Navigating the App

This page explains what everything on the screen is. By the end you'll recognise every part of the frame Wattle puts around your work, and you'll know how to move around with confidence. The buttons and menus described below are for finding your way and looking at things — none of them delete or change a patient's records on their own, so have a click and hover over the icons to explore.

The big picture

Whatever you're doing in Wattle, the screen is always built the same way. There are three parts that never move:

1. The sidebar — the tall menu down the left. This is your main way to get to each part of the clinic (Schedule, Patients, Clients, Billing, and so on).
2. The top bar — the strip across the top. It holds the logo, a few navigation buttons, the search box, the notifications bell, and your account menu.
3. The page area — the big space in the middle and right. This is where the actual work happens, and it changes depending on what you've chosen.

Because these three parts are always there and always in the same place, you're never truly lost. If you ever feel stuck, the sidebar on the left and your avatar on the top-right are your two reliable anchors.

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The sidebar (the menu on the left)

The sidebar is the tall panel down the left-hand side. It's open by default. From top to bottom, here's what you'll find.

Clinic name and logo (top of the sidebar)

The very top of the sidebar shows your clinic's logo and practice name. This isn't just a label — clicking it takes you straight to your Clinic Settings (practice name, logo, address, and other clinic-wide details).

Quick Actions button

Just below the clinic name is a rounded Quick Actions button with a + on it. This is the fastest way to start something new from anywhere in the app. Click it and you'll see:

• New Patient — add a new animal
• New Client — add a new owner
• New Appointment — book a visit
• New Invoice — start a bill

We cover creating records properly in Your first 10 minutes. For now, just know the + button is always here when you need to make something new.

The main menu items

This is the heart of the sidebar — the list of features. Click any one to go there. The item you're currently in is highlighted so you can see where you are at a glance.

Don't worry if you don't see every item on this list. Some features (such as Triage, Hospital, Paddocks, Communications and Schedule 8) are optional and only appear if your clinic has switched them on. A missing item just means it isn't turned on for you — it's not a fault.

Help & feedback and Settings (bottom of the sidebar)

At the very bottom you'll find Help & feedback and Settings. Settings here takes you to the same place as the account menu (more on that below).

Making the sidebar smaller (or bigger)

If the screen feels cramped and you'd like more room for your work, you can shrink the sidebar down to just icons.

Step by step

1. Look at the top bar, just to the right of the logo.
2. Find the small panel icon (it looks like a rectangle with a line down one side).
3. Click it. The sidebar shrinks to a narrow strip of icons only.
4. To bring the full sidebar back, click the same icon again.

When the sidebar is collapsed to icons, you can still tell what each one is — just hover your mouse over an icon and a small label (a "tooltip") pops up with its name.

Wattle remembers your choice. If you collapse the sidebar, it stays collapsed next time you open the app on that device. (This preference lives in your browser, so clearing your browser data will reset it to open.)

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The top bar (the strip across the top)

The top bar runs across the top of every screen. Working from left to right, here's each thing on it.

The Wattle logo

On the far left is the Wattle logo. Remember this one: clicking the logo always takes you home to your Dashboard, no matter where you are. If you ever feel lost, click the logo and start again from home.

The sidebar toggle (panel icon)

Right next to the logo is the panel icon that hides and shows the sidebar — the same button described just above.

Back and forward buttons

After the panel icon are two arrows: back (←) and forward (→). They work just like the back and forward buttons in your web browser — back returns you to the screen you were just on, forward moves ahead again.

If an arrow looks faded (greyed out), it simply means there's nowhere to go in that direction yet. That's expected, not a problem.

Breadcrumbs (your "you are here" trail)

In the middle of the top bar you'll see a small trail of words separated by arrows, like:

Patients › Fluffy

This is your breadcrumb trail — it shows the path to where you are now. The last item is the page you're on (so it isn't clickable). The earlier items are clickable — click one to jump back up. For example, clicking Patients in the trail above takes you from Fluffy's record back to the full patient list.

The Search & Command bar (⌘K)

Toward the right of the top bar is a Search & Command box. This is one of the most useful tools in Wattle, and it's worth learning.

It does two jobs at once:

• Search — start typing a patient's or client's name to find them fast. You can also find a patient by its owner — type the owner's name, phone number or email and the pet shows up. Handy when an owner rings and you can't recall their animal's name.
• Commands — type the name of a feature (like "Schedule" or "Billing") to jump straight there, or a quick action (like "New Patient") to start it.

Each result shows a helpful second line so you can tell similar names apart at a glance — for a patient, its species · breed · age (and patient number); for a client, their contact (phone or email) and client number.

