> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.aphex.co/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.aphex.co/docs/diary/web/recipes.md). # Recipes {% hint style="info" %} **Who can use this feature?** Anyone on a project can view Recipes and run a Preview. Creating, editing and deleting Recipes is open to All Members by default, or Admins Only if a Project Admin sets this in **Project Settings** > **Permissions**. {% endhint %} A Recipe controls how the Diary Summary is laid out: which headings it uses, in what order, how each bullet is written, and how items are grouped. You write it once, set it as the default on your Diary template, and every summary follows it. The more specific your Recipe, the more consistent your summaries will be from day to day.

## Creating a Recipe *** If you want your Diary Summary structured in a specific format, you can customise it by creating a new Recipe.

**To create a new Recipe:** * Go to Diary > Recipes and click + Create Recipe * Enter a name * Tick the content you want in the summary * Selected content decides what Diary information the AI receives. Anything unticked never reaches the AI, even if your instructions ask for it. * Edit the starter text in Instructions (up to 5,000 characters) * Instructions decide how the summary is written: headings, order, grouping, bullet format, tone and what to leave out. See [#writing-a-recipe-that-works-every-time](#writing-a-recipe-that-works-every-time "mention"). * Click Run Preview to test it against sample data * Click Save Recipe Your instructions control how the summary looks, but they can't change what was recorded. The AI only uses information from the Diary Entry, and keeps names, locations, quantities, times and task names exactly as recorded. Where your instructions say nothing, Aphex defaults apply, such as short bullets and leaving out empty headings.

What each content option includes

| Content | What it pulls in | | ------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Notes | Note clips on the Diary Entry | | Image Captions | Captions on photos | | Progress | Task progress, such as on schedule, delayed or done | | Weather | The Diary's weather section. Needs weather logging set up | | Production | Production measures on tasks | | Labour, Plant, Materials | Actuals added to the Diary. Planned resources on tasks are never used | Notes, Image Captions, Progress, Weather and Production are ticked by default.

## Writing a Recipe that works every time *** Anything your instructions leave open, the AI decides fresh each time, so the summary can look different from one day to the next. **If something matters to you, say it in the instructions.** #### A good Recipe answers seven questions:

Question	Example
Who reads it, and why?	"This summary is the client's daily report."
Which headings, in what order?	"Use these headings in this order: Progress, Delays, Safety, General notes."
What goes under each heading?	"Delays: anything that stopped or slowed work, including weather, late deliveries and access issues."
How is each bullet written?	"Start with the subcontractor in bold, then the activity, then the location."
What order inside each heading?	"List items in the order they happened, earliest first."
What if a section is empty?	"If nothing was recorded, write 'No delays recorded'." Otherwise, empty headings are left out.
What should be left out?	"Leave out routine toolbox talks unless an issue was raised."

{% hint style="info" %} **Tips** * To keep something out of the summary, untick its content rather than writing "don't mention labour". * Use your team's own words. If your site says "zones", say "zones". * Only group by something your team records. "Group by area" only works if areas are in notes or on tasks. {% endhint %}

Vague vs specific examples

Vague	Specific
Put delays in their own section.	Under Delays, include anything that stopped or slowed work, such as weather, late deliveries, access or plant breakdowns.
Keep it in order.	Within each heading, list items in the order they happened, earliest first. Start each bullet with the time if one is recorded.
List the subcontractors.	Under Labour, write one bullet per subcontractor: the company name in bold, then the trade, then headcount and hours.
Always show the main sections.	Always show the Delays and Safety headings. If nothing was recorded, write "No delays recorded" or "No safety issues recorded".
Highlight problems.	Put any bullet about a delay, incident or failed inspection in bold.
Add up the labour.	At the end of Labour, add one bullet with total headcount and total hours across all subcontractors.

#### What won't work Lines that ask the AI to invent information or look outside today's Diary Entry are highlighted in orange when you run a Preview, with the callout "Parts of your instruction won't be used". You can still save, but those lines are ignored.

Examples and what to write instead

| Example | Why | Write this instead | | ---------------------------------------- | ------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- | | Convert all quantities to tonnes. | Changes a recorded value | Record quantities in the unit you want | | If labour hours are missing, assume 8. | Fills a gap | Write "Hours not recorded" where hours are missing | | Estimate when the slab will be finished. | A prediction | Report progress as recorded | | Compare progress with yesterday. | Uses another day | Report today only | | Add tomorrow's weather forecast. | Outside the Diary | Tick Weather to report recorded weather | Some instructions pass the check but still won't appear: content that isn't ticked, data that wasn't recorded, and renaming things ("call Smith Civil 'the earthworks sub'"). Totals of recorded values, like total headcount, do work.

