ContextCleaner: see every entry in the Windows 11 right-click menu, and which app added it — on the Microsoft Store.

Last updated:

Guided workflow variation

Coming soon for Windows. Feature preview.

A submittal log templatethat arrives already filled in.

A blank workbook still needs every item typed in. This app writes the columns a log uses, Spec Section through Notes, and fills each row straight from the project manual, with nothing retyped and nothing paraphrased.

Export XLSX gives you a submittal log with fourteen columns, a frozen header, and every row filled from the specifications, ready for dates and reviewers.

Coming soon No telemetry Local-first

coming soon for Windows

If this sounds like your week

A template is only the empty grid.

Downloadable templates give you headers: item number, spec section, description, type, dates, status, reviewer. Every cell below them is still blank. Someone has to open the project manual, find each requirement, and type its section, paragraph, and wording into the grid, then format the sheet so the rest of the team can sort and filter it.

Where tooling usually breaks

Retyped text drifts from the book it came from.

Hand-entered descriptions get shortened, paraphrased, or attached to the wrong paragraph. Cells that begin with an equals sign or a minus sign can turn into formulas. And a workbook with no record of which issue of the specifications it came from leaves the next person guessing when an addendum arrives.

Where Spec Register Builder lands

The columns a log needs, filled from the source.

Spec Register Builder exports a Register sheet with a frozen bold header and fourteen columns in log order. Requirement text comes straight from the paragraph, written as text cells so nothing turns into a formula. PDF Page and Confidence are real numbers you can sort. A Manifest sheet records the source file’s SHA-256, so the workbook names the exact book it came from.

Join the Spec Register Builder waitlist Explore the product preview

coming soon for Windows

What you get

Feature highlights

Every row cites its page

each requirement carries its spec section and title, part, article, and paragraph, plus the PDF page and the printed page from the section footer, and the rendered page opens beside the table when you select it.

Sections read from the book

numbers and titles come from each SECTION title line, including six-digit, level-four, run-together, five-digit, and dual numbers, so the register follows the project’s own numbering.

Twelve submittal types

Preconstruction, Shop Drawings, Product Data, Samples, Design Data, Test Reports, Certificates, Manufacturer’s Instructions and Field Reports, O&M Data, Closeout, and Sustainability, with Action, Informational, Closeout, or UFGS G and Info.

Filter, sort, and review beside the page

narrow the table by any word or section number, sort by section, paragraph, page, type, or confidence, and check rows with a Review flag first.

Excel and CSV for the log

fourteen columns that line up with common submittal logs, with Submit By, Reviewer, and Notes left blank for your team, and requirement text written as text, never as a formula.

Source hash on record, nothing uploaded

the workbook’s Manifest sheet records the source file’s SHA-256, pages, rows, and export time, the spec book is never written, and the app makes no network connections.

Especially when

  • Build a submittal register from a construction spec book PDF instead of reading every section and typing each requirement into a spreadsheet
  • Cite every submittal requirement to its section, paragraph, and page so the team can check it against the specifications
  • Export the register to Excel or CSV with columns that line up with common submittal logs and a record of the source file
  • Keep the spec book on the PC and unchanged, with no upload, no account, and no network connection

Who benefits

Real-world scenarios

A company workbook with its own formatting

The company keeps its own submittal log workbook with status colors and date formulas, and every new project starts with someone retyping the specifications into it.

Export XLSX, copy the Spec Section, Paragraph, Requirement Text, and Type columns, and paste them into the company workbook. Requirement text arrives as plain text cells, so the paste keeps the wording exactly as the book prints it.

A proposed schedule for the preconstruction meeting

The architect asked for a proposed submittal schedule, with a target date and a reviewer for each item, to be ready for the preconstruction meeting.

The exported log already carries Submit By and Reviewer columns, blank and ready. Sorting the Type column in Excel groups shop drawings, product data, and samples, so dates and reviewers go in a group at a time.

Loading the log into another system

The project team tracks submittals in a system that accepts a CSV upload and maps each column onto one of its own fields by name.

Export CSV writes UTF-8 with a byte-order mark, one header row, and fourteen named columns, quoted where needed, so Spec Section, Requirement Text, Type, and Action/Info each map onto a field by name.

Deep dive

The fourteen columns, and what goes in each

Spec Section and Section Title. The number and title exactly as the book prints them on the section’s SECTION title line, such as 03 30 00 and CAST-IN-PLACE CONCRETE. Nothing is looked up from a list, so project-specific numbering comes through as written.

Part, Article, and Paragraph. Part is a number, 1, 2, or 3. Article is the article number, such as 1.3. Paragraph is the full outline path, such as 1.3.C.1, or 1.3 SD-03.2 for a UFGS item, so anyone can find the exact paragraph in the book.