Step by step

1. Click the Search & Command box in the top bar — or just press ⌘K (Mac) / Ctrl + K (Windows) from anywhere.
2. A search window opens in the centre of the screen.
3. Start typing. The results sort themselves into groups — navigation shortcuts and quick actions appear right away, and patient/client matches appear as you type.
4. Use the ↑ and ↓ arrow keys (or your mouse) to pick a result.
5. Press Enter to go to it. Press Esc at any time to close the window without doing anything.

A couple of things that help:

• Type at least 2 letters before patient and client results appear. With only one letter typed, you'll just see the quick navigation commands. So to find "Patients", type "pa", not just "p".
• The search looks at more than just names — for patients it also matches species and breed and the owner's name, phone and email, and for clients it matches email and phone.
• By default it hides inactive records (such as deceased or archived patients). There's a small toggle at the bottom of the search window to include inactive ones when you need to.
• Only the first few matches are shown. If your patient isn't in the short list, type a little more, or open the Patients or Clients page to search the full list there.

The notifications bell

Next along is a bell icon. This is where Wattle tells you about things that need your attention.

• If there's a red dot on the bell, you have unread notifications. No dot means you're all caught up.
• The bell gives a little shake when a new notification arrives, so you'll notice it even mid-task.

Step by step

1. Click the bell in the top bar.
2. A small panel opens with three tabs: Unread, All, and Archived.
3. Each notification shows an icon, a short title and when it arrived.
4. Click a notification to jump straight to whatever it's about (for example, an invoice or an email thread).
5. To see everything in one place, click View all at the bottom of the panel.

You can mark notifications as read or unread, and archive the ones you've dealt with. Archiving doesn't delete anything — archived notifications simply move to the Archived tab, where you can always find them again. Notifications have their own full chapter in Notifications.

Your avatar (the user menu)

On the far right of the top bar is your avatar — a small round button with your initials or picture. This is your personal account menu. Click it and you'll find:

• Your name and email at the top, so you can confirm you're logged in as yourself.
• Links to Account (your personal settings), Clinic Settings (practice-wide settings), Billing (your subscription), and Appearance (light/dark mode).
• A Getting started button that brings back the welcome checklist if you'd like to run through it again.
• The light / dark mode toggle (covered just below).
• Log out.

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Light mode and dark mode

Wattle can show itself in a bright light theme or a softer dark theme. Pick whichever is easier on your eyes.

Step by step

1. Click your avatar in the top-right corner.
2. In the menu, find the Light mode / Dark mode toggle. It shows the opposite of where you are now — so if you're in light mode it reads "Dark mode", ready to switch you across.
3. Click it. You flip straight between bright and dark, with a gentle fade.

There's also a third option — System, which follows your computer's own setting (so it can go dark in the evening if your computer does). To choose System, open Appearance from the avatar menu (it's a section on Settings → Account), where all three — Light, Dark and System — are in one dropdown.

Your choice is remembered for next time, on that device, just for you. If a colleague logs in on the same computer, they'll get their own saved preference — yours won't affect theirs.

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On a phone or tablet

Wattle works on phones and tablets too, but the screen is smaller, so a few things move around to make room.

• The sidebar is tucked away. Instead of sitting open on the left, it slides out as a panel over your work when you tap the menu button (the panel icon, top-left). Tap it to slide the menu out.
• To close the menu, tap outside it (anywhere on the dimmed area to the side) or tap the menu button again. Once you've gone to the feature you wanted, closing the menu gives your work the full width of the screen.
• Breadcrumbs are hidden. To save space, the "you are here" trail doesn't show on small screens. Instead, lean on the back arrow and the big page title at the top of each page to know where you are.
• The forward arrow may be hidden as well — that's expected on small screens.

Everything else — search (⌘K isn't on a touch keyboard, but tapping the search box works the same), the bell, and your avatar menu — behaves just as it does on a computer.

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A quick recap

• Lost? Click the Wattle logo (top-left) to go home, or open the sidebar for the full menu.
• Need to find a patient or client fast? Press ⌘K / Ctrl + K and type their name.
• Want more room? Click the panel icon to hide the sidebar.
• Got a red dot? Click the bell to read your notifications.
• Change your theme, settings or log out? Click your avatar in the top-right.
• Not sure where you are? Read the breadcrumbs in the top bar, or the big page title on the page.

Next, learn how Wattle keeps you informed as you work — the little messages, badges and pop-ups — in How the app talks to you. Unsure what a word or symbol means? The Glossary and Buttons and symbols have you covered.