#### Test with a Preview Run a Preview to test your instructions. The Preview applies your Recipe to a sample Diary, so names won't match your project and no live Diaries are affected.

{% hint style="info" %} **Tips** * **Change one thing at a time**, then run a Preview, so you can see what each change does. * **Run it twice.** If the Previews differ in a way that matters, add a rule for it. * **Fix any orange highlights** before saving (see [#what-wont-work](#what-wont-work "mention")). {% endhint %} #### Example Recipes Copy one into a new Recipe, tick the listed content, and adjust it. Keep the heading descriptions and example bullets, as they're what make the result consistent.

Aphex Standard (the default)

**Content:** Notes, Image Captions, Progress, Weather, Production. ``` Create a concise, factual daily site diary summary. Use these headings, in this order. Write each one exactly as shown, on its own line. Leave out a heading with nothing under it. # Progress and production # Meetings and inspections # Delays and disruptions # Safety, quality and environmental # General notes What goes under each heading: - Delays and disruptions: every delayed task, and anything that stopped or slowed work. A delayed task always goes here, never under Progress and production. - Progress and production: tasks that are done, on schedule or improved, and production quantities. - Meetings and inspections: meetings, inspections, site visits and reviews. - Safety, quality and environmental: incidents, near misses, defects, tests, spills, dust and noise. - General notes: everything else. Use short bullet points that start with "- ". Write each progress update as one bullet: the task name in bold, then its status, then the change in days in the words recorded, then the reason and any comment as written. For example: "- **Task name** is delayed, [change as recorded], due to [reason]. [Comment]." A task on schedule with nothing else recorded reads "- **Task name** is on schedule with no delays reported." A task with a status of Done reads "- **Task name** is done." Include every recorded item once. Combine only information that is repeated, preserve important names, locations, quantities and times, and do not add anything that was not recorded in the diary. Within each heading, list items in chronological order, earliest first. ```

Time-ordered shift log

For night shifts and teams who want the day in sequence. **Content:** Notes, Image Captions, Progress, Weather. ``` Write a factual log of the shift in the order things happened. Use these headings, in this order. Write each one exactly as shown, on its own line. Leave out a heading with nothing under it. # Shift log # Delays and disruptions What goes under each heading: - Shift log: every recorded item, including progress, notes, image captions and weather, listed earliest first. - Delays and disruptions: every delayed task, and anything that stopped or slowed work. These items also stay in the Shift log at the time they happened. Start each Shift log bullet with the time in 24-hour format if one is recorded, then the item. Put items with no recorded time at the end of the Shift log. For example: "- 22:15 Concrete pour to Level 3 slab started." Write each Delays and disruptions bullet as the task or item in bold, then what was affected, then the reason as recorded. For example: "- **Crane lift** stopped due to high wind, delaying steel erection." Keep each bullet to one sentence. Preserve names, locations, quantities and times, and do not add anything that was not recorded. ```

By subcontractor

For QSs and package managers. **Content:** Notes, Progress, Labour, Plant. ``` Group the summary by subcontractor. Use each subcontractor's name as a heading, written exactly as recorded, on its own line starting with "# ". Order the subcontractor headings alphabetically. After them, add this final heading: # Site-wide What goes under each heading: - A subcontractor heading: that subcontractor's task progress, then labour, then plant, then notes, in that order. - Site-wide: anything not linked to a subcontractor. Write progress as one bullet per task: the task name in bold, then its status, then the change in days in the words recorded, then the reason and any comment as written. For example: "- **Formwork Level 2** is delayed, 2 days, due to late timber delivery." A task with a status of Done reads "- **Task name** is done." Write labour as one bullet per trade, then one bullet with the subcontractor's total headcount and total hours. For example: "- Labour: carpenters, 6 people, 48 hours." Write plant as one bullet per item. For example: "- Plant: 20 t excavator, 8 hours." Leave out a subcontractor with nothing recorded. Include every recorded item once, and do not add anything that was not recorded. ```

Commercial record

For commercial teams tracking delays, variations and claims. **Content:** Notes, Progress, Weather, Labour, Plant. ``` This summary is a record for commercial and contractual review. Write precisely and neutrally. Use these headings, in this order. Write each one exactly as shown, on its own line. # Delays and disruptions # Instructions and variations # Weather # Resources on site # General notes What goes under each heading: - Delays and disruptions: every delayed task, and anything that stopped or slowed work. A delayed task always goes here, never under General notes. - Instructions and variations: any instruction, direction or change from the client, consultant or principal contractor. - Weather: weather as recorded. - Resources on site: labour and plant as recorded. - General notes: everything else, including tasks that are done, on schedule or moved earlier. Write each delay as one bullet: the task or event in bold, then the cause, the work affected, and the time or duration in the words recorded. For example: "- **Excavation Grid B** was delayed 1 day due to wet ground, affecting the pile cap pour." Write each instruction as who gave it, then what was instructed. For example: "- Client representative instructed relocation of the site gate to the north boundary." Under Resources on site, write one bullet per subcontractor with headcount and hours, then one bullet per plant item with hours, then a final bullet with the total headcount and total labour hours for the day. Always show the Delays and disruptions heading. If nothing was recorded, write "No delays or disruptions recorded." Leave out any other heading with nothing under it. Do not describe anyone's fault or responsibility. Include every recorded item once, and do not add anything that was not recorded. ```

