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Locking documents

This feature makes it possible to lock documents such as a quotation, invoice, work order, and so on.
Once a document is locked, its data can no longer be changed.

For example: we are going to lock an invoice after it has been sent to the accountant. It is not desirable for further changes to be made to this invoice once it is already in the accounting software.

Locking is available on the modules that work with the classic lock indicator (including invoices, incoming invoices, hour tickets, supply orders and price requests).

Locking a document

A document can become locked in several ways:

Manually from the overview via the lock button
Automatically via an automation flow
For the work orders, incoming invoices and internal supply orders modules via lock periods
Automatically when an invoice is used as an advance invoice (see below)

Manually
In the overview you can select the documents you want to lock using the checkboxes at the start of the line.
By using the 'lock' action button you can lock the selected documents. As soon as that has happened, you will no longer be able to make changes in the document.

Automation
It is possible to have the 'locking' of a document happen automatically. You do this by setting up an automation flow for it.
More information about 'automation' and how to set up an automation flow can be found in the following article: Robaws Automation

Lock periods
Work orders, incoming invoices and internal supply orders that fall within a lock period are locked automatically.

Advance invoice
An invoice that is linked to another invoice as an advance invoice is locked automatically for as long as it is still referred to. This prevents a change to that invoice from invalidating the deduction on the main invoice unnoticed. You can find more explanation in Why is my partial invoice locked?

By adding the 'Locked on' column to the overview, you can easily see which documents are locked. You can also see this in the document itself.

Viewing the reason for locking

Next to the 'Locked' label in the document's toolbar there is a link 'Show info' (or 'Show info/unlock'). If you click this, a pop-up opens with all the reasons why the document is locked:

a manual lock;
a closed lock period;
use as an advance invoice.

If there are several reasons at the same time, each one is shown separately. For an advance invoice you also see a clickable link to each main invoice, so you can go straight there.

The 'Locked' label with the 'Show info' link and the pop-up with the reason for locking

Unlocking a document

People with admin rights (access to the settings) can undo a manual lock. You do this via the 'Undo' button in the pop-up, next to the reason that it undoes. Changes can then be made again.

Undoing a manual lock is separate from the other reasons. If a document is also locked by a lock period, or because it is used as an advance invoice, it stays locked through that reason until that reason disappears as well.

Documents that were locked as a result of a lock period cannot be unlocked manually. To do this, you need to reverse the lock period. An invoice that is locked as an advance invoice unlocks automatically as soon as no invoice refers to it any more.

Updated on: 04/09/2026

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