PDF Page and Printed Page. PDF Page is the page number in the file, written as a number so it sorts. Printed Page is the page printed in the section footer, such as 03 30 00 - 3 or Page 2 of 12, so it matches the paper set.

Requirement Text. The paragraph itself, up to 400 characters, written as a text cell. Text that starts with an equals sign, plus, minus, or at sign can never run as a formula: the XLSX stores it as text, and the CSV adds a leading apostrophe.

Type and Action/Info. Type is one of twelve submittal types, from Preconstruction to Sustainability. Action/Info is Action, Informational, or Closeout, taken from the article title, or G and Info on UFGS books.

Confidence. A number from 0 to 1 that shows where to check first, written as a number so it sorts and filters in Excel.

Submit By, Reviewer, and Notes. Left blank for your team: the target date, the person or firm reviewing, and anything else the project tracks.

The Manifest sheet. The XLSX adds a second sheet with the source file name, its SHA-256, the page count, any pages without text or read with OCR, the section and row counts, the app version, the export time in UTC, and any warnings from the read.

File names and formats. The Save dialog suggests the book’s name followed by - submittal register, as .xlsx or .csv. The CSV is UTF-8 with a byte-order mark and Windows line endings, quoted where needed, so Excel opens it with accents intact. Every row goes into the export, whatever the filter shows on screen.

Feature preview

Explore the intended workflow

Every row cites its page

each requirement carries its spec section and title, part, article, and paragraph, plus the PDF page and the printed page from the section footer, and the rendered page opens beside the table when you select it.

Sections read from the book

numbers and titles come from each SECTION title line, including six-digit, level-four, run-together, five-digit, and dual numbers, so the register follows the project’s own numbering.

Twelve submittal types

Preconstruction, Shop Drawings, Product Data, Samples, Design Data, Test Reports, Certificates, Manufacturer’s Instructions and Field Reports, O&M Data, Closeout, and Sustainability, with Action, Informational, Closeout, or UFGS G and Info.

Head-to-head

How Spec Register Builder compares

Feature Spec Register Builder Downloaded blank template Software suite
Rows filled from the specs Yes, one row per requirement found in the book Typed in by hand Depends on the platform and plan
Paragraph and page on each row Part, article, paragraph, PDF page, and printed page Typed in by hand Varies by platform
Columns for your team Submit By, Reviewer, and Notes, ready to fill Yes Yes
Opens in Excel XLSX with a frozen header, plus a UTF-8 CSV Yes Through an export that varies by platform
Source file on record Manifest sheet with the PDF’s SHA-256 and the export time Whatever someone types in Varies by platform
Where the spec book goes Stays on this PC. Nothing uploads. Stays on this PC Uploaded to the platform

FAQ

Straight answers—no glossary dump

What columns does the exported submittal log have?

Fourteen, in this order: Spec Section, Section Title, Part, Article, Paragraph, PDF Page, Printed Page, Requirement Text, Type, Action/Info, Confidence, Submit By, Reviewer, and Notes. The first eleven are filled from the spec book. Submit By, Reviewer, and Notes are left blank for your team. The XLSX also has a Manifest sheet that records the source file and its SHA-256.

Can I use my own submittal log template?

Yes. Export XLSX or CSV and copy the columns you need, such as Spec Section, Paragraph, Requirement Text, and Type, into your own workbook. Requirement text is written as plain text cells, page and confidence as numbers, so the values paste cleanly and keep the wording from the book. The column names are plain, so they are easy to match to your headers.

Why does the workbook have a Manifest sheet?

So the log always names the exact spec book it came from. The Manifest sheet records the source file name, its SHA-256, the page, section, and row counts, the pages read with OCR, the app version, and the export time. When an addendum or a reissued project manual arrives, anyone can tell at a glance whether the log was built from the current book.

What happens to the spec book PDF?

It stays exactly as it was. Spec Register Builder opens the PDF for reading only and never writes to it. Each export is a new XLSX or CSV file that you name in the Windows Save dialog, and the suggested name follows the book, such as Project Manual - submittal register.xlsx. Pick the same book again any time to rebuild the register from the untouched original.

Where does the work happen, and how do I get Spec Register Builder?

Spec Register Builder is coming soon to the Microsoft Store for Windows and is not available to download or purchase yet. Use the email form on its product page to join the waitlist, then confirm your email address. We will send launch updates when there is news. No payment is taken.

Related pages

A submittal register from the specs, with every page cited. A submittal list in MasterFormat order, read straight from the book. Pull the submittals out of the spec book, paragraph by paragraph.

Spec Register Builder is coming soon.

Join the waitlist for launch updates. The app is not available to download or purchase yet. No payment is taken.

Join the Spec Register Builder waitlist
Open full product page

MasterFormat is a trademark of The Construction Specifications Institute, Inc. (CSI). Spec Register Builder is not affiliated with or endorsed by CSI.