Documents
Backoffice path: backoffice/documents
Pilot path: documents
Available to roles: System Administrator, Administrator; Operations Staff can view, create, and edit
Overview
The Documents library is a hierarchical content repository where staff publish manuals, standard operating procedures, policies, fleet guides, and any other reference material for pilots. Documents support rich text authoring, direct PDF uploads, auto-generated content from system profiles, and folder containers for organizing related material. Pilots browse the library from their own sidebar section, can star favorites for quick access, and can download individual or combined folder PDFs.
Document Types
There are four document types. The type is selected when creating a document and cannot be changed afterwards.
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| HTML | Staff-authored rich text document. Content is written using the rich text editor and rendered with full typographic styling. |
| A PDF file uploaded by staff. Displays inline in the pilot's browser using an embedded PDF viewer. | |
| Auto-generated | Content generated automatically from a system profile (Load Profile, FDM Profile, or Airport). Content is read-only and reflects the live state of the source profile. |
| Folder | A container that holds child documents. Folders have no body content of their own but support a combined PDF download of all their children. |
Creating Documents
Navigate to backoffice/documents and select Create Document.
HTML document
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | The display name shown in the library. |
| Type | Select HTML. |
| Parent | Optional. Select an existing folder to nest this document inside it. Leave blank for a top-level entry. |
| Visibility | Controls which pilots can see the document (see Visibility Settings). |
| Content | Write the document body using the rich text editor. Supports formatted text, headings, lists, links, and images. |
PDF document
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | The display name shown in the library. |
| Type | Select PDF. |
| Parent | Optional parent folder. |
| Visibility | Controls access. |
| PDF File | Upload a .pdf file. Maximum file size is 20 MB. |
The uploaded file is stored on the server and served to pilots via an inline PDF viewer. The viewer renders inside the browser at full page height; a download button is shown as a fallback for browsers that do not support inline PDFs.
Folder
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | The display name of the folder. |
| Type | Select Folder. |
| Parent | Optional parent folder for nested hierarchies. |
| Visibility | Controls access to the folder and, contextually, its contents. |
Folders do not have a content body. After creating a folder, create child documents and set their Parent to this folder.
Folder Hierarchy
Documents are organized in a tree structure. Any document can serve as a folder by having child documents nested beneath it. The backoffice displays the full tree as a sortable, nested list showing the hierarchy depth visually.
Staff can:
- Create folders — add a container document to group related content.
- Create documents — add content pages within folders or at the top level.
- Reorder items — use the up/down controls to change the sort order of documents within the same parent level.
- Nest documents — move documents into or out of folders by changing their parent.
Visibility Settings
Each document has a visibility setting that controls which pilots can access it.
| Visibility | Description |
|---|---|
| Public | Visible to all authenticated pilots regardless of rank or license. |
| Staff | Visible only to staff members (System Administrator, Administrator, Operations Staff). Not shown to regular pilots. |
| Rank | Visible only to pilots who hold the specified rank or higher. Requires selecting a minimum rank. |
| License | Visible only to pilots who hold the specified active license. Requires selecting the required license. |
Visibility restrictions apply contextually — if a folder is restricted, pilots who cannot see the folder will not see its contents either, even if individual child documents have broader visibility settings.
Auto-Generated Documents
Some documents are generated automatically from system configuration:
| Source | Folder in library | When generated |
|---|---|---|
| Load Profile | "Load Profiles" | When a Load Profile is created or updated |
| FDM Profile | "FDM Profiles" | When an FDM Profile is created or updated |
| Airport | "Airport Briefings" | When an Airport Briefing is created or updated |
Auto-generated documents have read-only content that reflects the current state of their source profile. Staff can:
- Regenerate the content to reflect any changes made to the source profile (available on the edit page).
- Edit metadata fields (title, visibility, sort order, parent).
Staff cannot manually edit the body content of auto-generated documents. This ensures library documentation stays in sync with the actual system configuration.
Pilot Favorites
Pilots can star any accessible document to bookmark it for quick access.
- On the document show page, click the star icon next to the document title to add or remove the document from favorites.
- In the document library, starred documents appear as pinned cards at the top of the navigation panel, above the full document tree.
- Each favorite card shows the document title, type, and parent folder name.
- Clicking a favorite card loads the document immediately.
- Favorites are personal — each pilot maintains their own list.
Inline PDF Viewer
PDF-type documents display inside an embedded viewer on the document show page. The viewer occupies the full content area (80% of the viewport height). Pilots can scroll, zoom, and print from within the viewer using the browser's built-in PDF controls.
If the pilot's browser does not support inline PDF rendering, a Download PDF button is shown instead.
Downloading PDFs
Every document has a PDF download button. For HTML and auto-generated documents, the PDF is rendered from the document's rich text content using a headless browser, preserving all formatting and styling.
For uploaded PDF documents, the original uploaded file is served directly.
Folder PDF download
Folders with child documents show an additional Folder PDF button. Clicking this button generates and downloads a single combined PDF containing all documents in the folder:
- All HTML and auto-generated child documents are rendered and combined into a single PDF section.
- All uploaded PDF child documents are appended page-by-page after the rendered content.
- The combined file is served as a single download.
The combined PDF is pre-generated and cached on the server, so subsequent downloads are served instantly. The cache is automatically refreshed whenever a child document is added, edited, or removed.
Activity Log
The backoffice document edit page includes a paginated activity log that records every change to the document's attributes (title, visibility, parent, auto-generation status, and more) with timestamps and the staff member who made the change.
Staff Actions Summary
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Create | Add a new document (HTML, PDF, or Folder) with content, parent, and visibility settings. |
| Edit | Modify an existing document's metadata, content, or visibility settings. |
| Delete | Remove a document or folder from the library. |
| Reorder | Change the sort order using up/down controls within the same parent level. |
| Regenerate | For auto-generated documents, refresh the content from the source profile. |