Parse Bill of Lading

The Parse Bill of Lading action is available in the More Actions submenu. This functionality automates the import of bills of lading from supported file formats: PDF, XLS, XLSX, and XML.

Preview Window Structure

After a file is selected, a preview window opens and consists of the following sections.

  1. Header Section

    • Cargo Settings button: Opens the Cargo Settings configuration window for defining Payer–Client assignment rules and cargo type settings.

    • Find Payer button: Reassigns Payer and Client values based on the current rules defined in Cargo Settings.

    • Vessel: Automatically filled if a matching vessel exists in the Ships Module.

      • If no match is found, a vessel can be added manually using the “” button.
        The selected vessel applies to all bills of lading in the list.

    • Voyage №: Selected manually from the list of voyages associated with the chosen vessel.

      • New voyages can be created using the “” button.
        The selected voyage also applies to all bills of lading.

  2. List of Parsed Bills of Lading

    • Displays all bills of lading extracted from the file and prepared for creation.

  3. Original File View

    • Shows the original content of the selected bill of lading from the parsed list.

  4. Bill of Lading Editor

    • Includes two tabs:

      • Details tab — Displays the BL card view with editable fields.

      • Preview tab — Displays an Excel-like layout with inline editing for selected fields.

        Preview Tab: Editable Fields

        • Shipper

        • Shipper Address

        • Consignee

        • Consignee Address

        • Notify

        • Notify Address

        • Port of Loading

        • Port of Discharge

        • Marks & Nos

        • Number of packages / pallets (depending on BL type)

        • Description of Goods

        • Gross Weight

        • Net Weight

The Details tab includes Cargo and Documents subtabs, identical to those available in the standard bill of lading card. Additional information is available in the Cargo tab and Documents tab articles.

Data Matching and Creation Logic

  • Address fields are imported as plain text directly from the source document and may differ from values stored in contact cards.

  • The system attempts to match Shipper, Consignee, and Notify values with existing contacts by name or alias.

    • If no matching contact is found, a new contact is created automatically.

  • Ports are matched by name or alias.

    • If no matching port is found, the port field remains empty.

Result of Parsing

Successfully processed entries are created as Bills of Lading with the Parsing status.

The editing interface for a bill of lading in Parsing status mirrors the parsing preview window, except that the list of parsed BLs is no longer displayed.

Two additional actions are available:

  • — Saves all changes and updates the bill of lading status to Draft.

  • — Saves changes without modifying the current status.