The **Materials list** is the packing list for a traffic plan: which plates, how many, and how they sit on a post. **Post orders** are the instructions for traffic controllers at those posts. You write both in the editor. You include them when you export files.

Use this when a contractor, municipality, or crew asked for a list, an Excel, or a sheet of controller orders. Skip it while you are still placing the first signs. Skip it if the municipality will work from a **Sharable link** only.

A share-link viewer can see posts on the map. They cannot type **Orders**. Organization members who are not the **assigned editor** are also read-only.

This page is the lists. Drawing export rectangles and running **Export now** is in [Export and print traffic plans](/hc/test/articles/export-and-print-us). Combination-board names are set in [Combination signs](/hc/test/articles/combination-signs-us).

A typical Acme Events pack for Austin is: one **Detail** PDF per intersection, one **XL** overview if you have Pro, a **Materials list** PDF the contractor can pick from, optional Excel for the spreadsheet workflow, and **Post orders** if traffic controllers sit on the plan.

## Turn the lists on at export

Click **Export**. The screen is **How would you like to export your map?**

**Sharable link** is **RECOMMENDED**. It does not attach a materials PDF. The live map is the document.

**Export files** is the file path. Warning: **Only recommended when a municipality or 3rd party explicitly asks for this.** Its only button is **Continue to export**, which opens the **Export maps** sidebar.

The file choices all live in that sidebar:

| Toggle | What you get |
|--------|----------------|
| **Map pages** | PDF pages for each export map |
| **Include legend** | A key for your lines and areas: [Traffic plan legend](/hc/test/articles/traffic-plan-legend-us) |
| **Materials list** | Then **PDF** and/or **Excel** |
| **Post instructions** | Extra PDF pages for controller orders |

**Post instructions** only appears when this country’s catalog has post signs. If your catalog has none, the toggle is absent.

You need at least one document switched on: map pages, the legend, the materials PDF or Excel, or post instructions.

When **Materials list** is on in the sidebar, two format buttons appear: **Materials PDF** (the button text is **PDF**) and **Materials Excel** (the button text is **Excel**).

You can export materials or post orders without map pages. You still usually want a rectangle so Excel can fill the **Drawing** column.

Export progress names the extra work: **Adding materials list**, **Creating Excel**, **Adding post instructions**. Row labels include **Materials list**, **Materials list Excel**, and **Post instructions**, with **Building the materials list**, **Creating the Excel file**, and **Building the post instructions**. Keep the tab open.

If the job is slow: **This is taking longer than usual. A slow network connection can delay map tiles and layers. Please keep this window open while the export finishes.** If layers lagged: **Some map layers took longer than expected to load. The export may be incomplete; please check the PDF before using it.** Failure: **Something went wrong while creating your export.** / **Export failed**. [Export fails or is blank](/hc/test/articles/export-fails-us).

## Materials PDF

For an on-screen count before exporting, open **Items** → **Traffic signs**. That overview counts the whole plan, including bulk placements; different combination-board appearances have separate rows. It does not replace the materials PDF or add signs to the **PDF legend**. [Traffic plan legend and Items](/hc/test/articles/traffic-plan-legend-us).

![Example exported PDF — materials list page](https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en_US/traffic-plans/export/08-pdf-page-2.png)

The PDF title is **Materials list**. Empty document: **No materials found**.

The main table columns:

| Column | Contains |
|--------|----------|
| (preview) | Sign image |
| **Sign** | Catalog code, or the combination-board **Name** |
| **Text** | Inscription and **Label:** plus the crew tag when a stack has a **Label** |
| **Qty** | How many of that plate |

Rows are grouped by catalog category, for example `W — Roadwork` or `EV — Events`. Ungrouped items fall under **Other**. **Labels** can appear as its own group for tag plates. A missing code falls back to **Sign**. A crew tag in **Text** is prefixed **Label: **. If a label row has no artwork, the preview box shows **LBL**.

The materials PDF is always A4 portrait, even if your map pages are A3 landscape. It has the same plan header as the map pages (title, dates, logo). Check the last pages of the download; do not stop at the drawings.

Combination boards use the **Name** you set in **Edit sign** (**This is how it appears on the material list.**). Default name is **Combination sign**. Size such as **130 x 90** is part of that board’s identity on the list. [Combination signs](/hc/test/articles/combination-signs-us).

Bulk lines do not appear as one plate per cone. Excel records them as **Bulk placement, quantity: 24** (the number is that line’s count) in **Remark**.

Post-instruction signs are omitted from the materials totals. They belong on **Post orders**.

### Stacked signs

After the totals, a second block can appear: **Stacked signs**.

Note under the heading: **This is a mounting overview per post. The quantities for the individual signs are already included in the materials totals above.**

Do not order those plates twice. **Qty** in **Stacked signs** is how many times that mounting combination occurs, not extra stock.

