Overview
Fieldwire integrates with OttoStruct, an AI-powered platform that extracts submittal requirements from specification books and creates project-specific submittal registers. The integration allows these submittal registers to be sent directly from OttoStruct to the Submittals module in Fieldwire.
The integration also allows spec book PDFs already stored in a Fieldwire project to be imported into OttoStruct. OttoStruct can then split the spec book by section, extract the submittal requirements, and organize them into a submittal register.
The integration supports data flow in both directions for different purposes. OttoStruct sends submittal records to Fieldwire, while spec book PDFs can be imported from Fieldwire into OttoStruct. However, changes made to submittals in Fieldwire do not sync back to OttoStruct.
This article explains how to connect an OttoStruct project to Fieldwire, send submittals to Fieldwire, import Fieldwire spec books into OttoStruct, and understand what information is transferred between the two platforms.
Setting up a Connection to OttoStruct
To connect OttoStruct and Fieldwire, you'll need:
- An existing Fieldwire project
- A Fieldwire API key from a user with permission to edit submittals and read spec uploads in the Fieldwire project
- The Fieldwire Project ID
- Admin access to the corresponding OttoStruct project
- The hosting region for your Fieldwire account: United States, Canada, or Europe
Generate your Fieldwire API key
- Sign in to Fieldwire.
- Open your account settings.
- Navigate to API keys.
- Generate an API key.
- Copy the API key so that it can be entered in OttoStruct.
Note: The Fieldwire user who generates the API key must have permission to edit submittals and read spec uploads in the Fieldwire project you want to connect.
Find your Fieldwire Project ID
- Sign in to Fieldwire.
- Open the project you want to connect to OttoStruct.
- Once the project has loaded, locate the project URL in your browser's address bar.
- Locate and copy the Project ID from the project URL.
Note: Copy only the Project ID. Do not include any additional characters or other parts of the Fieldwire URL.
Connect the Fieldwire project in OttoStruct
- Sign in to OttoStruct and open the project you want to connect.
- Navigate to Settings > Integrations.
- Enter the Fieldwire API key.
- Enter the Fieldwire Project ID.
- Select the region that corresponds to your Fieldwire account: United States, Canada, or Europe.
- Click Connect Fieldwire.
Once connected, the integration is configured for that OttoStruct project and targets the selected Fieldwire project. The same connection is used for sending submittals to Fieldwire and importing spec books from Fieldwire.
How the Integration Works
Once the projects are connected, OttoStruct can send its detailed or summarized submittal register to the connected Fieldwire project. You can also import a spec book PDF from Fieldwire into OttoStruct for processing.
Send submittals to Fieldwire
From the Submittals module in OttoStruct, you can send the Detailed register, Summarized register, or both to Fieldwire.
- Detailed: Creates one Fieldwire submittal for each individual line item.
- Summarized: Creates one Fieldwire submittal for each rolled-up submittal type, grouped by spec section.
- Both: Sends both types of records to Fieldwire in a single run.
Before the records are sent, OttoStruct displays the destination Fieldwire project and the number of items that will be processed.
The send runs as a background job. OttoStruct tracks the items that are created, updated, or failed, and closing the dialog does not stop the job. Each item is processed independently, so a failure on one item does not prevent the remaining items from being processed.
Update previously sent submittals
When a submittal is sent to Fieldwire for the first time, OttoStruct stores the Fieldwire record ID. If the same item is sent again later, OttoStruct updates the existing Fieldwire record rather than creating another record.
Fields for which OttoStruct does not have a value are not overwritten. This allows information entered directly in Fieldwire to remain in place when OttoStruct updates the record.
If a previously linked Fieldwire submittal has been deleted, OttoStruct creates a replacement the next time the item is sent and stores the new Fieldwire record ID.
Import a Fieldwire spec book into OttoStruct
Spec book PDFs already stored in the connected Fieldwire project can be copied into OttoStruct:
- Open the connected OttoStruct project.
- Navigate to Submittal Files.
- Locate the spec book you want to import from Fieldwire.
- Select the submittal version where the imported spec book should be filed.
- Start the import.
OttoStruct copies the PDF, splits it by section, extracts the submittal items, and files the results under the selected submittal version.
Spec books that have been reviewed or are under review can be imported. Books that are still processing, files that Fieldwire failed to process, and files larger than 400 MB are displayed but cannot be imported.
Imports run as background jobs, and importing a Fieldwire spec book counts against the OttoStruct project's page allowance in the same way as uploading the document directly.
