The difference between a folder and a document

In Visure, folders and documents are the same thing under the hood — both are specifications. The difference is whether the specification contains items directly, or contains other specifications (other folders and documents).

A document holds items — requirements, tests, defects, design rules. When you open it, you see the list of items in the center area, ready for editing.

A folder holds other documents (or folders). When you open it, you see the contained documents — same Elements Panel hierarchy, just one level deeper.

A common organizational pattern:

• Use folders for thematic grouping — for example, a Requirements folder containing System Requirements, Software Requirements, Hardware Requirements.
• Use documents for the actual content — the items themselves.

Because folders and documents share the same data model, you can also open a folder as a single document — combining all its contained items into one continuous view. This is useful for review or export across a thematic group of specifications (see Article 4).

Read next: Create a folder · Open a folder as a single document