Config-driven workspaces

A workspace groups everything for one document process — mailboxes, templates, categories, dashboard config — and reshaping any of it is a config edit, not code.

Switching workspaces changes everything you see: the inbox, the available templates, the columns, the filters. Two teams in the same organization can run completely different processes by configuring different workspaces — same engine, different config.

What a workspace owns

• Mailboxes — the sidebar entries (Inbox, Archived, Trash, plus any custom mailboxes you add) that group cases.
• Templates linked to the workspace — templates are top-level siblings to workspaces, not children. Each template carries an optional workspaceId; setting it scopes the template's columns, automation, and send-template effects to that workspace. A template without a workspaceId is shared (visible across the org).
• Categories — the file labels that route incoming files to templates and to collaborators.
• Dashboard shape — which template fields surface as columns, the title/subtitle/tags field bindings on each case row, and per-audience field visibility.
• Send templates — saved share presets per workspace (name + tokenized subject + body + per-category source rules).

For the underlying philosophy — why everything is config rather than code — read Understanding config-driven design. This article covers the workspace-level mechanics.

Walkthrough: shaping a workspace for vendor onboarding

You handle vendor onboarding paperwork — new vendors send a W-9, a certificate of insurance, and a master services agreement. You want each vendor to be one case, with the three documents attached and key fields extracted.

1. Create a workspace named Vendor Onboarding.
2. Pick the case identifier — Vendor Name works. (Files arriving with the same vendor name merge into one case.)
3. Add three file categories: W-9, COI, MSA.
4. Build one template per category. Each extracts the fields you care about (tax ID, expiration date, contract terms).
5. Drop a real vendor's three files into the inbox and watch them merge into one case.

NameVendor Onboarding

IdentifierVendor Name

CategoriesW-9, COI, MSA

Templates3

MailboxesInbox, Archived, Trash

Common patterns

Identifier-driven case grouping

Every workspace has one field that acts as the case identifier. Files arriving with the same identifier value merge into the same case — that's how three documents about Acme Supply Co. become one case instead of three.

Filter strips, not stage columns

Filters are saved expressions that show as click-to-toggle pills above the case table. Toggle on Status is Awaiting review and only matching cases show. Filters are workspace-level config — every member sees the same pills.

Columns derived from template fields

The dashboard table's columns are the union of fields across the workspace's templates, deduped by field ID. Add a field to a template and a new column appears. Use Field visibility in workspace settings to hide fields from admins, workers, or clients independently.

Send template reuse

A send template captures the share payload structure: a tokenized subject, a default body, and per-category source rules (which file categories attach vs. just link). Build a few per workspace and you'll never re-write the same subject/body at share time. Note: who-sees-what (visible categories) and which-forms-the-client-can-fill are per-collaborator settings on the case's Clients panel — not on the send template.

Troubleshooting

My workspace doesn't show in the sidebar. Workspaces are scoped to your organization. Check you're signed in with the right account.

I edited the workspace but old cases didn't update. Workspace edits don't migrate existing data. Field visibility and column config update live, but extracted field values are case-local — re-run extraction on the case if you need fresh values.

Two cases that should be one are separate. Check the case identifier on each. If it's empty on one, the merge logic can't group them. Fix the identifier value and re-import.

A template is missing from a case's actions. Templates only show when the case has a file in a category linked to that template. Check the case's file categories.

Related

• Creating a workspace
• Stages and filters
• Understanding config-driven design