Purchase Orders in Invoice Genie let you create, send, and track orders to your vendors and suppliers. They work like a formal request to purchase goods or services — complete with line items, pricing, photos, and a shareable PDF. This guide covers everything from creating your first PO to sending it and tracking when the vendor opens it.

How to Open Purchase Orders

1. Tap the More tab in the bottom navigation bar.
2. Under the Documents section, tap “Purchase Orders” (purple shipping box icon).

The Purchase Orders Screen

Toolbar Icons (Top Right)

The + button only appears if you have access to a business profile.

Each PO Row Shows

• A blue shipping box icon with the PO number (e.g., #PO-00004)
• The date on the right
• The vendor name
• Status badges:
  • Sent — green checkmark: the PO has been emailed or texted to the vendor
  • Viewed — blue eye icon: the vendor has opened the PO link
• The total amount in blue on the right

POs that haven’t been sent yet appear without any status badges — they’re considered drafts.

Creating a Purchase Order

1. Tap the + button in the top-right corner.
2. Fill in the form sections described below.
3. Tap “Create Purchase Order” at the bottom.

Purchase Order Information

• PO Number — automatically generated (e.g., PO-00001). This is read-only; numbering is configured in Business Settings.
• Date — defaults to today. Tap to change.

Vendor

Tap “Select a Vendor” to open your client list. Purchase orders use the same contacts as invoices and estimates — pick the vendor you’re ordering from.

Items (Line Items)

Tap “Add Item” to add products or services you’re ordering. Each line item includes:

Each item row shows the description, quantity × unit cost, and the calculated line total. Tap the red X to remove an item (with confirmation), or tap the row to edit it.

Photos

Attach up to 15 photos per purchase order — useful for reference images, product specifications, or supporting documents. Tap “Add Photos” and pick images from your photo library. Photos upload in the background and appear as a grid.

Additional Notes

A free-text area for delivery instructions, special requirements, or general comments to the vendor. If you have AI text improvement enabled, the AI Improve button (purple magic wand) appears to polish your notes.

Totals

The totals section shows:

• Subtotal — sum of all line items before discounts
• Item Discounts — total of any per-item discounts (shown in red if applicable)
• Total — the final amount (subtotal minus discounts)

Preview Tab

While creating or editing, switch to the Preview tab to see a live PDF preview of your purchase order. The preview updates automatically as you change any field — PO number, vendor, items, notes, or date.

This is exactly what the PDF will look like when you send it or share it.

Sending a Purchase Order

Once your PO is saved, you can send it to the vendor in three ways:

Via Email

1. Open the PO and tap the send button (paper plane icon) in the toolbar, or use the three-dot menu → Send Purchase Order.
2. Choose “Send via Email”.
3. The email composer opens with the vendor’s email pre-filled, a subject line (“Purchase Order #PO-00001 from [Your Business]”), a body message, and the PDF attached.
4. Tap Send.

Via Text Message

1. Tap send → “Send via Text”.
2. The message composer opens with the vendor’s mobile number and the PDF attached.
3. Send the message.

Via Shareable Link

1. Open the three-dot menu → Share Purchase Order Link.
2. A link to the online version of the PO is copied to the share sheet.
3. Share it through any app — WhatsApp, Slack, Messages, etc.

After sending, the PO is marked as “Sent” with a green checkmark badge. The sent date and method (email or text) are recorded.

View Tracking

When the vendor opens the PO link, Invoice Genie records the view and sends you a push notification: “Purchase Order #PO-00001 viewed.” The PO row will also show a blue “Viewed” badge with the date and time it was opened.

Sharing and Printing

The three-dot menu on any saved PO offers:

Editing a Purchase Order

Tap any PO in the list to open it. You can edit all fields:

• Change the vendor
• Add, edit, or remove line items
• Attach or remove photos
• Update notes

Tap “Save Changes” when done. The PO number and original date remain fixed after creation.

Duplicating a Purchase Order

Need to create a similar order? Instead of starting from scratch:

1. Open the PO you want to copy.
2. Tap the three-dot menu → Duplicate.
3. A new PO is created with:
   • A new PO number (auto-generated)
   • Today’s date
   • The same vendor, items, and notes

Photos and sent status are not copied to the duplicate.

Deleting Purchase Orders

Delete a Single PO

1. Swipe left on a PO in the list.
2. Tap the red Delete button.
3. Confirm by tapping “Delete”.

You can also delete from inside the PO via the three-dot menu → Delete.

Delete Multiple POs

1. Tap the checkmark icon in the toolbar to enter multi-select mode.
2. Tap POs to select them.
3. Use “Select All” to pick everything.
4. Tap the red trash icon in the header and confirm.

Deleted POs can be restored by an administrator from the Deleted Items screen.

Searching Purchase Orders

1. Tap the magnifying glass icon in the toolbar.
2. Type in the search bar — it matches against PO number and vendor name.
3. Results filter in real time as you type.

Sorting Purchase Orders

Tap the sort icon (three horizontal lines) to open the sort sheet:

Choose Ascending or Descending order. Your preferences are saved between sessions.

PO Numbering Settings

You can customize how PO numbers are formatted in Business Settings (see the Business Settings tutorial):

Numbers auto-increment each time a PO is created.

Purchase Orders vs. Invoices & Estimates

Tips & Best Practices

• Use the Preview tab before sending — check that prices, quantities, and vendor details look correct on the PDF.
• Attach reference photos — if you’re ordering specific products, attaching images makes the PO clearer for your vendor.
• Duplicate for recurring orders — if you order the same supplies regularly, duplicate a previous PO instead of creating from scratch.
• Watch for the “Viewed” badge — once the vendor opens your PO, you know they’ve received it without needing to follow up.
• Use notes for delivery instructions — the Additional Notes section appears on the PDF, so put delivery addresses, deadlines, or special requirements there.
• Pull down to refresh — if you’re waiting for view tracking to update, pull down the list to sync with the server.