> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.stage3.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Notifications

> Stay informed with notifications and manage your notification preferences

## Understanding Notifications

Notifications keep you updated about what's happening in Stage3. They tell you about tasks, shared resources, team activities, and important updates.

Think of notifications as your personal assistant, letting you know when something needs your attention.

## The Notification Bell

The bell icon in the top right corner is your notification center.

**Visual Indicators**

* **Badge or dot**: You have unread notifications
* **No indicator**: All caught up!

**Opening Notifications**

* Click the bell icon to open your notification panel
* Notifications appear in a panel
* Most recent notifications at the top
* Easy to scan and review

<Tip>
  When you're all caught up, you'll see "No notifications" with the message "You're all caught up! Check back later for new updates."
</Tip>

## Types of Notifications

Stage3 sends notifications for these activities:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Task Assigned" icon="list-check">
    When a task is assigned to you or your assignment changes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Task Due Soon" icon="clock">
    Reminders when tasks you're assigned to are approaching their due date.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Task Completed" icon="circle-check">
    When tasks you're involved with are marked as complete.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Task Comment" icon="comment">
    When someone comments on a task you're assigned to or participating in.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Task Attachment" icon="paperclip">
    When files or attachments are added to your tasks.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Resource Shared" icon="share-nodes">
    When someone shares a resource with you or changes your access.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Invitation Accepted" icon="user-plus">
    When team members accept invitations or join your workspace.
  </Card>

  <Card title="System Notification" icon="bell">
    Important announcements, maintenance updates, and system messages.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## The Notifications Panel

Access your notifications by clicking the bell icon in the top right corner.

### Panel Features

**Search Notifications**

* Use the search bar at the top to find specific notifications
* Type keywords to filter results
* Great for finding older notifications

**Filter Options**

* **All types**: Dropdown to filter by notification type
* **Unread only**: Toggle to show only unread notifications

**Empty State**
When you have no notifications, you'll see:

* Bell icon
* "No notifications" message
* "You're all caught up! Check back later for new updates."

<Info>
  The notification panel provides a clean, organized view of all your notifications in one place.
</Info>

## Managing Notifications

### Reading Notifications

Each notification includes:

* **Type indicator**: Shows what kind of notification it is
* **Title**: What happened
* **Description**: Additional context
* **Timestamp**: When it occurred

**Click any notification** to:

* Go directly to the relevant task or content
* See the full context
* Take action if needed

### Filtering Notifications

**By Type**

* Click the "All types" dropdown
* Select a specific type to see only those notifications
* Options include: Task Assigned, Resource Shared, System Notification, etc.

**By Read Status**

* Toggle "Unread only" to see just unread notifications
* Turn it off to see all notifications

<Tip>
  Use filters to quickly find what you're looking for, especially if you have many notifications.
</Tip>

## Notification Preferences

Customize how you receive notifications by clicking the "Preferences" button in the notification panel.

### How Preferences Work

For each notification type, you can control:

* **Email**: Receive notifications via email (toggle on/off)
* **In-App**: See notifications in the application (toggle on/off)

**Available Notification Types**

1. **Invitation Accepted** - Team member invitations
2. **Resource Shared** - Shared files and resources
3. **Task Assigned** - Task assignments
4. **Task Due Soon** - Due date reminders
5. **System Notification** - System announcements
6. **Task Completed** - Task completion updates
7. **Task Comment** - Comments on tasks
8. **Task Attachment** - File attachments

### Setting Your Preferences

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open notification preferences">
    Click the bell icon, then click the "Preferences" button in the top right.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review notification types">
    Scroll through the list of notification types. Each shows Email and In-App toggles.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Toggle preferences">
    For each notification type:

    * Turn Email on/off to control email notifications
    * Turn In-App on/off to control in-app notifications
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save your changes">
    Click "Save Preferences" at the bottom to apply your settings.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  All toggles are on by default. Turn off notifications you don't want to receive.
</Note>

## Recommended Settings by Role

Different roles might prefer different notification settings:

### For Members

**Suggested Settings**

* **Task Assigned**: Email + In-App
* **Task Due Soon**: Email + In-App
* **Task Comment**: In-App only
* **Resource Shared**: Email + In-App
* **System Notification**: In-App only

**Why This Works**
You get immediate alerts for tasks that need your attention, but avoid email overload from less urgent updates.

### For Administrators

**Suggested Settings**

* **Task Assigned**: Email + In-App
* **Task Due Soon**: Email + In-App
* **Task Comment**: Email + In-App
* **Task Completed**: In-App only
* **Resource Shared**: Email + In-App
* **System Notification**: Email + In-App

**Why This Works**
You need to stay informed about team activities and task progress, with email alerts for important items.

### For Owners

**Suggested Settings**

* **Invitation Accepted**: Email + In-App
* **System Notification**: Email + In-App
* **Task Assigned**: In-App only
* **Resource Shared**: In-App only

**Why This Works**
You focus on system-level notifications and team management, while staying aware of tasks through in-app notifications.

