The Standard Comments Library tools allow the Agency to populate one or more lists of standard comments for use by staff during plan review. Since reviewers are able to edit the standard comment text on-the-fly as needed, setting up a standard comment library can help improve plan review times by saving users the need to type the same comments over and over again. Instead, reviewers can insert standardized comments from the library and then just change the text to fit the current review needs.
Before adding standard comments to the Comments Library, the Agency Admin will first need to:
Gather agency standard comments from staff (such as plan reviewer checklists) and any other sources used.
These will need to be compiled into a spreadsheet for upload into EPR.
Verify that any comments to be uploaded are accurate and up-to-date.
We also recommend checking for duplicates and/or very similar comments that may be addressed by a single comment.
Confirm that any Groups referenced by comments already exist in EPR.
Confirm that any Review Types referenced by comments already exist in EPR.
Confirm that any Sources referenced by comments already exist in EPR.
Confirm that any Categories and Subcategories referenced by comments already exist in EPR.
The Standard Comments Library
To configure standard comments, navigate to Settings > Configuration > Comments Library. Standard comment can be added either one-at-a-time or in batches to the Comments Library.
To import standard comments in batches, see Batch Importing Standard Comments.
Create a New Standard Comment
Most often, the Agency will upload standard comments in batches, but you can also create a single comment directly on the Comments Library page.
To create a single standard comment:
Navigate to the EPR Standard Comment Library page at Settings > Configurations > Comments Library.
Click on
in the lower right corner. The “Add Standard Comment” form pops up.Fill out the form with your standard comment information:
Select a Purpose.
Select a Group.
Fill out the comment text in the text box.
To make the comment more searchable within the library, and ensure it is better organized within future comment report letters, adding as much other information (Category, Subcategory, Source, Review Type and/or List Name) as possible is recommended. Refer to the table below for more details about each field.
When a library comment is inserted by plan reviewers, the comment’s Group - along with any Category, Subcategory, Source, and/or Review Type information - is also included in the new comment. Depending on the Agency’s Comment Report Letter configurations, some of these values may also be used when sorting comments within the letter.
Batch Import Standard Comments
The most common method of adding standard comments to the Standard Comment Library is to import them in batches via a spreadsheet template provided by EPR by an Admin. Periodic review and updating of library comments (such as when revised codes become available) is recommended.
To batch upload standard comments:
Navigate to the EPR Standard Comment Library page at Settings > Configurations > Comments Library.
Click on
to download the standard comment XLS template.Fill out the spreadsheet with your standard comment information:
Filling out the CONTENT, PURPOSE, and ACTIVE fields is required.
To make the comment more searchable within the library, and ensure it is better organized within future comment report letters, filling out as much other information (Category/categories, Subcategory/subcategories, Source/sources, Review Type and/or List Name) as possible is recommended. Refer to the table below for what each field represents.
Save the file in CSV or XLS format.
Once ready to upload, click on
(Batch Upload). This will open a window for you to select the file.Select the file and click on OPEN to import comments to the library.
A message will indicate whether import was successful or if any comments failed to import. Comments will only import successfully if:
The spreadsheet headers and format remain unchanged. Do not edit the column headers, add/remove columns, or otherwise change the template!
The values filled out for Purpose, Review Type, Source/sources, Category/categories, Subcategory/subcategories, and Groups MUST match what is already configured in EPR. (“Checklist name” values do not have to already exist in EPR.)
Standard Comment Template Fields
The following table contains descriptions and examples of each field included in the “SampleStandardComment” upload template provided by EPR.
Comment Field | Required for Upload? | Must Match Existing EPR List Value or Abbreviation? | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Content | YES | NO | The comment text (which can be up to 8,000 characters in length). Remove any HTML formatting prior to uploading into EPR as CSV and XLS files may trigger unexpected comment reformatting if HTML remains. Comments can be reformatted after upload. |
|
Purpose | YES | YES | When users search for comments in the library during plan review, EPR will only show comments that match the current project’s Purpose. Unlike other list items, purpose is not freely configurable by the Agency and must be one of the listed values. | Must be either:
|
Review Type | NO | YES | Typically used only if specialized subgrouping is required beyond what Group, Categories, and Subcategories can provide. If a Group such as “FIRE” has a large number of comments, specialized subgroupings can improve searchability and/or sorting, such as for comments under a “Fire Life Safety” or other specialized review type. If an Agency does not expect to have multiple assignments/review tasks under a single Group, then Review Type is not generally used. | (For a sample FIRE Group):
|
Sources (Source) | NO | YES | Typically refers to the code base or code source from which the comment originated. |
|
Categories (Category) | NO | YES | Most often, checklists have standard comments organized into sections and then subsections. A "Category" is roughly equivalent to a main comment section heading. |
|
Subcategories (Subcategory) | NO | YES | Most often, checklists have standard comments organized into sections and then subsections. A "Subcategory" is roughly is equivalent to a comment section sub-heading. |
|
Groups (Group) | NO | YES | Typically refers to the main group of users who will most frequently use the standard comment. |
|
Checklist Name | NO | NO | This field provides an extra filter or grouping option that can be whatever text string the user wants to type in. Checklist name does not need to match any pre-existing EPR list values. |
|
Active | YES | NO | The comment’s default availability. “ACTIVE” means the comment will be available to reviewers/plan checkers during their reviews and “INACTIVE” means it will exist in the library but is not available for use during plan review. ACTIVE is an internal standard comment status rather than a list item, so it must be set to either ACTIVE or INACTIVE. | Must be either:
|
Vendor_ID | NO | NO | If an Agency wants to track how frequently a specific library comment is used, provide a unique Vendor_ID number for that comment or comments. If tracking is not needed, this field can be left blank. |
|
Required fields must be filled into uploaded standard comments into EPR successfully. Providing optional fields is recommended as these values are used to sort and filter for standard comments with the library and, potentially, in comment report letters.
