Projects · 02

SubmitALL – Shop Drawing Workflow Packager

Jul 2025 – Nov 2025 · VR Mechanical Solutions

Python Word (DOCX) PDF Windows Desktop App

30–60 min → 3–8 min Time to package a set of mechanical shop drawings

After months of revisions, I built a Windows-based Python tool that changes how we package mechanical shop drawings. What used to take 30 to 60 minutes now takes 3 to 8. It automates the work, simplifies it, and gives consistent output every time.

SubmitALL main window filled in for a rooftop unit submittal — The main window: the submittal details that fill in the title page and tab templates.

What it does

Automates title pages and divider tabs from Word templates
Imports shop PDFs and lets you drag tabs to their correct positions
Exports a single, clean Package.pdf that's ready for consultant submission
Loads data from previous DOCX files to save time
Saves your settings for faster, smoother workflows

Edit Tabs dialog listing six divider tabs — Edit Tabs: one divider tab per line.

Why it matters

Saves hours on each project by cutting manual work
Fewer resubmittals thanks to placeholder-driven templates
Keeps every package consistent in branding, structure and page order
Consultant-friendly: uses Word for DOCX-to-PDF formatting

Features

Live PDF previewer with drag-and-drop tab placement
Undo history for quick reversals
Debounced rebuilds keep previews fast and responsive
PDF-first tabs for clear, reliable page ordering
Dark mode toggle with saved preferences
Settings panel for themes, recent folders and saved layouts
Cleans up filenames, removes temporary files, and processes in the background

How it's built

About 1,200 lines of Python, packaged as a Windows desktop app.

Interface: Tkinter, with a light and dark theme.
Templates: python-docx fills [[placeholder]] fields in the Word title-page and tab templates.
Word to PDF: drives Microsoft Word through COM automation, so the output matches what consultants expect from Word.
Preview: PyMuPDF renders the shop PDFs page by page for the drag-and-drop tab placement.
Packaging: PyPDF2 splits the shop drawings and merges everything into one Package.pdf.
Responsiveness: heavy work runs on background threads, and preview rebuilds are debounced.
Settings: saved to JSON, including theme, recent folders and layouts.

Help & settings

A dedicated Help/About panel explains the core workflows, and an integrated Settings menu handles customization.