CaptrID is built around a few core concepts. Understanding these will help you navigate the platform and make the most of its features.
Master List
A Master List is your organisation’s central roster of people. Think of it as your source of truth — the canonical list of everyone who might need to be photographed or have their data collected.
- Each organisation can have multiple Master Lists (e.g. “Students 2026”, “Staff”, “Contractors”)
- Master Lists persist across sessions — create them once, reuse them many times
- People can be added manually, imported from CSV, or synced from a directory like Microsoft Entra ID
Master Lists have a schema — a set of fields that define what data you store for each person (e.g. First Name, Last Name, Department, Student ID).
Session
A Session is a time-bound capture event. It’s where the actual photo capture (or data collection) happens.
- Sessions are created from a Master List snapshot, a CSV import, or from scratch
- When created from a Master List, people are copied into the session — changes in the session don’t affect the Master List until you explicitly sync them back
- Sessions have their own field configuration, capturer assignments, and photo review workflow
Session types:
- Photo sessions — Capture portrait photos for ID cards, directories, or records
- Data sessions — Collect or update data fields without photos (e.g. verify contact details)
Session statuses:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|
| Active | Accepting new captures and submissions |
| Closed | No new captures, but review and export still available |
| Archived | Read-only, hidden from default views |
UID (Unique Identifier)
Every Master List and every session has a UID field — a single field that uniquely identifies each person. This is how CaptrID matches people across sessions and syncs data back to your Master List.
Good UIDs:
- Employee number
- Student ID
- Email address
- Staff code
Poor UIDs:
- Full name (duplicates are common)
- Phone number (changes frequently)
The UID field is set when you create a Master List and cannot be changed afterwards. Choose carefully — it’s the foundation of how CaptrID tracks and matches people.
People
A person is an individual record within a Master List or session. Each person has:
- A UID value (unique within their list or session)
- Field data (name, department, year level, etc. — whatever fields are defined)
- Optionally, a photo (from submissions in a session, or synced from a directory)
Submission
A submission is a photo (or data snapshot) captured for a person within a session. Each person can have multiple submissions (e.g. multiple photo attempts), but only one can be approved at a time.
Submission statuses:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|
| Pending | Submitted, awaiting review |
| Approved | Accepted as the current photo for this person |
| Rejected | Sent back with a reason — capturer should retake |
| Superseded | Was previously approved, but a newer photo replaced it |
ChangeSet
A ChangeSet is a reviewed batch of changes that syncs data from a session back to a Master List. It’s how you push approved photos and field updates to your central roster.
ChangeSets provide:
- Conflict detection — If both the session and the Master List changed the same field, CaptrID flags it for review
- Per-field resolution — Choose to keep the session value, the Master List value, or skip the field
- Audit trail — Every change is logged, and applied ChangeSets can be rolled back
When to use ChangeSets:
- After a photo session, to push approved photos back to your Master List
- After a data collection session, to update contact details or other fields
- Whenever session data needs to become the new “source of truth” in your Master List
Card Templates
A Card Template is a design layout for printing physical ID cards. Templates define:
- Card dimensions and background
- Where the photo, name, and other fields appear
- Variables that map to your roster fields (e.g.
{{first_name}}, {{student_id}})
Templates are organisation-level resources that can be linked to any session for printing.
Roles
CaptrID has three user roles within an organisation:
| Role | Access | Where |
|---|
| Organisation Admin | Full access to all features, settings, and billing | Admin portal (web) |
| Coordinator | Session management, photo review, configurable permissions | Admin portal (web) |
| Capturer | Photo capture on assigned sessions only | Mobile app (iOS/Android) |
Coordinators have configurable permissions — Organisation Admins can grant additional capabilities like managing Master Lists, applying ChangeSets, or managing card templates from the Organisation Settings screen.
