The External Documents feature allows you to securely store important third-party documents alongside your business records.

This is useful for keeping everything related to a job, customer, or project in one place — including certificates, guarantees, insurance documents, and other files issued outside of JiffyTrade^™.

All uploaded files are stored privately and securely, and can be linked to customers or documents to improve organisation and tracking.

What External Documents Are Used For

External Documents are designed for storing files such as:

• Customer certification documents
• Guarantees or warranties
• Insurance policies
• Compliance certificates
• Inspection reports
• Third-party invoices
• Product manuals or documents
• Any other file related to your work

These files can be associated with:

• A customer
• A document (quote, estimate, invoice, etc.)
• Or simply stored in your archive for reference.

Uploading an External Document

To upload a document:

1. Go to My Business → External Documents
2. Click Add Document
3. Upload your file
4. Enter a title or description
5. Optionally assign:
   • A customer
   • A related document
   • A category
6. Save the document

Once saved, the file will appear in the External Documents list.

All documents can be downloaded instantly with one click.

Categories

External documents can be organised using categories.

Categories allow you to group similar documents together, for example:

• Insurance
• Guarantees
• Certificates
• Compliance
• Reports
• Other

This makes it easier to filter and locate documents quickly when your archive grows.

Assigning Documents to Customers

External documents can be linked to a customer record.

This is useful for documents such as:

• Certificates issued to a specific customer
• Guarantees or warranties
• Insurance documentation relating to a job

Linking documents to customers makes it easier to track paperwork related to each client.

Linking Documents to JiffyTrade^™ Documents

External files can also be linked to an existing quote, estimate, or invoice.

This allows you to keep all related documentation together.

For example:

• A compliance certificate linked to an invoice
• A product guarantee linked to a job
• An inspection report linked to a quote

This improves traceability and keeps your records organised.

Downloading Documents

Documents can be downloaded instantly from the document list.

Simply click the Download button to retrieve the file.

Files are served securely from your private storage.

Locking Documents

External documents support the same locking mechanism used by other parts of JiffyTrade^™.

Locking a document prevents:

• Accidental deletion
• Unintended changes

This is useful for important records such as:

• Insurance policies
• Compliance documentation
• Official certificates

Locked documents can only be modified or removed after being unlocked.

Secure Private Storage

All external documents are stored in a secure private folder within your WordPress uploads directory.

Unlike the standard WordPress Media Library:

• Files are not publicly accessible
• Files are not indexed
• Files cannot be accessed directly by URL

This ensures your business documents remain private and protected.

Backups

External documents are included in the JiffyTrade Backup System.

When you create a backup:

• External documents
• Receipts
• Business data

are all stored together.

This allows you to restore your entire business archive, including all uploaded documents.

Filtering and Searching

The External Documents page includes filters to help you find files quickly.

You can filter by:

• Customer
• Category
• File type
• Month or year
• Search keywords

These tools make it easy to manage large numbers of documents.

When to Use External Documents

Use External Documents when you need to store supporting paperwork that was not generated inside JiffyTrade.

Examples include:

• Certificates issued after completing a job
• Manufacturer warranties
• Inspection or compliance reports
• Insurance documents
• Customer-issued paperwork

Keeping these documents alongside your quotes, invoices, and customers helps maintain a complete record of your work.