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Documentation System

Centralized SOPs, Handbooks, and Reference Material

PulseRoster's Documentation system lets communities maintain SOPs, handbooks, 10-codes, penal codes, training manuals, and more, all inside PulseRoster instead of scattered across Google Docs, Notion, and Discord pins.

Included on every plan, capped by plan

Documentation is available on every plan: 5 documents on Free, 50 on Standard, unlimited on Professional. .docx import requires Standard or higher. Department- and subdivision-scoped documents, checklists, certification integration (required reading), Discord notifications, and read analytics are Professional-only.


Document Types

PulseRoster supports four document types, each designed for a different use case:

Standard Document

Rich text documents with a full WYSIWYG editor. Use these for SOPs, handbooks, training manuals, policy documents, and anything that needs formatted text.

The editor supports:

  • Headings (H1 through H6)
  • Bold, italic, underline, strikethrough
  • Ordered and unordered lists
  • Links and images
  • Tables
  • Blockquotes
  • Code blocks

Code Table

Structured reference tables designed for 10-codes, penal codes, vehicle codes, and similar reference material. Code tables provide:

Feature Description
Searchable Columns Instantly filter rows by typing in the search bar
Category Badges Color-coded badges for easy categorization
Click-to-Copy Click any cell in a "Copy" column to copy its value
Templates Quick-start with 10-Codes, Penal Codes, Vehicle Codes, or custom columns

Checklist

Step-by-step checklists that members can check off individually. Useful for onboarding procedures, shift checklists, and training requirements. Progress tracking shows how far each member has gotten.

PDF

Upload an existing PDF (up to 20MB) and members read it inside PulseRoster, useful for documents you already maintain elsewhere. Choose whether readers get a page-by-page viewer or one continuous scroll, and replace the file later without re-creating the document; each replacement is recorded as a new version.


Key Features

Rich Text Editor

The editor provides a full formatting toolbar for Standard Documents. Write and format content without leaving PulseRoster.

Code Table Templates

When creating a Code Table, choose from built-in templates:

Template Columns
10-Codes Code, Description, Category
Penal Codes Code, Title, Description, Classification
Vehicle Codes Code, Description, Category
Custom Define your own columns and types

Folder Organization

Organize documents into folders and subfolders, and reorganize them freely as your library grows.

Action How
Rename a folder Folder menu → Rename or move…
Nest a folder Drag it onto another folder, or use Rename or move… to pick a parent
Move to the top level Drag it onto All Documents
Reorder folders Folder menu → Move up / Move down
Move to another department Folder menu → Rename or move… → change Department
Delete Folder menu → Delete. Documents inside move to the top level; subfolders move up one level. Nothing is deleted with it

Moving a folder between departments

Changing a folder's department also moves its subfolders, and offers to reassign the documents inside it to the new department. That changes who can see those documents and who they are required reading for, so the confirmation spells out how many are affected. If a document's name is already taken in the new department, its link changes and you'll be told which ones.

A folder cannot be moved inside one of its own subfolders. That would leave it and everything in it stranded, so it's rejected with an explanation.

Moving Documents Between Folders

Documents can be filed, refiled, or pulled back out to the top level at any time. Version history and acknowledgments are always preserved; there is never a reason to delete and re-upload a document just to move it.

Where How
From the list Document menu → Move to folder…
Several at once Tick the documents, then Move to… in the bar above the list
From the sidebar Drag a document onto a folder, or onto All Documents
While editing Click the folder button in the editor toolbar

The sidebar lists the documents inside each folder, so you can see and rearrange your whole library from one place. Use Hide documents to collapse them back to folders only.

Card and List Views

Documents can be shown as cards or as a compact list. Use the toggle above the document list to switch; your choice is remembered in your browser.

Department Folders

Creating a department automatically creates a matching documentation folder for it, visible only to members of that department. A Dispatch folder is not readable by someone who isn't in Dispatch.

These folders behave like any other. Rename them, move them, nest things inside them, or change their permissions, with one exception: they cannot be deleted, so a department can't accidentally lose its documentation home. They are removed automatically if the department itself is deleted.

Department folders are free

Automatically created department folders do not count toward your plan's folder limit. Only folders you create yourself do.

Department- & Subdivision-Scoped Documents

Documents can be community-wide, or scoped to a specific department or subdivision:

Scope Visibility Tier
Community-wide All members with documentation permissions Standard+
Department Only members of that department Professional
Subdivision Only members of that subdivision Professional

Folder & Document Permissions

Beyond department scoping, you can restrict exactly who is able to open a specific folder or document. Open the folder or document menu and choose Permissions….

Access can be granted to any combination of:

Grant to Who gets access
Departments Anyone actively assigned to a selected department, e.g. LCSO and BCSO only
Staff roles Holders of a staff role, such as Roster Manager
Ranks Holders of a rank, in any department that rank belongs to
Subdivisions Members of a subdivision, such as SWAT or K9
Department role level Supervisors and above, or Command Staff only
Specific members Named individuals, searched by name

Matching any one of the things you pick grants access. Selecting "K9 Unit" and "Sergeant" means K9 members or sergeants can open it, not only people who are both.

How folder and document restrictions combine

Restrictions apply to everything inside a folder, including subfolders. To open a document you must pass every folder above it and the document's own rule, so a document can narrow access further but can never be more visible than the folder holding it. Moving a document into a restricted folder restricts it immediately, with nothing else to configure.

SOPs                        (everyone)
└── Command Only            [restricted to Command Staff]
    ├── Promotion Policy    → Command Staff
    └── IA Handbook         [restricted to Internal Affairs]
                            → Command Staff AND Internal Affairs

Who always keeps access

So that nobody can lock themselves out of their own documentation:

  • Community staff and owners always retain access to everything.
  • A department's command staff always retain access to items scoped to the department they command. This does not extend to community-wide items or to other departments.

