When an expense item is locked in Ruddr, it means that you can view the item but cannot edit or delete it. A locked expense item is identified by a closed lock symbol on the expense item row or at the top of the expense item drawer.
Expense items cannot be individually locked or unlocked. The lock is based on the permissions of the security role assigned to the user and specific attributes such as the settings of the associated project. An expense item may be locked for one workspace member but unlocked for another member who has a security role with greater privileges.
When an expense item is locked, you can hover your mouse over the lock symbol to view the reason (Figure 1) for the lock condition.
Figure 1 - When Locked, you can View the Locking Reason by Hovering over the Lock Icon
Three Types of Administrative Rights to Expense Items
Based on a workspace member's security role, there are three different types of administrative rights to expense items. These are:
- Workspace Admin rights. The "Workspace Admin" is a predefined security role in Ruddr that is used for system administrators. The Workspace Admin has special permissions in Ruddr and will only see a locked expense item when that item is associated with a published invoice.
- Member-based administrative rights. Within the Member Permissions section of the security role definition, the role may grant administrative rights to a group of member's expense items. The security role could provide administrative rights to all workspace members, to practice members, or to subordinates.
- Project-based administrative rights. Within the Project Permissions section of the security role definition, the role may grant administrative rights to a project's expense items. The role may grant this administrative right to all projects the member can access, projects where the member is on the project team, projects where the member is the Project Admin, or projects assigned to the member's practice.
For more on security roles and administrative rights, view the Security Roles article.
Several of the expense locking rules in Ruddr are based on the type of administrative rights that the member has (if any) to the specific expense item, as further described below.
When will an Expense Item be Locked?
For workspace members assigned to the Workspace Admin security role or who have member-based administrative rights to an expense item, the expense item will be locked in only the following case:
- The expense item is associated with a published invoice.
For workspace members that have project-based administrative rights to an expense item (but do not have member-based administrative rights), an expense item will be locked if any of the following conditions exist:
- The expense item is associated with a published invoice.
- The expense item's project has been archived.
- The expense item's project has the Lock time and expenses setting turned on.
- The expense item is older than the number of days specified in the Lock time and expenses after X days workspace setting.
- The expense item is older than the Lock time and expenses X days after a month ends workspace setting.
For all other members who do not have any administrative rights to a project's expense items, an expense item will be locked if any of the following conditions exist:
- The expense item is associated with a published invoice.
- The expense item's project has been archived.
- The expense item's project has the Lock time and expenses setting turned on.
- The expense item is older than the number of days specified in the Lock time and expenses after X days workspace setting.
- The expense item is older than the Lock time and expenses X days after a month ends workspace setting.
- The expense item is owned by another workspace member.
- The expense item has been manually approved.
- The expense item has been approved by the client. For more, see the Client Approvals help article.
- The member has been set to inactive on the project team associated with the expense item.
Creating Locked Expense Items
Ruddr will not allow you to create an expense item that would be immediately locked due to one or more of the rules above.
Unlocking a Locked Expense Item
Individual expense items cannot be manually locked or unlocked. If expense items for an entire project are locked, they can be unlocked by unchecking the Lock time and expenses checkbox on the Edit Project drawer.
Other than the bulk locking scenario described above, a locked expense item will only become unlocked if the condition causing the lock is removed. To see why an expense item is locked, hover your mouse over the lock icon and a locking reason will be shown. You, or a member with greater permissions, must first remove the condition causing the lock before the expense item will become unlocked. For example, if an expense item is locked because it is associated with a published invoice, the invoice will need to be unpublished for the expense item to become unlocked.