Overview

CalmCompliance's built-in editor lets you create professional documents directly in your browser—no need for Word, Google Docs, or PDF conversion. Editor documents support rich formatting, real-time collaboration, tables, images, and more. They're perfect for policies, procedures, guides, and any content you want to write and maintain within CalmCompliance.

Unlike uploading a PDF (which is already finished), editor documents are created as drafts, giving you time to write, collaborate, and refine before publishing.

Before You Start

To create documents, you'll need the Manager role for the Documents module. If you can't access this feature, ask your site administrator to update your permissions in Settings > User Management > Edit Access.

When to Use Editor Documents vs. Uploaded PDFs

Use Editor Documents when:

You're writing content from scratch
You want to collaborate with colleagues in real-time
You need easy editing and version control within CalmCompliance
You want searchable, web-friendly documents
Your content needs formatting like headings, tables, and bullet points

Use Uploaded PDFs when:

You already have a finished PDF from another source
The document has complex design or layout (like a branded brochure)
You need to preserve exact formatting from the original file
The document includes scanned images or signatures

Creating Your First Editor Document

Navigate to Documents from the main menu
Click the Add Document button in the top right
Select Editor Document (this is the default option)
Fill in the document details:
- Document Name (required): Give your document a clear, descriptive title
- Description (optional): Explain what the document covers or when to use it
- Category (optional): Choose a category to help organize the document
- Tags (optional): Add labels for easier filtering and search
Optionally configure governance:
- Approval Workflow: Select if this document needs approval before publishing
- Review Schedule: Choose a review policy to keep the document current
Click Create Document

The editor opens immediately, and your document is saved as a draft. You can start writing right away.

Using the Editor

Writing and Formatting

The editor works like a modern word processor:

Type naturally: Just start typing to add content
Format text: Select text and use the toolbar to make it bold, italic, or change colors
Add headings: Use heading styles (H1, H2, H3) to structure your document
Create lists: Add bulleted or numbered lists for organized information
Insert tables: Add tables for structured data (great for specifications or comparisons)

Slash Commands (/)

Type / anywhere in the document to open the quick-insert menu:

/heading - Insert heading (H1, H2, H3)
/list - Bulleted or numbered list
/table - Insert a table
/image - Upload an image
/callout - Add a highlighted callout box
/toggle - Create a collapsible section
/code - Add a code block
/ai - Get AI writing assistance

This is the fastest way to insert elements while writing.

Available Formatting Features

Text Formatting:

Bold, italic, underline, strikethrough
Text color and background color
Inline code formatting

Structure:

Headings (H1, H2, H3)
Bulleted lists
Numbered lists
To-do lists (checkboxes)
Blockquotes

Rich Content:

Tables (with full editing)
Images (upload directly)
Videos and audio
Media embeds
Horizontal rules (dividers)

Advanced:

Callout boxes (info, warning, success)
Toggle sections (collapsible content)
Multi-column layouts
Code blocks with syntax highlighting

Auto-Formatting

The editor recognizes common markdown-style shortcuts:

Type **bold text** and press space → bold text
Type *italic* and press space → italic
Type --- and press Enter → horizontal rule
Start a line with - or * → bullet list
Start a line with 1. → numbered list
Start a line with # → Heading 1

Auto-Save

Your work is automatically saved every few seconds. You'll see a "Saving..." indicator in the corner when changes are being saved. No need to manually save—just keep writing.

Collaborating on Drafts

One of the most powerful features of editor documents is real-time collaboration. Multiple people can edit the same draft simultaneously.

How Collaboration Works

Open a draft document in the editor
Share the document link with colleagues (who have appropriate permissions)
Everyone sees each other's cursors and edits in real-time
Changes sync automatically—no conflicts or "save as" versions

You'll see collaborators' names and cursor positions as they type. This makes it easy to work together on policies, procedures, or other content without emailing files back and forth.

