Back to V310: Construction Project Management

Lesson 10: Working with Photo Logs

Photo logs are used to store photos that have been taken for a project. This lesson explains how to work with photo logs in the system.

Photo Logs: General Information

In the construction industry, field superintendents and other employees may use mobile devices to take photos to document progress, and then they may need to store and share those photos. In Acumatica ERP Construction Edition, you can create photo logs. You can associate each photo log with a particular project and, optionally, a project task.

Learning Objectives

In this lesson, you will learn how to do the following:

Create a photo log
Upload photos to a photo log
Update a photo that has been uploaded to a photo log
Download a ZIP archive with all the photos and files of a photo log
Send an email with all the photos and files of a photo log

Applicable Scenarios

You create a photo log when you have any number of photos taken at a construction site, and you want to associate the photos with one another and keep them for a project or project task.

Creation of a Photo Log

On the Photo Logs (PJ405000) form, you can view a table showing all the photo logs created in the system or only those that meet the criteria you have specified. You can also create a photo log by clicking Add New Record on the form toolbar. The system opens the Photo Log (PJ305000) form with a new photo log. On this form, you need to specify the project for which the photo log is being created, the date, and the status. Also, you can specify a project task and a brief description of the photo log. To upload the photos, on the le pane on the Photos tab, you click anywhere in the file upload area (which has the Drag files here or click to upload text). In the dialog box that opens, you select all photos to be uploaded. The system uploads the photos as separate photo records and lists them on the Photos tab. If you want to mark one of the photos as the main photo of the entire photo log, you select the Main Photo check box in the corresponding line. If the row for this photo log is clicked in the table on the Photo Logs form, the system will show this photo in the right pane of that form.

Update of Photos in a Photo Log

You may need to update photos in a photo log with a newer version of these photos. To update a photo that has already been uploaded to a photo log, you open the photo log on the Photo Log (PJ305000) form; in the row with the photo on the Photos tab, you click the link in the Photo ID column. The system opens the photo record on the Photo (PJ305010) form. Then you click Change Photo on the form toolbar, and select the new photo to be uploaded instead of the current one. Aer uploading the new photo, you save your changes to the photo record. Lesson 10: Working with Photo Logs | 69

In the Summary area of the Photo form, you can also select the Main Photo check box to make the photo the main photo of the photo log. In this case, if a user clicks the row with the photo log on the Photo Logs form, this photo will be displayed in the preview area (in the right pane).

          Only one photo can be marked as the main photo of a photo log. If no photo is marked as the main
          photo of the selected photo log, the preview area remains empty.

To move a photo from one photo log to another, you can open the photo record on the Photo (PJ305010) form, select the destination photo log in the Photo Log ID box, and save your changes.

Attaching of Files and Photos to a Photo Log

You can attach files and images to a photo log record by using standard Acumatica ERP functionality by clicking the Files button on the form title bar of a Photo Log (PJ305000) form. In the Files dialog box, which the system opens, you upload the file or files to be attached to the record. When the user uploads the files and images in this way, the files are also attached to the record; the number of attached files is shown in parentheses right of the Files button on the form title bar. If needed, you can also upload files by using a registered mobile device with the Acumatica mobile app installed. For more information on working with attachments, see Attachments: File Upload and Attachment. Aer you have uploaded files, you can move the uploaded photos from attachments to the photo log by clicking the Upload Photos from Attachments button on the table toolbar of the Photo Log form. The system creates separate photo records for each image and removes this image from the attached files.

Downloading and Emailing Photos

When you are working with photo logs on the Photo Logs (PJ405000) form, you can also do the following:

Download photos from multiple photo logs at a time by selecting the unlabeled check boxes for the needed photo logs in the table in the le pane and clicking Export Photos on the form toolbar.
Email photos from multiple photo logs at a time by selecting the unlabeled check boxes for the needed photo logs in the table in the le pane and clicking Email on the form toolbar. You can also perform the same operations for a particular photo log by opening it on the Photo Log (PJ305000) form and clicking Export Photos and Email commands in the More menu of this form.

Photo Logs: Implementation Activity

This activity will walk you through the process of specifying the statuses that can be used for photo logs.

Story

Suppose that the ToadGreen company needs to keep photo logs in the system. Acting as a system administrator, you need to define the statuses to be used for photo logs.

Configuration Overview

For the purposes of this activity, the Construction and Construction Project Management features have been enabled on the Enable/Disable Features (CS100000) form. Lesson 10: Working with Photo Logs | 70

Process Overview

You will specify the numbering sequences to be used for photo logs and photos on the Project Management Preferences (PJ101000) form. You will also configure a list of statuses to be used for the photo logs on the same form.

System Preparation

To prepare to perform the instructions of this activity, sign in to the system as a system administrator by using the gibbs username and the 123 password.

