Regarding invoicing, this is exactly the workflow I’m currently using.
However, I use Sales Orders as online repair tickets (we’re an electronics service centre) and send a customer portal link to each client so they can track the repair status. My technicians use the Sales Order to add notes, create line items with costs, and link purchase orders, estimates/quotes through different custom themes which effectively provides the client with real-time updates through the customer portal.
I’ve used custom themes to hide certain information, and while I can easily hide custom fields using the “Show custom field on printed documents” option, there doesn’t appear to be a way to hide line items or their values.
In the past, whenever clients have seen any figures in that section via the customer portal, they’ve gone ahead and paid immediately instead of waiting for the final invoice—even when clearly instructed not to (e.g. “Please do not pay until you receive your invoice”).
This is why I’m looking for a way to hide pricing or line items entirely from the customer view. Hope it makes sense. Thanks Lubos.