Document Locking

To prevent conflicts, the editor uses a document locking system:

When you open a draft, you get a 30-minute editing lock
The lock automatically refreshes while you're actively editing
If someone else has the lock, you'll see a read-only view with a message
Locks expire after 30 minutes of inactivity

This ensures only one person can make structural changes at a time, while still allowing real-time collaboration during active editing sessions.

Publishing Your Editor Document

Editor documents start as drafts. When you're ready to make the document official:

Open your draft document
Review the content to ensure it's ready
Click Publish Draft (usually in the document actions menu or a banner at the top)
Choose the version type:
- Minor Version: First publication typically uses 1.0
- Major Version: For significant content milestones (e.g., 2.0)
Add a Change Description: Briefly describe what the document covers (e.g., "Initial publication of fire safety policy")
Click Publish

If the document has an approval workflow assigned, clicking Publish triggers the approval process. Otherwise, the document is published immediately and becomes visible to all users with document access.

What Happens When You Publish

The draft becomes the current version (e.g., version 1.0)
Users can now view the document (in a read-only format)
The document appears in the Documents library
Followers receive notifications about the publication
You can continue editing by creating a new draft version

Editing Published Documents

To update a published editor document:

Open the published document
Click Create Draft Version or Edit (this creates a new draft from the current version)
Make your changes in the editor
When ready, click Publish Draft again
Choose whether this is a minor or major version update
Add a change description explaining what changed
Publish the new version

The new draft doesn't affect the published version until you publish it. Users continue to see the current published version while you work on updates.

Viewing Published Editor Documents

Published editor documents display in a clean, read-only format:

Formatted content: All your headings, tables, and formatting appear beautifully
Table of contents: Automatically generated from your headings (for easy navigation)
Web-friendly: Fully responsive—looks great on phones, tablets, and computers
Searchable: Content is searchable (unlike PDFs, where scanned content may not be)

Users can't edit published versions directly. To make changes, you must create a new draft version.

Common Questions

Can I convert a PDF to an editor document?

Not automatically. You'd need to copy the content from the PDF and paste it into a new editor document. For documents you plan to update frequently, it's worth converting to an editor document once.

Can I export an editor document as a PDF?

Yes, published editor documents can typically be printed or saved as PDFs using your browser's print function. This gives you a snapshot of the current version.

What happens if I lose internet connection while editing?

The editor has offline support. Your changes are saved locally and will sync automatically when your connection is restored. You'll see a "Reconnecting..." indicator if your connection drops.

Can I use images in editor documents?

Yes, you can upload images directly into editor documents using the /image slash command or the toolbar. Images are stored securely and appear in the published document.

Are editor documents mobile-friendly?

Yes! Published editor documents are fully responsive and look great on phones and tablets. The editor itself works best on desktop or tablet for actual editing, but viewing works perfectly on any device.

Can I control who can edit vs. who can view?

Yes, permissions work the same way for editor documents as for uploaded PDFs:

Member role: Can view published documents
Manager role: Can create, edit, and publish documents
Admin role: Full control

Additionally, only users with editing rights can see and edit drafts.

What's the difference between creating a draft version and editing?

They're the same thing. When you click Edit on a published document, it creates a new draft version. You're always editing a draft, never the published version directly.

Best Practices

Structure Your Content

Use headings to create a clear structure:

Heading 1 (H1): Document title or major sections
Heading 2 (H2): Subsections
Heading 3 (H3): Detailed points

This automatically generates a table of contents and makes the document scannable.

Use Callouts for Important Information

Use callout boxes to highlight critical information:

Info callouts: For helpful tips or context
Warning callouts: For important safety information or requirements
Success callouts: For best practices or recommended approaches

Leverage Collaboration

When working on important policies or procedures, invite subject matter experts to collaborate directly in the draft. This is faster and more accurate than emailing drafts back and forth.

Write in Chunks

You don't need to finish the entire document in one session. Write a section, let it auto-save, and come back later. The draft persists until you're ready to publish.

Add Descriptions and Tags

Even if the content is still in draft, set the document name, description, and tags early. This makes it easier to find the draft later, especially if you have multiple drafts in progress.

Creating Editor Documents