Stacked table columns:

| Column | Contains |
|--------|----------|
| (preview) | Plates in order on the post |
| **Stack** | Numbered codes on that post |
| **Text** | Inscriptions on those plates |
| **Qty** | How many identical stacks |

A Demo traffic plan with three identical R11-2 + plaque stacks in Austin shows **Qty** 3 in **Stacked signs**, and the same plates already counted in the category totals above.

Single-plate locations do not need the stacked block. Enable **Enable sign stacking** while drawing if two plates share a pole; otherwise the list treats them as two posts. [Working with signs](/hc/test/articles/working-with-signs-us).

## Materials Excel (Pro)

Excel is a Pro format. Description: **Download the materials list as an Excel file with a total tab and one tab per drawing.**

On an editable plan, **unsaved changes are saved before the Excel is generated**. A read-only export uses the saved plan and does not try to save changes for the viewer.

The workbook title is **Materials list - Demo traffic plan** (the plan name).

Row 2 includes **Online plan**, a hyperlink to the public traffic-plan URL, next to the plan title.

### Tabs

| Tab | Contents |
|-----|----------|
| **Total** | Every row in the plan |
| **1**, **2**, **3**, … | Rows whose coordinates fall inside that export map (**Map 1**, **Map 2**, …) |

You need at least one export map for a useful **Drawing** column. Without one: **Create an export map first.**

Empty sheet: **No materials found**.

### Columns

| Column | Contains |
|--------|----------|
| **Drawing** | Export map numbers, comma-separated if a sign sits in more than one rectangle |
| **Street** | Street from the location address |
| **Traffic sign** | Catalog code, or combination **Name** |
| **Inscription** | Sign text / combination header and body lines |
| **Event** | The plan title (for example Demo traffic plan) |
| **Remark** | Crew **Label**, combination size, or **Bulk placement, quantity: 24** |

### Pro and login messages

**Excel** shows a **Pro** badge when you cannot use it.

| Message | When |
|---------|------|
| **This is a pro feature.** | Your account cannot export materials Excel. Tooltip on the sidebar button also repeats **Pro feature** |
| **Log in and save the plan before exporting Excel.** | Guest, unsaved plan, or no plan id yet |
| **Create an export map first.** | Excel needs a rectangle |
| **Excel export is not available for this plan.** | This plan cannot build the file |
| **Could not export Excel. Please try again.** | Toast after a failed download |
| **Preparing Excel...** | Status while the file is built |
| **Creating Excel** / **Creating the Excel file** | Export progress rows |

Paying for unlimited signs (**Paid**) does not unlock Excel. Organization / Pro permission does. [Feature not available for my account](/hc/test/articles/feature-not-available-us).

If Excel fails after **Export now**, try again, then [Export fails or is blank](/hc/test/articles/export-fails-us). You can still send **Materials PDF**.

Excel is a spreadsheet of rows, not a picture of the board. Combination previews live on the PDF **Materials list**. Use both if the contractor picks from photos and the municipality wants a sheet.

A sign that sits in two export rectangles appears on both numbered tabs and once on **Total**. **Drawing** then lists both numbers, for example `1,2`. That is not a double order; it tells you which pages show the plate.

## Post orders in the editor

Open **Posts** on the right strip (the **Traffic Objects** rail). The panel title is **Post orders**. Subtitle: **Manage traffic controllers and their orders per post.**

![Posts / post orders sidebar](https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en/traffic-plans/features/04-posts.png)

If this country has no post catalog items, **Posts** may be hidden. The export toggle **Post instructions** is also hidden.

The panel has two blocks.

### Post items

**Post items** is the catalog of post signs for this country. Click one, then click the map, the same way you place any other sign.

Empty: **No post signs available for this country.** Change **Country** if you opened a Canadian catalog on a US job, or the other way around.

### Posts

**Posts** lists every placed post, in the order the crew should visit them.

Empty: **No post signs placed yet.** Place a post item first.

Each card:

| Control | Does |
|---------|------|
| Code and description | Which post sign this is |
| Address and coordinates | Street, number, ZIP code, city, then latitude, longitude |
| **Go to post** | Pans the map to that location and flashes a marker |
| Orange number plus **Post** | Visit order (1, 2, 3, …) |
| **Move post up** | Swap with the previous post |
| **Move post down** | Swap with the next post |
| **Post name (label)** | Crew tag on that stack. Placeholder **Add a post name...** |
| **Orders** | Free-text instructions. Placeholder **Add post orders for this location...** |

**Move post up** / **Move post down** are disabled at the ends of the list. They are also disabled when you cannot edit.

**Post name (label)** is the same **Label** as on **Details** (maximum 20 characters). Too long: **Only 20 characters are allowed**. Empty removes the label.

**Orders** is the controller text, for example “Close Congress Avenue from 06:00. Radio channel 2. Meet the Acme Events steward at the loading bay.”

From a selected post sign on **Details** you may also see **Manage post orders?** **Open post orders**. That jumps to this panel and highlights the card.

