# Navigating PAI This document covers the main navigation structure, the dashboard, global search, and the table interface — the building blocks you'll use every time you're in the app. --- ## Main Navigation The left sidebar gives you access to PAI's top-level sections. - **HQ** — your home dashboard (see below) - **Projects** — your primary workspace; all projects, estimates, budgets, and production work live here - **Calendar** — organization-wide calendar view across all project days - **Campaigns** — multi-project grouping and aggregate financial tracking - **Clients** — client records and opportunity pipeline - **Vendors** — vendor database and the geographical Crew Finder - **Reports** — financial reporting and analytics across projects - **AP** — organization-wide accounts payable, spanning all projects - **Docs** — aggregated file browser for all documents uploaded across the app, including expense attachments, vendor documents, and project files - **Settings** — user management, organization configuration, rate cards, and integrations > [!note] > Which sections you can see depends on your user role. If a section isn't visible, it may not be included in your permissions. See [Users and Permissions](../01-Organization-Setup/Users-and-Permissions.md). --- ## The Dashboard When you log in, you land on the dashboard. The top of the screen shows your name, the current date, and a theme selector for customizing the interface. The **Add New** button in the top right lets you quickly create a project, campaign, client, or vendor record from anywhere. The main body of the dashboard is made up of widgets. **Jump to Project** — quick access to the four most recently updated projects you've created or been shared on. **Upcoming Days** — a 10-day forecast of all project days you're assigned to as a contact. If you created the project, your days appear here regardless of contact assignment. **My Tasks** — tasks you've created or that have been assigned to you, listed by due date. You can add a task directly from this widget; due dates default to the next day. **My Projects** — all projects you've created or been assigned to, sorted by most recently updated. Displays project name, reference number, last update date, assigned users, and status. --- ## Global Search The fastest way to navigate PAI is the global search. Access it from the search icon in the top-right corner, or press **Cmd+K** (Mac) or **Ctrl+K** (Windows) from anywhere in the app. Global search finds projects by name or reference number. Reference numbers are the fastest lookup — searching `P101` or `E102` takes you directly to that project. > [!tip] > Get in the habit of using reference numbers for search. A project name might be ambiguous across versions or clients; the reference number is always unique. Individual modules also have their own contextual search. In the Accounts Payable module you can search by vendor, invoice number, or payment status. In the Vendors module you can search by name, specialty, or location. --- ## Working with Tables Tables are the core interface pattern throughout PAI — the Projects list, the estimate, the budget, the Reports module, the Vendors list, and Accounts Payable all use the same underlying table system. Learning it once applies everywhere. ### Filtering Click the **Filter** button to open filter options. Select a field, choose your condition, and add a value. You can stack multiple filters to narrow results further. > [!tip] > Combine filtering and sorting for fast lookups. For example, filter to active projects only, then sort by last updated to surface the most recent work. ### Grouping Click the **Field Grouping** control to organize rows into collapsible groups. You can add multiple grouping levels, reorder them, and use **Collapse All / Expand All** to manage large tables. ### Columns Click the **Fields** control to show or hide columns and reorder them by dragging. Column widths can be adjusted by dragging the divider between column headers. Width changes are saved when you save a view. ### Saving Custom Views Once you've configured filtering, grouping, sorting, and column visibility the way you want, you can save that configuration as a named view. 1. Set up the table the way you want it 2. Open the view selector (left of the Fields control) to see existing saved views 3. Use the button to the right to save the current configuration as a new view, or update the current one > [!warning] > Views don't save automatically. If you customize a table and navigate away without saving, it resets to its last saved state. ### Row Actions Most tables have a three-dot menu (⋮) at the end of each row for context-specific actions. Common actions include Edit, Duplicate, Archive, and Delete, though the available options vary by module. For bulk actions, select multiple rows using **Shift+click** (range) or **Cmd/Ctrl+click** (individual), then use the bulk action controls that appear. ### Inline Editing Many tables support editing directly in the cell — click into a cell to edit, **Tab** to move to the next editable cell, **Enter** to confirm, **Escape** to cancel. ### Keyboard Shortcuts | Key | Action | |---|---| | **Cmd+K / Ctrl+K** | Open global search | | **Tab** | Move between editable fields | | **Enter** | Confirm edit or select highlighted item | | **Escape** | Cancel edit or close dialog | | **Arrow Keys** | Navigate between cells | | **Space** | Select/deselect row (in multi-select tables) | --- ## Module-Specific Table Behaviors A few modules extend the standard table with additional capabilities worth knowing about: **Budget** — supports batch status updates across multiple rows, vendor assignment by typing directly into vendor cells, and a day assignment column for linking expenses to specific production days. **Clients (Pipeline)** — shows revenue forecasting based on opportunity probability settings, with visual stage indicators. **Accounts Payable** — includes payment status tracking with visual indicators and date range filtering by invoice, due, or payment date.