Requests

A request is how you ask a client for documents: you define what you need, FileOnion sends the client a secure upload link, and you track everything through to approval. This page covers the anatomy of a request, the ways to create one, sending, reviewing, and day-to-day management.

Anatomy of a request

Every request is built from the same parts in the request composer:

Request title and an optional description — what this request is about. Both support variables (for example the client's name) so templates personalize automatically.
Recipient — the client the request goes to. Search your client list or add a new client without leaving the composer. See Clients.
Request type — either an open request (the client can upload any files) or a document list (you specify each document the client must provide).
Document items — for document-list requests, each item has a name, a description, an optional checklist of acceptance criteria (for example "not expired", "shows all four corners"), and a Required flag.
Settings — an optional due date, an expiry date (after which the link stops working), reminders (automatic reminder emails to the client on a schedule you pick), and Group files (creates a folder per document as files arrive).
Tags — free-form labels for filtering and reporting. Tags also drive template categorization in the Template Library.
Assignment & Visibility — who on your team owns the request and who can see it (see below).

Creating a request

There are three ways to start:

From scratch — click New Request and fill in the composer.
From a template — pick a template in the composer's template dropdown, or go to Templates → My Requests and choose Create request from template. See Templates and the Template Library.
With AI — open the AI Request Builder panel in the composer, describe the matter in plain language, and it recommends a scoped document set with per-document checklists and drafts the title. Everything drops into the form for you to edit before sending. See AI Request Builder.

Statuses and stages

Each request carries a status that updates automatically as the client acts on it. The default pipeline:

Status	Meaning
Sent	The request went out; the client has not opened it yet.
Read	The client opened the request.
Partial	Some documents are uploaded, others are still missing.
Needs review	The client has submitted; files are waiting for your review.
Approved	You approved the submission.
Closed	The request is complete and closed out.
Expired	The request passed its expiry date and the link no longer works.

Requests you save without sending sit in the Drafts tab until you publish them, and archived requests move to the Archived tab.

Statuses map onto your workflow stages — the columns on the Kanban board (by default: New, Client Open, Files Uploaded, Needs Review, Approved). Owners and Admins can rename, add, reorder, or automate stages depending on your plan; see Workflows.

Assignment & Visibility

The Assignment & Visibility section of the composer controls ownership and access:

Assign to — pick a user or a team as the owner. The assignee appears on the request card and the Kanban board.
Visibility — by default a request is visible to your whole firm; you can restrict it to the assigned team only, share it with specific people, or make it Private (assignee and creator only, plus Owners and Admins).

Teams, visibility, and sharing are available on Professional and Enterprise plans. See Teams & Sharing.

Sending a request

The composer gives you two actions:

Save — saves without sending. The dropdown lets you Save as draft (finish later) or Save as template (reuse the structure; see Templates).
Save & Send — saves and sends the request to the client. This menu is available to Owners and Admins, with three delivery options:
- With magic link — the email contains a link that opens the client's upload portal directly, no sign-in.
- With secure magic link — same link, but the client must also enter a one-time verification code before the portal opens.
- Without magic link — the notification is sent without a portal link (available when your setup supports it).

If you enabled Reminders, FileOnion automatically emails the client on your chosen schedule until the request is fulfilled. You can also resend manually at any time from the request list menu (Resend Request or Resend Secure Link).

Checkpoint

After Save & Send, the request shows status Sent in your request list and appears in the first stage of your Kanban board.

Reviewing submissions

Open a request to review what the client sent. The request view has three tabs — Documents, Comments, and Activity — plus a progress summary of pending, submitted, and approved items.

Per file: open any uploaded file in the viewer and Approve it, or Decline it with a reason. The decline reason is posted as a comment so the client knows exactly what to fix.
Per request: once every document has been submitted, use Approve All Documents to approve the request in one step.
Comments: discuss individual documents or the request as a whole with your client — they see and reply from their portal.
AI summaries: uploaded files can be summarized and classified automatically to speed up review (supported for common image formats and PDF).

Views: Grid, List, and Kanban

The Requests page has a toggle between grid and list layouts, and a Kanban button that opens the board view where requests appear as cards in stage columns. Drag cards between stages, and filter by All, Mine, or My Team. See Kanban Board.

Editing, resending, archiving, deleting

From the request list, each row's menu offers:

View request — open the request detail and review screen.
Edit request — change anything in the composer, then Save changes; click Resend to notify the client of the update.
Archive request / Unarchive — move it out of (or back into) your active list.
Resend Request / Resend Secure Link — send the notification again.
Delete request — permanently remove it (you are asked to confirm).
Publish request — on drafts, sends the request out.