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Open, closed and archived records

In this article

Once an invoice has been approved and paid, it shouldn't drift. Not by someone editing it, not by a workflow, not by a sync that fires later. Closing a record locks that in.

  • A walkthrough video, then the difference between closed and archived
  • What "frozen" actually stops — which is more than editing
  • How to close, archive and reopen
  • Why nothing on screen tells you a record is frozen

01 · Video

Feature walkthrough

Video · record states · 3:00

02 · Why

Why do we have this?

Once an invoice has been approved and paid, it shouldn't drift. Not by someone editing it, not by a workflow, not by a sync that fires later. Closing a record locks that in.

Why is it set up this way?

Two different needs. Closed means "done, do not touch" but keeps it in front of you. Archived means "done and out of my way".

03 · Use cases

Use case 1
Finishing an invoice

Close it. It stays in the list with a padlock so you can see it's dealt with.

Use case 2
Clearing out last year

Archive. It leaves the list and lives under Archived.

Use case 3
Reopening something

If a closed record turns out to be wrong, reopen it, fix it, close it again.

Close or archive?

UseWhen
CloseIt's finished but you still want to see it
ArchiveIt's finished and you want it out of the working list

04 · How

Change a record’s state

  1. Open the record.
  2. Press the lifecycle button in the top right.
  3. Choose Close or Archive.
  4. To reopen, press Reopen — either on the record, or from the row's menu in the grid.

05 · Expected result

StateWhere it isWhat you see
OpenThe Records tabNothing special
ClosedStill in the Records tabA padlock chip saying Closed
ArchivedMoves to the Archived tabAn amber Archived chip

A STATUS column appears in the grid on its own as soon as one record isn't open.

06 · Troubleshooting / notes

What you seeWhat it means
Clicking a value does nothingThe record is closed or archived.
Add on line items does nothingSame reason. The button stays clickable but won't work.
A record vanished from the listIt was archived. Look under Archived.
No Close in the row menuYou close a record from inside it. You can reopen from either place.
A workflow didn't run on a recordIf it's closed, it won't. That's the freeze rule.

07 · FAQ

Common questions

Can I edit a closed record?

No. Reopen it first.

Does archiving delete anything?

No. It's still there under Archived, and you can reopen it.

Can I close several at once?

Not from the grid. One at a time, from each record.

Who can close and reopen records?

Anyone who can edit records in the workspace.

Does closing stop it syncing to my ERP?

Yes. A frozen record won't be changed by an inbound sync either.