.
- Follow the guide at the bottom: set the scale by drawing along a dimension you know, then trace each panel you want produced with the rectangle (R) or polygon (P) tool. See Setting the scale and Takeoff: tracing parts.
- Give each part a material and a quantity. The Quote tab adds up the area, and the price if the sender chose to show it.
- Press Finish when you're done. Your parts are saved and the sender can see that you've finished. You may be taken back to the sender's website; otherwise you can close the window.
You can keep working after Finish if you need to change something. Your work saves as you go. If the link has expired or was revoked, you'll see "This designer link has expired or was revoked": ask the sender for a new one. Anything you already sent has been kept.
Adding lines by size#
With Customer can add parts by size on, the link opens a list where the customer can add a line with a name, a size, a quantity, a material from the ones offered, and its sides (4/0, 4/4, 1/0 or 1/1; one or two sides on a roll). They can change and delete the lines they added; on the lines you set up they can change only the quantity, and your finishing, hand prices and extra quantities stay as you set them. Without it the list is read-only. Customers can't add boxes or change a box's size, style, board or how it's made (see Cartons and boxes). A box's die or plates billed separately show as a "One-off: cutting die" row with its price, never its cost. They never see which die a box uses or how it is picked, and their save keeps the die choices you made.
A line that is still being priced shows "Price to follow". Every link also has a clean printable page with the items, quantities and (when prices are shown) prices each and totals; it never shows your costs.
Finish#
When a link user presses Finish and confirms, the estimate and the link record when it was submitted, and the Share dialog shows it. If the link has a return URL, the browser goes there.
Keeping links safe#
- Treat a link like a password. Share it only with the person who needs it. Anyone who has it can open the estimate until it expires or you revoke it.
- Revoke a link you no longer need, or set an expiry. A revoked or expired link shows a "link unavailable" page.
- Use staff links sparingly. A staff link shows your costs and margins.
- Designer pages load no analytics, send no referrer to other sites, aren't cached by the browser and ask search engines not to index them, so the link doesn't leak through the page itself.
- Requests through a designer link are rate-limited.