The Document Management tool is available to accounts in the following countries: United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. It is not yet available for Procore accounts in the U.S. To learn more, please reach out to your Procore point of contact.
In the Document Management tool, a placeholder is a digital reservation for a document that is expected but not yet available. It allows project teams to track a future deliverable before the actual file is uploaded.
A placeholder acts as a structured container that defines:
What is needed: Document name and type.
When it’s due: Specific deadlines for submission.
Who is responsible: Assigning ownership to a subcontractor or consultant.
Instead of relying on fragmented spreadsheets or misusing the Submittals tool, placeholders allow you to:
Centralize Tracking: Keep all expected deliverables in one place rather than external trackers.
Ensure Consistency: Pre-define naming conventions and metadata before the file even exists.
Drive Accountability: Easily identify missing or overdue documents to avoid project delays.
Align with Plans: Seamlessly manage requirements from MIDPs and TIDPs.
Once the actual file is ready, it simply replaces the placeholder, instantly inheriting all the pre-set information.
Can I manually create a single placeholder?
Yes. You can create individual placeholders directly from the Uploads tab by clicking Add and selecting Create Manually. This allows you to fill out document attributes in a new row without using an import template.
How do I duplicate a placeholder?
Mark the checkbox next to an existing placeholder row in the Uploads tab and click Duplicate Row.
Note: You must change at least one unique attribute, such as the Revision or Document Stage, before clicking Create Placeholder. Procore does not allow the creation of identical placeholders.
Can I preview a file uploaded to a placeholder?
Yes. After uploading a file into a placeholder row, click the Review icon to open the document in the viewer. If the file is incorrect, click the Delete icon to remove it and upload a new version before submitting.
Are placeholder actions tracked in Change History?
Yes. The Change History for a document now includes placeholder-specific events, such as when a placeholder is created, when a file is uploaded into it, and when it is officially submitted.
Placeholder email digests are sent daily at 4:00 PM local project time to admin-configured recipients. These notifications aggregate five distinct event types:
1. Placeholders Assigned: When a placeholder is assigned to a user.
2. Due Tomorrow: When a placeholder deadline is the next day.
3. Overdue: For placeholders with past deadlines within the last 90 days.
4. File Uploaded: When a file is uploaded straight into a placeholder.
5. Submitted: When a document is formally submitted into a placeholder slot.
From the email, users can click Viewing in Procore to see a filtered list of items or download an offline CSV file summary of the placeholder list.
The following states the difference between exact and close match when uploading a file:
Exact Match: The file name, format, and metadata match a single placeholder slot perfectly. The system auto-merges them pending a quick user confirmation.
Close Match: The file name and format match, but optional metadata fields have discrepancies, or there are multiple matching placeholders for a single upload (and vice versa). Users must manually pair the file and placeholder and resolve the field conflicts before merging.
Learn how to Create and Manage Placeholders in the Document Management Tool.
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