What Syncs Between OttoStruct and Fieldwire
OttoStruct → Fieldwire
OttoStruct creates and updates records in Fieldwire Submittals. Depending on the register being sent, records can be created from individual detailed line items or summarized submittal types.
Information that OttoStruct can send to a Fieldwire submittal includes:
- Submittal number and item description
- Description
- Spec section
- Division
- Sub-type
- Manufacturers
- Subcontractor
- Spec sub-section
- Spec section number
- Submittal type
- Lead time, when available
- On-site date, when available
OttoStruct can link the submittal to an existing Fieldwire spec section when the section number matches. It can also link an existing Fieldwire submittal type when the type name matches.
OttoStruct does not create new Fieldwire spec sections or submittal types when a matching record does not already exist.
Fieldwire → OttoStruct
Spec book PDFs stored in Fieldwire can be copied into OttoStruct for processing. OttoStruct uses the imported PDF to split the specification book into sections and extract submittal requirements.
Changes made to Fieldwire submittals do not sync back to OttoStruct. The Fieldwire-to-OttoStruct portion of the integration is used to retrieve spec book PDFs rather than synchronize Fieldwire submittal records back into OttoStruct.
Permissions and User Mapping
Actions available through the integration depend on the user's role in OttoStruct:
- Admin: Connect Fieldwire, replace the API key, pause or disconnect the integration, import spec books, and send submittals.
- Editor: Import spec books and send submittals.
- Viewer: Send submittals to Fieldwire.
There is no individual user mapping between OttoStruct and Fieldwire. Actions performed through the integration use the identity of the Fieldwire user who owns the API key. That user's Fieldwire permissions determine what the integration can access, and that user is recorded as the creator and last editor of records OttoStruct writes to Fieldwire.
Manage the Fieldwire Connection
The Fieldwire connection is configured separately for each OttoStruct project, with each connection targeting one Fieldwire project.
OttoStruct Admins can manage the connection from Settings > Integrations. Available connection management actions include:
- Pause the connection
- Replace the Fieldwire API key
- Disconnect Fieldwire
Replacing the API key allows the credentials used by the integration to be changed without disconnecting the Fieldwire project. Disconnecting the integration removes the stored API key.
Current Limitations
- Each OttoStruct project can connect to one Fieldwire project.
- Changes made to submittals in Fieldwire do not sync back to OttoStruct.
- OttoStruct does not create new Fieldwire spec sections or submittal types. It can link to an existing spec section or submittal type when a match is available.
- OttoStruct does not delete or revert Fieldwire submittal records through the integration.
- Spec book PDFs larger than 400 MB cannot be imported from Fieldwire.
- Spec books that are still processing or that Fieldwire failed to process cannot be imported into OttoStruct.
- All Fieldwire actions performed through the integration use the identity and permissions of the Fieldwire user who owns the API key.
FAQ
What is OttoStruct?
OttoStruct is an automation platform that processes construction project documents, including specification books, and creates structured, project-specific submittal registers that can be sent to systems such as Fieldwire.
Can OttoStruct create Fieldwire submittals?
Yes. OttoStruct can send its detailed or summarized submittal register, or both, to the connected Fieldwire project. The resulting records are created in Fieldwire Submittals.
What happens if I send the same submittals to Fieldwire again?
OttoStruct stores the Fieldwire record ID after the first send. Subsequent sends update the linked Fieldwire record. If OttoStruct does not have a value for a field, it leaves the existing Fieldwire value unchanged.
What happens if a submittal created by OttoStruct is deleted in Fieldwire?
If the linked Fieldwire record has been deleted, OttoStruct creates a new record the next time the item is sent and stores the new Fieldwire record ID.
Can I import a Fieldwire spec book into OttoStruct?
Yes. A spec book PDF stored in the connected Fieldwire project can be copied into OttoStruct. OttoStruct then splits the PDF by section and processes it for submittal extraction.
Do changes made to submittals in Fieldwire sync back to OttoStruct?
No. Fieldwire submittal changes do not sync back to OttoStruct. The Fieldwire-to-OttoStruct portion of the integration is used to import spec book PDFs.
Can OttoStruct create new spec sections or submittal types in Fieldwire?
No. OttoStruct can link a submittal to an existing Fieldwire spec section when the section number matches and to an existing submittal type when the type name matches, but it does not create those records.
Which OttoStruct users can send submittals to Fieldwire?
OttoStruct Admins, Editors, and Viewers can send submittals to Fieldwire. Admins and Editors can import spec books from Fieldwire, while only Admins can configure or manage the Fieldwire connection.
Who can I contact about this integration?
For further assistance regarding the Fieldwire integration, contact OttoStruct at support@ottostruct.com.