What it does
Institutions define their own document categories — the labels people pick when uploading files and the groups used in document filters. Categories can also carry automated alerts that notify the right people as documents near expiration.
Who it's for
Institution administrators manage categories, which everyone in the institution sees when uploading or filtering, and expiration alerts reach document owners, program and site leaders, and any extra recipients on the category.
How it works
Category list. In institution settings, create a category with a name and description, then edit, deactivate, or delete it. Deactivating stops new use without deleting it. Each category shows its document count and Active/Inactive status.
Alerts. A daily job checks categories with alerts set up. It flags active documents that hit the configured number of days before expiry — say, 30 days out. Each match sends an email and an in-app notification:
For a site's document: the site contact, site or program leaders, and any extra recipients on the alert.
For a person's document: that person.
Each threshold fires once per document, not every day.
Before you start
You need to be an institution administrator. Category management lives in institution settings, not program settings.
Decide the name up front. A name in use — even on an inactive category — is rejected. Reactivate the old one instead of making a duplicate.
Do this
Open institution Settings → Document Categories (
/settings/document-categories) → you should see the category list with document counts.Select the Add Category button → you should see the Create Category dialog.
On the Create Category dialog, enter a Name and, if you want, a Description. Select Save → you should see the new category added, marked Active.
To retire a category without deleting it, open its ⋯ menu and select Deactivate → confirm it now shows Inactive.
You're done when
✓ The category appears in the list with the name you gave it.
✓ It's marked Active, ready for people to pick when uploading or filtering.
✓ A category you deactivated shows Inactive and no longer appears as an option for new uploads.
Boundaries and limits
Categories are scoped to one institution, not shared across institutions or organizations.
Category management lives in institution settings. Program-level users cannot create categories.
Deactivating a category hides it from new use. It does not touch documents already assigned to it.
The categories screen doesn't set alert thresholds or extra recipients. That setup happens separately. Ask your platform administrator.
Alerts only consider active documents with an expiration date. Documents without one never trigger alerts.
An alert fires on the exact day a threshold is reached, such as 30 days before expiration, not continuously.
A category name must be unique among active categories. Reusing an inactive category's name prompts you to reactivate it instead.
Common questions
Q: Who receives an expiration alert? A: For a site's document: the site contact plus site and program leaders. For a person's document: that person. A category can also name extra recipients.
Q: Will I keep getting reminded every day until the document is renewed? A: No. Each threshold — say, 30 days before expiry — fires once per document. A category can have several thresholds for a reminder sequence.
Q: Can I delete a category that still has documents in it? A: Deleting the category doesn't delete the documents, but deactivating keeps the history more readable.
Q: How do I change when alerts are sent? A: You can't edit thresholds from the settings screen today. Ask your platform administrator to adjust the alert setup for the category.
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