Step: Specifying Photo Log Settings Specify the photo log settings by doing the following:

Open the Project Management Preferences (PJ101000) form.
On the Photo Logs tab, in the Photo Log Numbering Sequence box, select PHOTOLOG.
In the Photo Numbering Sequence box, select PHOTO.
In the Photo Log Statuses table, in the Status column of the only row, change the settings of the N/A predefined status as follows:

Status: In Progress
Description: Work in progress This is the status that the system will assign by default to a newly created photo log.

On the table toolbar, click Add Row, and specify the following settings in the added row:

Status: Not Started
Description: Work not started

On the table toolbar, click Add Row, and specify the following settings in the added row:

Status: Completed
Description: Work completed

Click Save on the form toolbar to save the settings.
You can now create photo logs in the system.

Photo Logs: Process Activity

This activity will walk you through the process of working with a photo log.

Story

Suppose that on March 15, 2025, the construction foreman has inspected the project site and taken progress photos. Acting as the construction foreman, you will create a photo log for the particular project and project task and upload the photos to this photo log. Then you will send the photos to the responsible person.

Configuration Overview

In the U100 dataset, the following tasks have been performed to support this activity:

On the Enable/Disable Features (CS100000) form, the Construction and Construction Project Management features have been enabled. Lesson 10: Working with Photo Logs | 71
On the Projects (PM301000) form, the HOTEL project has been created, and the project tasks for the project have been specified on the Tasks tab, including the 02 – SITEWORK project task.

Process Overview

You will create the photo log on the Photo Log (PJ305000) form and upload the progress photos to the log by using the Photo (PJ305010) form. You will then select the photos to be sent, prepare an email on the Email Activity (CR306015) form, and send the email with the attached ZIP archive with the photos.

System Preparation

To prepare to perform the instructions of this activity, do the following:

Sign in to the system as a construction foreman by using the epsmith username and the 123 password.
In the info area, in the upper-right corner of the top pane of the Acumatica ERP screen, make sure that the business date in your system is set to 3/15/2025. If a diﬀerent date is displayed, click the Business Date menu button, and select 3/15/2025 on the calendar. For simplicity, in this activity, you will create and process all documents in the system on this business date.
Download the Photo_Log_Concrete_Headwall.jpg, Photo_Log_Erosion.jpg, and Photo_Log_Culvert.jpg files to your device.

Step 1: Creating a Photo Log To create the photo log, do the following:

Open the Photo Logs (PJ405000) form.
On the form toolbar, click Add New Record, and on the Photo Log (PJ305000) form that opens, specify the following settings in the Summary area:

Status: In Progress (inserted automatically)
Date: 3/15/2025 (inserted automatically)
Project: HOTEL
Project Task: 02 - SITEWORK
Description: Problem with the drainage system

On the form toolbar, click Save. Notice that an identifier has been automatically generated for the photo log. The system generates this identifier in accordance with the numbering sequence specified on the Photo Logs tab of the Project Management Preferences (PJ101000) form.

Step 2: Uploading Photos to the Photo Log While you are still viewing the photo log that you have created on the Photo Log (PJ305000) form, upload the photos to the photo log by doing the following:

On the Photos tab, click the file upload area (which has the Drag files here or click to upload text).
In the dialog box that opens, select the Photo_Log_Concrete_Headwall.jpg, Photo_Log_Culvert.jpg, and Photo_Log_Erosion.jpg files (which you have downloaded earlier), and click Open to upload the selected photos to the photo log. Notice that the uploaded photos are now listed in the table on the tab. The system has uploaded each file as a separate photo record. The right pane shows the photo preview for the row that is currently selected in the table. Lesson 10: Working with Photo Logs | 72
Select the Main Photo check box in the row with the Photo_Log_Culvert.jpg photo to indicate that this photo must be displayed in the preview area on the Photo Logs form as the main photo of this photo log, as the following screenshot shows.
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   Figure: Photo log with uploaded photos
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Save your changes.
You have created a photo log with multiple photos for the project.

Step 3: Sending an Email with the Photos To send the email, do the following:

Open the Photo Logs (PJ405000) form.
In the le pane, select the Included check box in the row of the photo log you have created.
On the form toolbar, click Email. The system opens the Email Activity (CR306015) form with a single ZIP file attached. The ZIP file contains all the photos (and any attached files) associated with the selected photo log. The automatically generated subject of the email includes information about the photo log and the related project.
In the To box, select Ricky Thompson.
On the form toolbar, click Send, close the form, and return to the Photo Logs (PJ405000) form.
In the table, click the link to the photo log that you have created in the Photo Log ID column.
On the Photo Log (PJ305000) form that opens, select Completed in the Status box, and save your changes.
You have created the photo log, uploaded photos, and send these photos by email. Lesson 11: Working with Daily Field Reports and Progress Worksheets | 73