Toasts if the panel cannot load or save: **Could not load post instructions**, **Could not save post instructions**. Try **Save** again, then reload the plan.

Write **Orders** in the language the crew reads. The PDF does not translate them. Empty **Orders** still export the row; the **Orders** column shows a dash. Empty **Post name** also shows a dash.

A traffic-controller post is a catalog sign flagged as a post item. It is not a combination board and not a bulk line. Do not stack two post signs on one pole unless the crew truly stands there as one unit; visit order is per placed post, not per plate in a mixed stack.

## Post orders PDF and the Google Maps link

In **Export maps**, turn on **Post instructions**. Then **Export now**.

The PDF title is **Post orders**. Empty page: **No post orders found**. Fill **Orders** before the crew PDF goes out if you enabled the extra pages.

PDF columns:

| Column | Contains |
|--------|----------|
| **Post** | Visit number, sign code, address, coordinates |
| **Post name** | The **Post name (label)** |
| **Orders** | The instruction text |
| **Map** | **Open in Maps** when coordinates exist, otherwise a dash |

**Open in Maps** is a Google Maps link for that latitude and longitude. Crews open it from the PDF on a phone. The in-app name for that link type is **Google Maps**; the PDF button text is **Open in Maps**. There is no separate **Google Maps** control on the editor card; **Go to post** recenters *your* map, and the PDF **Map** column is what you send to someone else.

If coordinates are missing, **Map** is a dash and there is nothing to tap. Place the post on the map first, wait for **Auto-save: saved**, then export again.

Export progress: **Adding post instructions** / **Building the post instructions**.

## Include toggles, recap

You can attach the lists without printing every map page, but most file packs want all three.

1. Save, or wait for **Auto-save: saved**.
2. **Export** → **Continue to export**.
3. **Map pages** if you need drawings.
4. **Materials list**, then **PDF** and (if Pro) **Excel**.
5. **Post instructions** if you placed post signs and wrote **Orders**.
6. **Include legend** if the drawings need a key.
7. Check the format buttons: **Materials PDF** and **Materials Excel**.
8. Draw at least one **Detail** or **XL** map if Excel or map pages are on (**No export maps yet.** **Use Draw new map below to add a Detail or XL map.**).
9. **Export now**.

Read-only export mode cannot draw new rectangles. Empty description: **No export maps have been added to this plan.**

## Materials from a shared or read-only plan

A viewer can export a **Materials list** PDF from the saved traffic plan. Open **Export** → **Export files** → **Continue to export**, switch on **Materials list** and **PDF**, and use **Export now**. Turn **Map pages** off if you only need the list.

The list retains sign images, catalog categories, custom sign text and crew labels from the saved plan, including combination boards and bulk signs. The viewer does not need to open the editor catalog to build the materials PDF.

Read-only viewers cannot draw new export rectangles or change **Orders**. Existing saved map pages can be exported; if the pack needs different rectangles or updated instructions, ask the assigned editor to save those changes first.

**Excel** still requires a logged-in account with the relevant Pro / organization permission and a saved plan with export maps. A public share link does not grant that permission.

## What good looks like

The PDF **Materials list** **Qty** matches what you see on the map. **Stacked signs** is a mounting overview only. Excel **Total** plus tab **1** cover the Austin overview map. Combination boards show the **Name** you typed, not five generic **Combination sign** rows. **Post orders** visit order 1…n matches the route, each card has **Orders**, and **Open in Maps** works from the PDF.

You opened the files before you emailed them.

Walk through one pack before the first event of the season. Place two ordinary plates, one combination board with a unique **Name**, one bulk line if you have it, and two post signs with **Orders**. Export with **Map pages**, **Materials list** (**PDF** and **Excel** if Pro), and **Post instructions**. Confirm **Qty**, the **Stacked signs** note, Excel **Total** plus tab **1**, and **Open in Maps**.

## If something blocks you

| Situation | Where to go |
|-----------|-------------|
| **Excel** locked, **Pro** badge | [Feature not available for my account](/hc/test/articles/feature-not-available-us) |
| **Log in and save the plan before exporting Excel.** | Log in, **Save**, retry |
| **Create an export map first.** | Draw a **Detail** or **XL** rectangle |
| **Could not export Excel. Please try again.** | Retry, then [Export fails or is blank](/hc/test/articles/export-fails-us) |
| **No post signs available for this country.** | Check **Country** |
| **No post signs placed yet.** | Place a post item, then write **Orders** |
| **No post orders found** / **No materials found** | Enable the include toggles only after you have content |
| Cannot type **Orders** | [I can’t open or edit a plan](/hc/test/articles/cannot-edit-plan-us) |

## Related articles

- [Export and print traffic plans](/hc/test/articles/export-and-print-us)
- [Working with signs](/hc/test/articles/working-with-signs-us)
- [Combination signs](/hc/test/articles/combination-signs-us)
- [PDF preview](/hc/test/articles/pdf-preview-us)
- [Feature not available for my account](/hc/test/articles/feature-not-available-us)