When to use the filter sidebar
If you leave the Calendar on its default settings, you'll see every dated record from across the system on one grid. That's brilliant for the big picture, but on a busy project it can be noisy.
The filter sidebar is the main tool for tidying things up. Reach for it when you want to:
- Look at just the paperwork side of the project (Variations, Invoices, Applications) and hide the site work
- Focus on site work (Work Packages, Sub-Packages, Actions) and hide all the finance records
- See only what's coming up in Procurement — Purchase Orders, Delivery Notes, Goods Returns
- Build a tight, focused view for a meeting by turning off everything except the two or three record types you want to talk about
What you'll see
The filter sidebar sits beside the month grid and groups everything by the module it comes from. You'll see three collapsible sections:
- Contract Management
- Procurement
- Site Commander
Inside each section is a row for each record type, with an icon, its name, and a checkbox. Tick to show it on the grid; untick to hide it.
There's also a top-level Show all / Hide all button at the top of the sidebar for quickly resetting everything at once.
Toggling a single record type
The simplest use of the sidebar is to hide one thing you don't care about right now.
- 1
Find the record type in the sidebar (for example, Invoices under Contract Management).
- 2
Untick its checkbox.
- 3
Every Invoice disappears from the grid immediately. No refresh needed.
Tick it back on any time to bring them back.
Toggling a whole module
Each module section has its own checkbox next to the section name — Contract Management, Procurement, or Site Commander. Clicking it toggles every record type in that module at once.
This is the fastest way to say "hide everything except Procurement":
- 1
Untick the Contract Management checkbox to hide all the Contract Management record types in one go.
- 2
Untick the Site Commander checkbox to hide everything from Site Commander as well.
- 3
You're left with just Procurement on the grid — Purchase Orders, Delivery Notes, Credit Notes, and so on.
If you've got a mix — some record types in a module ticked and others not — the module checkbox shows a halfway state. Clicking it then will tick everything in that module on.
Show all and Hide all
At the top (or bottom, depending on the state) of the sidebar you'll see a Show all or Hide all button. It's a reset that affects every record type in every module at once.
Use it when:
- You've hidden a lot of things to build a focused view and now want the full picture back — click Show all
- You want to start from an empty grid and tick on only the one or two record types you care about — click Hide all, then pick what you need
Changing which date drives a record type
Some record types have more than one date that might matter — a Work Package has a planned start and a planned finish, a hired Asset has a hire start and hire end. For those record types you'll see a small menu on the right of the row (it only appears when there's a choice to make).
Click it to switch which date the Calendar uses. For example, flip Work Packages from start date to finish date to see everything by its deadline instead of its kick-off.
See Switching which date drives the Calendar for the full walkthrough.
Your filter choices are remembered
The filter sidebar remembers what you've ticked and unticked. Your choices are saved in your browser, so the next time you open the Calendar on the same computer, it's already set up the way you left it.
A few things worth knowing:
- The settings are per browser. If you switch from your laptop to a tablet, the tablet won't have the same filter state — you'll need to set it up once.
- Clearing your browser data resets the filter back to showing everything.
- The first time you open the Calendar, every record type is ticked on by default so you get the full picture to start with.
Filter sidebar vs project filter
The filter sidebar works alongside the project dropdown at the top of the Calendar. They do different jobs:
- The sidebar hides record types (e.g. hide all Invoices)
- The project dropdown hides records from other projects (e.g. show only Hounslow)
You can combine them. A common setup: pick a specific project from the dropdown, then use the sidebar to show only Work Packages, Sub-Packages, and Actions. You end up with a clean, focused view of just the scheduled work on that one job.
See Narrowing to one project for the project dropdown walkthrough.
Real-world examples
- The QS view — hide Site Commander and Procurement, leave Contract Management on. You'll see just the commercial paperwork — Variations, Invoices, Applications, Payment Notices — laid out across the month.
- The site manager view — hide everything except Work Packages, Sub-Packages, and Actions. All the visual noise disappears and you're left with just the scheduled work.
- The buyer view — hide everything except Purchase Orders, Delivery Notes, and Direct Costs. Perfect for running through deliveries at a procurement meeting.
- Building a clean slate — click Hide all, then tick on just Work Packages and hired Assets to see how your planned work lines up with your hired kit.
Next steps
- What shows up on the Calendar — for the full list of record types you can toggle.
- Switching which date drives the Calendar — to flip between start and end dates on Work Packages and similar records.
- Narrowing to one project — for the project-level filter that combines with the sidebar.