Getting Started Guide

Learn how to set up your company, organize your work, and get the most out of Capeum.

1. Setting Up Your Account

When you first open Capeum, you'll register with your email and create a password. After verifying your email, you'll either:

Create a new company — if you're the first person on your team.
Join an existing company — using an invite code from your admin.

The person who creates the company becomes the admin. Admins can invite team members, manage roles, and access the trash and audit log.

2. Understanding the Hierarchy

Capeum organizes your work photos into a clear structure that mirrors how you think about your jobs. Here's how it works from top to bottom:

Company — your business

├─ Customer — a client you do work for

├─ Main Site — a primary location

├─ Sub Site — an area within a main site

├─ Equipment — a specific unit or asset

├─ Job Folder — a specific work order or visit

├─ Before Photos

└─ After Photos

└─ General Folder — nameplates, install docs, etc.

└─ Photos

Customers

A customer is a client your company does work for. This is the top level of organization. Examples: "Summit Construction", "Pacific Homes", "City of Portland".

Main Sites

A main site is a primary location belonging to a customer. This could be a building, property, campus, or any significant location. Examples: "Downtown Office Tower", "1842 Maple Drive", "Building A - North Wing".

Sub Sites

A sub site is an area within a main site. Use these when a main site is large enough to need further breakdown. Examples: "3rd Floor", "Mechanical Room", "Roof". Sub sites are optional — many jobs don't need them.

Equipment

Equipment represents a specific unit, asset, or system you work on. Equipment can be placed under a main site or a sub site. Examples: "Carrier RTU-400 (Roof)", "Boiler Room #1", "Lennox HVAC Unit".

Tip: Equipment is where most of your photos will live. Think of it as the thing you're taking pictures of or working on.

3. Job Folders vs. General Folders

Each piece of equipment has two types of folders, accessed via tabs:

Job Folders

A job folder represents a specific visit, work order, or service call on a piece of equipment. Each job folder can include:

Name — what the job is (e.g., "Quarterly Maintenance", "Compressor Replacement")
Work Order # — your internal tracking number (optional)
Job Date — when the work was performed (optional)
Description — notes about the job (optional)

Photos inside job folders are split into Before and After phases, so you can document the state of equipment before and after your work.

General Folders

General folders are for photos that aren't tied to a specific job. Use them for reference material that applies to the equipment overall:

Nameplate photos
Installation documentation
Serial numbers and model info
Wiring diagrams
Warranty labels

General folders don't have before/after phases — they're just a flat collection of photos.

4. Taking Photos

There are two ways to capture photos in Capeum:

From the Camera tab: Tap the Camera icon in the bottom navigation bar. Select a folder to shoot into, then capture your photos. This is the fastest way when you're on-site.
From a folder: Navigate to a job folder or general folder and tap the + button to capture photos directly into that folder.

Tip: If you take photos without selecting a folder, they go to "Needs Assigned" on your home screen. You can assign them to the right folder later.

Offline Mode

Capeum works without an internet connection. Photos you take offline are stored locally and upload automatically when you reconnect. You'll see a sync indicator in the app when uploads are in progress.

5. Search

Tap the search icon on the home screen to find anything — customers, sites, equipment, or folders. Results are grouped by type so you can quickly jump to what you need.

6. Team Management

Admins can manage the team from Settings > Team:

Invite members: Create invite codes with optional expiration dates. Share the code with your team — they enter it during registration.
Change roles: Promote members to admin or set them as viewers.
Remove members: Remove someone from the company. Their account is kept but they lose access to company data.

7. Exporting Photos

You can export photos from any job folder or general folder. Exported photos are organized and ready to share with clients, inspectors, or anyone who needs them.

8. Trash & Recovery

When you delete a customer, site, equipment, folder, or photo, it goes to the trash. Admins can recover deleted items from Settings > Trash within 30 days. After 30 days, items are permanently removed.

Tip: Recovering a deleted item also recovers its parent items if they were deleted. For example, recovering a deleted equipment item will also recover its parent site and customer if needed.

Need Help?

If you have questions or run into issues, reach out to us at support@capeum.com.