<Tip>
  Start with all notifications on and adjust after a few days. You'll quickly learn which ones you need and which ones create noise.
</Tip>

## Email Notifications

When email notifications are enabled for a type, you'll receive emails for those events.

**Email Content**

* Clear subject line describing the notification
* Summary of what happened
* Link to view details in the application
* Information about who triggered the action (when applicable)

**Managing Email Notifications**

* Turn off email for notification types you don't need
* Keep email on for urgent items like Task Assigned and Task Due Soon
* Check your spam folder if you're not receiving emails

<Warning>
  Turning off email notifications means you must check the application regularly to stay updated. Make sure you don't miss important updates!
</Warning>

## In-App Notifications

In-app notifications appear within the Stage3 application.

**How They Work**

* Appear in the notification bell dropdown
* Visible when you're logged into the application
* Can be filtered and searched
* Stay in your notification panel until you review them

**Benefits of In-App**

* No email clutter
* All notifications in one organized place
* Easy to search and filter
* Context-rich with direct links

<Info>
  In-app notifications are ideal for updates you want to see but don't need immediate email alerts for.
</Info>

## Managing Notification Overload

Getting too many notifications? Here's how to adjust:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Turn Off Email for Some Types" icon="envelope-open">
    Keep email for urgent items (Task Assigned, Task Due Soon) but use in-app only for others.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Disable Low-Priority Notifications" icon="bell-slash">
    Turn off both email and in-app for notification types you don't need, like Task Attachment if attachments aren't relevant to your work.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Use Filters" icon="filter">
    In the notification panel, use "Unread only" to focus on what you haven't seen yet.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Check Regularly" icon="clock">
    Set specific times to check notifications rather than reacting to every alert.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Notification Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Not receiving any notifications">
    Check these settings:

    1. Open Notification Preferences and verify toggles are on
    2. Check that email notifications aren't going to spam
    3. Verify your email address is correct in your profile
    4. Make sure you have tasks or activities that would generate notifications
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Receiving too many notifications">
    Ways to reduce notifications:

    1. Turn off email for less urgent notification types
    2. Disable in-app notifications you don't need
    3. Keep only critical notifications (Task Assigned, Task Due Soon) with email enabled
    4. Review and adjust after a few days of use
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Missing important notifications">
    Make sure:

    1. Task Assigned has both email and in-app enabled
    2. Task Due Soon is turned on
    3. Check your spam folder for emails
    4. Verify you're assigned to the tasks in question
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Email notifications not arriving">
    Try:

    1. Check spam/junk folder
    2. Verify email address in your profile is correct
    3. Confirm email toggle is on in Notification Preferences
    4. Contact your system administrator if issue persists
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Notification Best Practices

**Check Notifications Regularly**
Make it a habit to check the notification bell at least once or twice per day.

**Prioritize Task Notifications**
Focus on Task Assigned and Task Due Soon notifications first, as these usually require action.

**Customize to Your Workflow**
Everyone works differently. Adjust your preferences to match how you work best.

**Don't Disable Everything**
While it's tempting to turn off all notifications, you'll miss important updates. Find a balance.

**Review and Adjust**
After a week of use, review your preferences and adjust based on what's working.

<Tip>
  Treat notifications like email. Set specific times to check them rather than being constantly distracted by every alert.
</Tip>

## Quick Reference: Notification Types

| Notification Type   | What It Means               | Recommended Setting |
| ------------------- | --------------------------- | ------------------- |
| Task Assigned       | A task was assigned to you  | Email + In-App      |
| Task Due Soon       | Task deadline approaching   | Email + In-App      |
| Task Completed      | Task marked as complete     | In-App only         |
| Task Comment        | Someone commented on a task | In-App only         |
| Task Attachment     | File added to task          | In-App only         |
| Resource Shared     | Resource shared with you    | Email + In-App      |
| Invitation Accepted | Team member joined          | In-App only         |
| System Notification | System announcement         | Email + In-App      |

<Note>
  These are suggested settings. Adjust based on your role and work style.
</Note>

## Next Steps

You've completed the Getting Started guide! Here's where to go next:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Explore Your Dashboard" icon="chart-line" href="/getting-started/dashboard-overview">
    Learn how to use your dashboard effectively
  </Card>

  <Card title="Manage Tasks" icon="list-check" href="/tasks/using-my-tasks">
    Dive into task management features
  </Card>

  <Card title="Use AI Chat" icon="robot" href="/getting-started/quick-start">
    Get help using the AI assistant
  </Card>

  <Card title="Quick Start Guide" icon="rocket" href="/getting-started/quick-start">
    Review the basics anytime
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Tip>
  Remember: You can always return to this Getting Started guide anytime. The notification system helps you stay on top of your work without overwhelming you.
</Tip>