Files, links, polls and decisions
These four tabs hold the project's content. Everything can be marked Internal or External; external members only see what's marked External. The roles are described in Create and members.
Files
The files live in Files and are linked to the room without being copied. Owners, Leads and Members can link files:
- Click Add file in the Files tab.
- Search in the dialog (Search Meil Files…) and pick a file. Folders, and files that are already linked, aren't shown.
- Click Link file.
Files you link from the panel are marked Reference and Internal. The row shows the file type, version (v3), size, Owner {name}, Linked {date} and a revision line, for example “Current v3 · approved v2”. Preview opens the file in preview; Versions appears when the file has several versions.
Approval
Owners and Leads can set the Approval status on each file: Pending approval, Approved or Changes requested. With Approved, the version number that was approved is stored. If the file is later changed in Files, the row gets the Changed after approval badge, and Project Pulse flags it. Other roles see the status as a badge.
Links
Owners, Leads and Members can add and edit links. Click Add link and fill in URL (required), Title, Category (Docs, Reference, Design, Budget, Meeting, Other), Visibility and Description. Click Add.
meil fetches a preview (title, description, image) automatically. If that doesn't work, the row says No preview. If the title is left blank, the title from the preview or the host name is shown instead.
On each row you'll find Edit and Remove. Removal is confirmed with “Remove ‘…’ from the project room?”.
Web addresses in chat messages can be saved directly with the Save link button below the message. They get the category Reference and the visibility Internal, and are marked From chat · {name}.
Polls
Owners, Leads and Members can create a poll with Add poll:
| Field | Contents |
|---|---|
| Question | Required, up to 280 characters |
| Closes | A date, today or later |
| Visibility | Internal or External |
| Options | 2 to 10, each up to 160 characters; Add option and Remove |
The card shows the status (Open or Closed), Created {date}, Closes {date}, the number of votes per option, a bar showing the share and {n} total votes. Click Vote on an option; you can change your vote for as long as the poll is open, and your choice is shown as Your vote. Viewers can't vote; External members can only vote in external polls.
The date in Closes doesn't close the poll automatically. An Owner or Lead closes it with Close, and a system message is posted in the chat. After closing:
- Create decision (Owner, Lead) opens a form with the question as the Decision, the result as the Summary and the option Requires follow-up task.
- Create task (Owner, Lead, Member) creates the task Follow up: {question} with the result in the description, marked From poll. The card then shows Task linked.
Decisions
Only Owners and Leads can create decisions. Click Add decision and fill in Decision (the title, up to 240 characters), Summary (“What was decided, and why?”, up to 4,000 characters), Visibility and, if needed, Requires follow-up task. Click Add decision. A system message is posted in the chat.
The card shows the title, summary, By {name} · Decided {date} · Internal/External and the source (From poll or From chat). If the decision requires follow-up, it shows Follow-up until someone clicks Create task (Owner, Lead, Member); the badge then changes to Task linked, and the task gets the title Follow up: {decision}.
Void (Owner, Lead) removes the decision from the list. A decision can't be edited in the panel once it has been created.
A chat message can be saved as a decision with the Decision button below the message (Owner, Lead). The message text becomes the title (cut off at 140 characters) and the whole message becomes the summary.
What goes where
Links for anything that lives outside meil, files for what needs approval, polls for choices that need numbers, decisions for what needs to be remembered.