Archive documents with versions and verify them by QR code

With Create release copy in the Export area, PlanElec stores a PDF unchanged in the project archive. Every release copy gets a random document ID, a version number that increases per document type, a QR code on every page and a SHA-256 hash. Requirements: the project is saved, the document has no open corrections and your project role is Owner, Admin or Editor. Anyone who scans the QR code sees on the Document verification page whether this exact archive version is current, superseded or revoked. That check confirms archive provenance and file integrity only. It is not an inspection under AREI/RGIE (the Belgian electrical installation regulations), not a conformity statement and not an electronic signature; the official inspection is carried out by an accredited inspection body.

Which documents can you archive?

Every PDF you release in Export through Create release copy is archived. The documented scope covers these eight document types:

If Export shows further document cards with the same button, they follow the same archive path. Each type has its own version sequence: the installation dossier is numbered separately from a single-line diagram released on its own.

Not archived are the documents in the Domotica section: Channel plan, Terminal plan, Functions by room, Topology diagram, Domotica quantities, Conformity report with Domotica and the Domotica handover dossier are generated in the browser. Their data hash only identifies the captured export state; it is not an archive confirmation. See Plan and document KNX.

A download through Download draft does not enter the archive either. Drafts carry the mark "DRAFT" and remain local files.

What has to be in place before release?

Typical corrections that block a release include "Connection data not yet confirmed", "Place missing devices on the situation plan", "Review and confirm the single-line diagram" and "Complete circuit labels". While any of them is open, Create release copy stays disabled. A draft is still possible. How to prepare the documents is explained in Export documents.

How do you create a release copy?

1. Open the Export area in the studio and save the project.
2. Check the document with Preview and, where offered, choose format and options.
3. Click Create release copy on the document card. For the dossier, the same button sits in the Dossier overview side panel, below Download draft.
4. If the document has warnings, the dialog Confirm warnings for this release opens. Read the list. Confirm warnings and archive continues, Cancel stops.
5. PlanElec generates the PDF, archives it and downloads the archived file. The step succeeded when the message "Archive version … was created and downloaded." appears and the new version is listed in the Document archive.

The confirmed warnings remain part of the archived release evidence. Confirmation applies only to the current revision and the selected output. The Material List always carries such a warning: it contains model quantities and is not an approved procurement list.

If the self-check is switched off for the project, the dialog groups the findings into one line, for example "3 check findings not assessed (self-check off)". The AREI/RGIE self-check report cannot be released in that case.

If you change the project or the export selection during preparation, PlanElec stops. Start the export again afterwards; this keeps every archive version tied to a saved project state.

What happens to the PDF when it is archived?

• Its own document ID: the server assigns a random UUID and stores the file in private project storage. It can only be retrieved with project access or with the access key from the QR code.
• QR code on every page: each page gets a QR code in a white box at the bottom right, next to "PlanElec" and the first eight characters of the document ID.
• SHA-256 hash: after adding the QR codes, the server computes the SHA-256 hash of the finished file and stores it. The file you download is exactly that file.
• No active content: form fields, annotations, links and automatic actions are removed from the PDF.

The archive accepts PDFs up to 20 MB and up to 200 pages. An archived version never changes. After a project change you create a new version; the old one remains as Superseded.

Where do you find the version history?

Below the documents in Export you find the Document archive section, titled Versioned PDF outputs. Each row shows document type, version number (for example v2), status, time of creation, page count and the first twelve characters of the hash. Refresh reloads the list.

Each row offers PDF, Sticker PDF and Sticker PNG. All project members, viewers included, can download these files.

How do you print the QR sticker?

1. In the Document archive, pick the version you need.
2. Click Sticker PDF for a 40 × 40 mm label with "PlanElec.be", the QR code, the version number and a short ID. Sticker PNG provides only the QR code as a 472 × 472 pixel image, which equals 40 mm at 300 dpi.
3. Print the label at actual size and scan it once as a check before sticking it on.

The sticker points to exactly this archive version. After a new release, print a new sticker as well. For a revoked version PlanElec no longer provides a sticker.

What does the verification page show after scanning?

The QR code opens the Document verification page at planelec.be/verify/<document ID>. It is reachable without signing in and is not indexed by search engines.

Project name, customer and address do not appear on the verification page. You open the content with Open archived PDF. This only works if the link from the QR code is complete: it carries an access key after #access=. The page removes that key from the address bar once loaded. If the key is missing, the page reports "This link contains no access permission. Scan the complete QR code again." Before delivering the file, the server compares the hash of the stored file with the archive hash and delivers nothing if they differ.

Anyone holding the QR code can open the PDF. Treat printouts and stickers like the document itself.

How do you check a PDF against the hash yourself?

Compute the SHA-256 hash of the file you received and compare it with the value on the verification page:

• macOS: shasum -a 256 file.pdf
• Windows (PowerShell): Get-FileHash file.pdf -Algorithm SHA256
• Linux: sha256sum file.pdf

If both values match, the file is identical to the archive version. The file name does not matter. A different value appears as soon as the PDF has been re-saved, signed afterwards, annotated or scanned. A printout cannot be checked by hash; use the QR code and open the archived PDF instead.

How do you revoke QR access?

1. In the Document archive, find the version concerned and click Revoke QR. Only the Owner and an Admin see this button.
2. Confirm in the dialog Revoke public QR access? with Revoke access.
3. The row then shows Revoked and the message "Public QR access has been revoked." appears.

Printed QR codes for this version no longer open the PDF; the verification page shows Public access revoked. Project members keep their access through the archive. Revocation cannot be undone. If you need a valid QR code again, create a new release copy.

What does the verification confirm, and what not?

Even when archived, the AREI/RGIE self-check report remains a software-based self-check of the supported rules. Its coverage is described in What the self-check verifies. The official assessment of the installation is made by an accredited inspection body.

Which messages can appear while archiving?

Back to Export documents or to the knowledge base.