What restricted members see

A restricted folder or document is hidden, not merely locked. It does not appear in the sidebar or the document list, it is excluded from search results (so its title and content snippets never leak) and opening a direct link returns "not found" rather than confirming it exists.

Restrictions are about visibility, not editing

Permissions control who can read a folder or document. Who can create, edit, publish, or delete is governed separately by the documentation.* staff-role permissions listed below.

Version Control

Every time you publish a document, a new version is created.

  • Version History shows who published each version and when
  • Restore previous versions if needed
  • Standard tier keeps the last 5 versions
  • Professional tier keeps unlimited version history

Acknowledgment Tracking

Mark documents as "Requires Acknowledgment" to ensure members read critical documents.

Feature Description
Acknowledgment Status Track which members have acknowledged per document
Member-by-Member View See exactly who has and hasn't acknowledged
Version-Aware Acknowledgments reset when a new version is published
Discord DM Reminders Send reminders to members who haven't acknowledged (Professional)

Required Reading Tracker

Documents that require acknowledgment appear prominently across PulseRoster:

  • Community Dashboard: amber-highlighted section showing unacknowledged required documents
  • Department Pages: department-specific required reading for that department's members
  • Members can click through directly to read and acknowledge

Copy Protection

Toggle copy protection per document to prevent unauthorized copying of sensitive content. When enabled:

  • Right-click is disabled on document content
  • Ctrl+C / Cmd+C is blocked
  • Text selection is disabled

Search across all documents by title and content. Results display highlighted snippets so you can quickly find what you need.

View Analytics (Professional)

Track engagement with your documents:

Metric Description
Total Views How many times the document has been opened
Unique Viewers How many distinct members have viewed it
Average Read Time How long members spend reading
Scroll Depth How far members scroll through the document

.docx Import (Professional)

Import existing Word documents with full style mapping:

  • Headings, bold, italic, and other formatting preserved
  • Ordered and unordered lists converted
  • Embedded images extracted and uploaded
  • No manual reformatting needed

Discord Notifications (Professional)

Notify members via Discord when:

  • A new document is published
  • Acknowledgment is required on a new or updated document

Creating Documents

How to Create

  1. Navigate to Documentation from the sidebar
  2. Click New Document
  3. Enter a title and select a type (Standard, Code Table, Checklist, or PDF)
  4. For Code Tables, choose a template (10-Codes, Penal Codes, Vehicle Codes) or create custom columns
  5. Optionally assign to a department and/or folder
  6. Toggle Requires Acknowledgment if members need to confirm they've read it
  7. Click Create Document, and you'll be taken to the editor

Document Fields

Field Description Required
Title Document name Yes
Type Standard, Code Table, Checklist, or PDF Yes
Department Assign to a department or leave community-wide No
Folder Place in a folder for organization No
Permissions Restrict who can open it (see Folder & Document Permissions) No
Requires Acknowledgment Members must acknowledge after reading No
Copy Protection Prevent text copying No

Publishing

Documents start as drafts. When ready, click Publish to:

  • Snapshot the current content as a new version
  • Make the document visible to all members
  • If acknowledgment is required, reset acknowledgment tracking for the new version

Draft vs. Published

Drafts are only visible to document editors. Published documents are visible to all members with the documentation.view permission.


Subscription Tiers

Feature Free Standard Professional
Documentation No Up to 5 documents Unlimited
Folders No Up to 2 Unlimited
Department folders (automatic) No Yes, and they don't count toward the folder limit Yes
Folder & document permissions No Yes Yes
Code Tables No Up to 3 Unlimited
Version History No Last 5 versions Unlimited
Department-scoped documents No No Yes
Subdivision-scoped documents No No Yes
Checklist Type No No Yes
.docx Import No No Yes
View Analytics No No Yes
Discord Notifications No No Yes
Certification Integration No No Yes

Permissions

Documentation permissions are managed through Staff Roles. See Permissions & Staff Roles for full details.

Permission Description
documentation.view View published documents
documentation.create Create new documents
documentation.edit Edit existing documents
documentation.delete Delete documents
documentation.publish Publish document versions
documentation.manage_acknowledgments View and manage acknowledgment status

Tips and Best Practices

  • Table of Contents: Use the Table of Contents on the left side of the reader for quick navigation through long documents
  • Code Table Filters: Code Tables support a Filter column (badge type) for easy categorization and filtering
  • Copy Column: The Copy column option in Code Tables lets readers click to copy cell values instantly
  • Required Reading Visibility: Documents that require acknowledgment show an amber banner on the community dashboard and department pages until acknowledged
  • Organize Early: Set up a folder structure before creating many documents to keep things manageable, though you can rename, move and reorganize folders at any time
  • Department Scoping: Use department-scoped documents for department-specific SOPs so members only see what's relevant to them
  • Restrict the Folder, Not Each Document: Putting sensitive SOPs in one restricted folder is easier to maintain than restricting each document separately, and anything you add later is protected automatically
  • Check Before You Save: A restriction that names nothing would hide the folder from every member, so PulseRoster blocks saving until you pick at least one department, role, rank, subdivision or member
  • Bulk Filing: When tidying up a lot of loose documents, tick several in the list and use Move to… rather than moving them one at a time

Quick Reference

Documentation URLs

Page URL
Documentation List /c/[slug]/documentation
Document Reader /c/[slug]/documentation/[doc-slug]

Required Permissions

Action Permission
View documents documentation.view (plus any folder/document restriction)
Create documents documentation.create
Edit documents documentation.edit
Delete documents documentation.delete
Publish versions documentation.publish
Manage acknowledgments documentation.manage_acknowledgments

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