Navigation

Navigation is how you move around Qualis. It is not a page you open, it is always there: the menu on the left, a search box you can call up from anywhere, and a full screen of every app. This guide shows the handful of moves that get you wherever you need to be in a second or two, and how to switch the look and the language to suit you.

Everything here is personal to you. The menu only lists the areas you are allowed to use, and your recent items, your pinned apps, and your theme and language choice are remembered the next time you sign in.

Find your way around with the sidebar

The sidebar on the left is your main map of the app. Use it to jump between areas of work.

1. Look down the left edge of the screen. The sidebar is always there.
2. Areas are gathered into groups with headings such as Product Management, Manufacturing, Sales, Purchasing, and Inventory Management.
3. Click any item, for example Products or Purchase Orders, to open it. The item you are currently viewing stays highlighted so you always know where you are.

Dashboard sits at the very top, above the groups, so your home screen is always one click away.

Tip: each group heading can be folded away. Click a heading to collapse the group and tidy up the list, then click it again to bring it back.

Make the sidebar narrower

If you want more room for your work, you can shrink the sidebar down to just its icons.

1. Click the arrow button at the top of the sidebar, next to the Qualis logo.
2. The sidebar collapses to a thin strip of icons. Hover over any icon to see its name, and click the arrow again to bring the full labels back.

You can also collapse the sidebar by pressing the [ key, and expand it again with the ] key.

Jump to anything with the command palette

The command palette is the fastest way to get anywhere. It is a single search box that finds pages, records, and actions all at once, without you taking your hands off the keyboard.

1. Press Cmd K on a Mac, or Ctrl K on Windows. (You can also click the small ⌘ K button next to the filter box at the top of the sidebar.)
2. The palette opens in the middle of the screen. Before you type anything, it shows Quick Actions (one-click shortcuts to create things) and Navigation (every page you can open).

3. Start typing what you are looking for. Results appear as you type, so there is no need to press Enter. You will see three kinds of result:
   • Search Results: actual records that match, such as a purchase order or a product, each tagged with the area it belongs to.
   • Quick Actions: things you can create right now, like Create Purchase Order.
   • Navigation: pages you can open, like Purchase Orders.

4. Use the up and down arrow keys to move through the results, then press Enter to open the one you want. You can also just click it.

Tip: the footer of the palette reminds you of the controls: type to search, arrow keys to move, Enter to select. Press Esc at any time to close the palette without going anywhere.

Filter the sidebar to a single page

When you know roughly what you want but not which group it is in, the filter box at the top of the sidebar narrows the whole menu in place.

1. Click the Filter or Ctrl+K... box at the top of the sidebar.
2. Start typing. As you type, the sidebar hides everything that does not match.

For example, typing order leaves just Manufacturing Orders, Sales Orders, Purchase Orders, and Scrap Orders. Click the one you want, then clear the box with the X to bring the full menu back.

Pick up where you left off with Recent

The Recent section near the top of the sidebar keeps a short list of the records you opened most recently, so returning to something you were just working on takes one click.

1. Find the Recent heading near the top of the sidebar. Click it to fold the list open or closed.
2. Each entry shows the record's reference, its name, and how long ago you opened it (for example "7 minutes ago").
3. Click any entry to jump straight back to that record.

To empty the list, click the small trash icon at the right of the Recent heading. This only clears your history, it does not delete anything.

Browse every app with the App Launcher

The App Launcher is a full screen view of every area in the app, shown as labelled cards with short descriptions. It is handy when you are exploring or when you want a wider picture than the sidebar gives.

1. Click the grid button (the four small squares) in the top right of the screen, or press Cmd M on a Mac, or Ctrl M on Windows.
2. The launcher fills the screen, with the apps grouped the same way as the sidebar. Each card shows an icon, a name, and a one line description of what it is for.

3. To search, type in the Search applications... box at the top right. Click any card to open that area, or press Esc (or the X) to close the launcher.

Pin the apps you use most

You can keep your favourite areas one click away in a Quick Access strip at the bottom of the launcher.

1. Move your mouse over a card. A small pin button appears in its top corner.
2. Click the pin to add that app to Quick Access.

3. Scroll to the bottom of the launcher to see your pinned apps gathered under Quick Access.

To remove a pin, hover the app again and click the pin button a second time. Your Quick Access choices are remembered for next time.

Switch theme and language

You can change how the app looks and which language it uses at any time, from the bottom of the sidebar. Both changes take effect straight away, without leaving the page you are on.

1. To change the look, click the Light button at the bottom of the sidebar.
2. Pick Light, Dark, or System (which follows your computer's own setting). A check mark shows the current choice.

3. To change the language, click the EN button next to it.
4. Pick English (US) or Français (France). The whole app switches language immediately.

A short confirmation message appears each time you change the theme or language, so you know it took effect.

Good to know

A few terms you will meet while moving around:

• Command palette: the pop-up search box (opened with Cmd K or Ctrl K) that finds pages, records, and actions in one place.
• App Launcher: the full screen grid of every area, opened with the grid button or Cmd M / Ctrl M.
• Quick Access: your personal shortcuts to pinned apps, shown at the bottom of the App Launcher.
• Recent: the short, automatic list of records you opened most recently, shown in the sidebar.

Remember that the menu, the palette, and the launcher only ever show the areas you are allowed to use. If a colleague can see an area you cannot, it usually means it is switched on for them or within their permissions, and outside yours.