# Delivery Route Planner User Guide

 

This guide explains how to use Delivery Planner to create daily routes, assign work, and track delivery progress.

 

## Quick Start

1. Open Delivery Planner in Admin.

2. Choose the date using Today, Tomorrow, or the date picker.

3. Create one or more lists using the + button in Lists For The Day.

4. Set each list name, status, and driver.

5. Drag deliveries from Unassigned Deliveries into lists.

6. Open a list menu and select Suggest Route.

7. Review the route preview and click Accept Route.

8. Keep the page open for automatic 5-minute refresh updates.

 

## What You See On The Page

The planner has two main panels:

- Lists For The Day: Delivery lists for the selected date.

- Unassigned Deliveries: Orders not yet assigned to any list.

 

Each list card includes:

- List name

- List status

- Assigned driver

- Item count

- List actions menu

 

Each delivery item card includes:

- Order number, or Manual for manually added items

- Delivery time window

- Recipient and phone

- Address

- Product or notes summary

- Item actions menu

 

## Dates And Refresh

- The selected date controls all lists and deliveries shown.

- The planner refreshes every 5 minutes when left open.

- Auto-refresh is skipped while a save is in progress or a modal window is open.

 

## Daily Tasks

 

### Create A List

1. Click + in Lists For The Day.

2. A new draft list is created for the selected date.

3. Rename it if needed.

 

### Update List Details

You can edit directly on each list card:

- List name

- Status: Draft, Ready, With Driver, Complete

- Driver assignment

 

Changes save automatically.

 

### Add A Manual Delivery

1. Click + in Unassigned Deliveries.

2. Enter recipient, contact, address, delivery time, and notes.

3. Click Add Delivery.

 

Manual entries appear as Manual in the list.

 

### Assign And Reorder Deliveries

- Drag deliveries from Unassigned to a list.

- Drag deliveries between lists.

- Drag deliveries up or down within the same list.

 

When order changes, existing route snapshots for affected lists are cleared and should be regenerated.

 

## Menus And Actions

 

### List Menu Actions

| Action | What It Does |

|---|---|

| Suggest Route | Optimizes stop order for the list |

| Route From List Order | Builds a route using current list order |

| Delete List | Deletes the list only when it has no items |

 

### Delivery Item Actions

| Action | What It Does |

|---|---|

| Open Order | Opens order details in a new tab |

| Unassign Delivery | Moves the item back to Unassigned |

| Mark Order Delivered | Marks the delivery item as delivered |

 

## Route Preview And Save

After generating a route:

1. A preview modal shows map, stop order, distance, and estimated duration.

2. Click Accept Route to apply the route order.

3. A route snapshot is saved on the list card.

4. Approximate drive time is shown under the route image.

 

### Start And End Point Rules

- The planner uses the first configured shop address as the depot.

- Routes start at the shop and return to the shop.

- Snapshot map markers show the start in green and delivery stops in orange.

 

## Delivery Status Labels

- Awaiting

- On Van

- Delivered

- Returned

 

## Mobile App Status Sync

When a mobile app update changes a delivery list item:

- If changed to Delivered, the linked order status is set to Delivered.

- If changed from Delivered to anything else, the linked order status is set to Received.

 

## Troubleshooting

 

### Route generation shows a configuration warning

Cause: Mapbox is not configured.

Action: Ask your administrator to configure mapbox.api.

 

### Cannot delete a list

Cause: The list still has deliveries.

Action: Move or unassign all items first, then delete.

 

### Route image disappeared after moving items

Cause: Route snapshots are cleared after reorder and assignment changes.

Action: Regenerate and accept a new route.

 

### Open Order is missing for an item

Cause: Manual or non-standard items may not have a standard order ID.

Action: Open the order from regular order management screens if needed.

 

## Glossary

- Delivery List: A group of deliveries for a specific date.

- Unassigned: Deliveries not attached to any list.

- Route Snapshot: Saved static map image of an accepted route.

- Depot: Shop location used as route start and end point.