Formatting Comments After Upload
Comment formatting HTML must often be removed prior to uploading comments into the EPR comment library to prevent the transition from the comment source, to the CSV or XLS file, to the EPR library from resulting in unexpected reformatting. However, once inside EPR comments can be reformatted using the available editing tools.
To format a standard comment in the library:
Navigate to the EPR Standard Comment Library page at Settings > Configurations > Comments Library.
Apply any filters (if necessary).
Hover over the comment.
Click on
(View/Edit Comment) to open the “Edit Standard Comment” form.
Apply formatting as desired (see Comment Formatting Tools for options).
Before Editing | After Editing |
|---|---|
 |  |
Comment Formatting Tools
Apply formatting to a comment using any of the following tools.
Feature | Icon | Description |
|---|---|---|
Heading 1 |  | Click to resize any selected text to use the largest font size (intended for a main heading). |
Heading 2 |  | Click to resize any selected text to use the large font size (intended for a sub-heading). |
Heading 3 |  | Click to resize any selected text to use the medium font size, which is slightly larger and bolder than standard text (intended for a third-level sub-heading). |
Bold |  | Click to make any selected text bold. |
Italic |  | Click to make any selected text italic. |
Underline |  | Click to underline any selected text. |
Unordered List |  | Click to sort selected text into a list using bullets. |
Ordered List |  | Click to sort selected text into a list using numbers. |
Undo |  | Click to undo the last edit. |
Redo |  | Click to redo the last edit. |
Increase Indent |  | Click to increase the indent for the selected line. |
Decrease Indent |  | Click to decrease the indent for the selected line. |
Insert / Edit link |  | Click to insert or edit an existing hyperlink. |
Other Standard Comment Library Batch Features
In addition to batch importing comments, the Standard Comment Library also allows users to batch export, batch update, and even batch delete standard comments.
Batch Update Comments to Inactive or Back to Active
To prevent a standard comment from being used by staff - in case the text needs to be reviewed and possibly updated, for example - Admins can simply mark the comment as “Inactive.” Inactive comments remain visible to Admins in the library page, but will not show up in reviewers' search results.
To set one or more standard comment as INACTIVE:
Navigate to the Settings > Configuration > Comments Library page.
Click on the checkbox next to each desired comment in the library list.
At the top right of the table, click on
SET INACTIVE.
Once inactive, the selected comments become unavailable for use by staff during plan review.
To set one or more standard comment back to ACTIVE:
Navigate to the Settings > Configuration > Comments Library page.
Click on the checkbox next to each desired comment in the library list.
At the top right of the table, click on
SET ACTIVE.
Once active, the selected comments are again available for use by staff during plan review.
Batch Copy As New
To duplicate an existing library comment:
Navigate to the Settings > Configuration > Comments Library page.
Click on the checkbox next to each desired comment in the library list.
At the top right of the table, click on
COPY AS NEW.
The selected comments are duplicated in the library. This saves time whenever existing comments have to be copied over to other user groups and/or departments.
Batch Export Comments From the Library
The Standard Comment Library allows users to download comments from the library by exporting to a CSV file. Staff can then review these standard comments and even update them if necessary.
To batch export comments:
Navigate to the EPR Standard Comment Library page at Settings > Configurations > Comments Library.
Apply any filters (if necessary).
Select one or more comments to export.
Click on
DOWNLOAD to export the selected comments as a CSV file.
Unlike the sample XLS file for uploading new comments, the Standard Comment download CSV file includes an additional column named “Comment ID” that is used to track the standard comment in EPR’s library.
Batch Update Comment Text
In addition to updating comments individually if desired, users also have the option to batch update their library comment text.
To batch update several comments at once:
Navigate to the EPR Standard Comment Library page at Settings > Configurations > Comments Library.
Apply any filters (if necessary).
Select one or more comments to export.
Click on
DOWNLOAD to export the selected comments as a CSV file.Review comment text within the CSV file and edit as desired.
Once done, click on
(UPLOAD) to reupload the updated CSV file back into the Standard Comment Library.
Because the CSV file includes the library’s comment id values, it will then update the existing library comments to reflect any changes made by the users.
Batch Delete Comments
Like with any delete function, users are advised to only perform a batch delete of library comments if certain that the selected comments are no longer necessary.
To batch delete several comments at once:
Navigate to the EPR Standard Comment Library page at Settings > Configurations > Comments Library.
Apply any filters (if necessary).
Select one or more comments to delete.
In the batch options menu that appears, click on
(MORE OPTIONS) to see the DELETE option.Click on DELETE.
A pop-up will appear showing how many standard comments will be deleted and ask for confirmation.
Click DELETE again to confirm or CANCEL to stop.
