Inspection templates are built in a drag-and-drop form builder at Workshop Settings → Inspection Templates. You drag fields from the palette onto the canvas, configure each one in the right-hand panel, and arrange them into rows of 1–4 columns.
The 22 field types
In the builder the palette is one flat, scrollable list under a Field Types heading. The grouping below is just a way of describing what the 22 types are for. You won't find these headings in the app.
| What it's for | Field types |
|---|---|
| Automotive | inspection, inspectionMatrix, batteryHealth, tyres, ukVehicleReg, mileage |
| Input | text, textarea, number, percentage, measurement, phone, maskedInput |
| Selection | select, multiselect, radio, checkbox |
| Date | date |
| Media | signature, image, video |
| Layout | tableMatrix |
The inspection type is the workhorse — five-status picker (Acceptable / Advisory / Rectified / Failure / N-A) with optional notes and images. Use inspection matrix when you have many related items and want them in a single grid rather than seventeen separate fields. For tyres there's a dedicated tyres field: per-tyre tread depth and condition flags, deriving an Advisory under 3.0mm and a Failure under 1.6mm (or on a severe flag such as cords showing), with a manual override if the technician disagrees. Battery health is a state-of-health % gauge, registration does a UK vehicle lookup, and mileage records the odometer.
Video fields
The video field lets a technician attach short clips, for the rattle you can't describe in a note. Each field takes up to 2 videos (set it to 1 in the field's Max Videos option), and each clip is capped at 50MB and 3 minutes.
Videos are the one thing in Pistonlog with a storage ceiling: every garage gets 5GB, shared across all inspections. Manage them at Workshop Settings → Videos, where you can see the space used and download or delete old clips to free some up. When the quota is full, technicians can't upload until you clear room.
Videos are deleted after 13 months
Inspection videos are removed automatically 13 months after upload. If a clip is evidence you may need later, download it from Workshop Settings → Videos and keep your own copy. Photos and the inspection record itself are not affected.
Per-field settings
Select a field on the canvas and the right-hand panel shows its settings. Two are worth knowing about beyond the obvious label and options:
- Required: marks the field mandatory and flags it with an asterisk on the form
- Show in printout: on by default. Switch it off for fields that are for internal use only. The field still records normally, it just doesn't appear on the printed report or the customer portal
Rows and columns
Fields are grouped into rows. Each row has a column count (1, 2, 3 or 4). A row of 2 columns means the fields inside that row will sit side by side on desktop; on mobile they wrap to a single column.
Build and Preview
The toolbar has a Build / Preview switcher. Build is the editing canvas; Preview renders the form exactly as a technician will see it, which is the quickest way to catch a row that's too cramped at 4 columns. Marking an item Rectified in Preview won't open the parts dialog, because there's no jobcard behind it.
Allotted hours
Also in the toolbar, next to the save indicator, is a small clock icon with an Allotted hours box: how long this inspection should take, in hours (0.25 steps). It's used for analytics rather than enforced on anyone, so a technician is never blocked or warned for going over.
Auto-save
The builder saves continuously as you work. There's no Save button — Pistonlog flushes changes within a few seconds of you stopping, and the toolbar shows Saving… then Saved.
Duplicating a template
On the template list, the three-dot menu on any card has Edit, Duplicate, and Delete. Duplicate copies the whole form so you can fork a working sheet into a variant (a short version for a quick check, say) without rebuilding it or risking the original. Duplicate needs inspections.create.
Permissions
Building templates requires inspections.create (to start a new one) or inspections.edit (to update). Owners and Managers have both by default.