Daily report

For teams with a fixed daily report format. **Content:** Notes, Image Captions, Progress, Weather, Production. ``` This summary is the daily report. Write in clear, professional language. Always use these headings, in this order, even when empty. Write each one exactly as shown, on its own line. # Weather # Work completed # Work in progress # Issues and delays # Safety # Inspections and meetings # General notes What goes under each heading: - Weather: weather as recorded. - Work completed: tasks with a status of Done. - Work in progress: tasks that are on schedule or moved earlier and not Done, and production quantities. - Issues and delays: every delayed task, and anything else that stopped or slowed work. A delayed task always goes here, never under Work in progress. - Safety: incidents, near misses, hazards and safety observations. - Inspections and meetings: inspections, meetings, site visits and reviews. - General notes: everything else. Under Work completed and Work in progress, write one bullet per task: the task name in bold, then its status, then the location and production quantities as recorded. For example: "- **Level 3 slab pour** is done, north wing, 85 m3 placed." Under Inspections and meetings, start each bullet with the meeting or inspection name in bold, then who attended and the outcome. For example: "- **Formwork inspection**: engineer attended, approved for pour." If a heading has nothing recorded, write "Nothing to report" underneath. Include every recorded item once, and do not add anything that was not recorded. ```

By folder and subcontractor

For teams who review work by folder, then by who did it. **Content:** Progress, Production. ``` This summary shows the work done on site, grouped by folder and then by subcontractor. Write short, factual bullets. Use this heading structure. Write each heading on its own line, exactly in this format. Leave out a heading with nothing under it. # [Folder name] ## [Subcontractor name] ## No subcontractor # Other tasks How to fill in the headings: - # [Folder name]: one heading per folder, named exactly as recorded, in alphabetical order. - ## [Subcontractor name]: under each folder, one sub-heading per subcontractor with work in that folder, named exactly as recorded, in alphabetical order. - ## No subcontractor: the last sub-heading in each folder, for tasks with no subcontractor recorded. - # Other tasks: the last heading, for tasks with no folder recorded. What goes under each subcontractor: - All progress and production recorded for that subcontractor's tasks in that folder, including tasks that are done, on schedule, moved earlier or delayed. Write each task as one bullet: the task name in bold, then its status, then the change in days in the words recorded, then the reason and any comment as written, then production quantities as recorded. For example: "- **Level 2 columns** is on schedule with no delays reported, 12 of 20 columns poured." A task with a status of Done reads "- **Task name** is done." Within each sub-heading, list tasks in chronological order, earliest first. Include every recorded item once, and do not add anything that was not recorded. ```

## Setting a default Recipe *** Each Diary template has a default Recipe, which every summary on that Diary uses unless the compiler picks another.

**To set a default Recipe for a Diary:** * Open the Diary template * In Summary Recipe, select a Recipe from the dropdown, or click + Add Recipe to create one * Save the template ## Using a different Recipe on a Diary Entry *** If the default Recipe isn't the right fit for a specific Diary Entry, you can select a different one.

**To switch Recipes on a specific Diary Entry:** * In the Summary step, click the arrow on Generate * Select a Recipe, and the summary regenerates using it This only applies to that Diary Entry. The next entry starts from the template's default Recipe.

What happens when you regenerate

* Anything you typed by hand is kept, whether you rerun the same Recipe or switch to another * Changed Diary information is updated in place, and anything the Diary no longer supports is removed * New items are added at the bottom of their heading, so time-ordered Recipes work best when you generate once most notes are in * Editing a Recipe only affects future summaries, not ones already written

## Deleting a Recipe *** **To delete a Recipe:** * Go to Diary > Recipes and find the Recipe you want to delete in the Recipes table * Click the

on that Recipe's row * Select Delete * Type DELETE in capitals to confirm, then click Delete Recipe

Deleting Recipe Rules

* If the Recipe is the default on any Diaries, those Diaries go back to the Aphex Standard. * Summaries that have already been generated aren't affected. * The Aphex Standard can't be deleted.

--- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters: ``` GET https://help.aphex.co/docs/diary/web/recipes.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.