UI Fundamentals (Overview)
Actualog is designed around a consistent, “always-the-same” layout so you can build muscle memory and work fast across Products, Categories, Attributes, Companies, and Communities.
On most authenticated pages you’ll see three stable UI zones:
- Top Navigation Bar (Navbar) — global actions that apply everywhere (search, language, messages/notifications, account, quick settings).
- Left Sidebar — your main workspace navigation (modules like Products / Catalogs / Categories, plus Settings and Admin areas). Left-side navigation scales well for large, growing information architectures and is easy to scan.
- Main Content Area — the current screen (lists, editors, wizards, dashboards).
Actualog favors visible navigation (instead of hiding everything behind menus) because discoverability matters: when navigation is hidden, many users simply don’t look for it. ([Nielsen Norman Group][1])
Signed out vs signed in UI
- Signed out (public UI): you’ll typically see a simplified top bar (and public pages like marketing, pricing, sign-in/register). No workspace sidebar is shown because you’re not inside a company workspace yet.
- Signed in (workspace UI): the sidebar becomes available, and the navbar shows your full set of global controls. This is where most operational work happens.
What you’ll find inside “UI Fundamentals”
This block is a map, not a deep manual. It groups the “global” UI mechanics that appear across the platform, including:
- Navbar: what each icon/option does (language switcher, theme, notifications, profile menu, etc.)
- Sidebar: how to expand/collapse it, how sections are grouped, and how it relates to your current company workspace
- Global Search: how search scope works (Everywhere vs specific entities) and how to read results efficiently
- Auto-Translate Button: how translation helpers work in text fields, and when to use them carefully
- Other cross-cutting UI patterns that repeat across screens (lists, filters, actions, and “where am I?” orientation)
How to use Help (and why some pages are documented “page-by-page”)
Actualog Help is designed for two reading modes:
- Concept mode: learn what an entity is (Product, Category, Attribute, Catalog, Facets, Data Assets).
- Action mode: learn what to do on a screen (create, import, publish, validate, invite, configure).
Many Actualog screens are operational tools. They look simple, but they apply strong rules (templates, units, permissions, visibility, plan limits). That’s why some help topics are written as page references: short, practical, and tied to the exact screen you are using.
What a “page help topic” typically answers
- What is this screen for?
- What are the key actions and workflows here?
- What data rules and validation apply on this screen?
- Why is a button missing or disabled?
- What permissions or plan features do I need?
Why some entity pages feel like content, but behave like systems
Entity pages (Product Profile, Category page, Catalog page, Company page) act both as:
- a governed master record (quality rules, uniqueness, audit trail),
- a collaboration surface (updates, roles, history),
- a publishing surface (visibility, embedding, catalogs).
This “content + governance” design is intentional: it keeps product information reliable for procurement, engineering selection, publishing, and integrations.
Fast troubleshooting checklist (when something is missing)
If you can’t do something on a page, it’s usually one of these:
Wrong context
You are in the wrong company workspace or community context.Missing permission
Your role does not allow this action (view vs edit, content vs admin, billing vs integrations).Wrong object state
The entity is not in the right state (private/public, active/closed, draft vs published).Template / category not configured
Example: product creation requires a product-level category and a valid name template.Plan limit / feature availability The feature is not enabled or you reached a plan limit for your workspace.