How to get around WorkOS and use the search

WorkOS has the same layout on your computer and on your phone: a menu with the sections, a header with the general tools, and a search that reaches almost everything.

The section menu

On a computer, the menu is on the left and expanded by default, with an icon and the name of each section. The "Collapse menu" button at the bottom reduces it to icons only (the name then appears to its right when you hover) and the same button expands it again. Your choice is saved to your user, so you'll see it the same on any computer and in future sessions. Related sections are grouped in a single expandable item.
On a phone, the menu is the icon bar at the bottom. If there are more than five sections, the bar scrolls sideways.

You only see the sections your account has turned on: not every company uses the same ones.

In Projects, CRM (Contacts and Companies), Tasks, Documents, Digital Garden and Wiki, the cursor also goes straight into the section's search box, so you can start typing without clicking anything. This only happens on a computer (on mobile or touch screens the keyboard doesn't pop up unexpectedly) and only if the current view has a search box.

Clicking a section in the menu always takes you to its natural position: first scope and first view, no search or filters, no record open, and calendars on today's date. That way you never find a list that looks incomplete because of a filter you left on. If you're already in that section and click it again, it also goes back to that position (if it was already there, nothing happens).

This only happens when you use the menu. Reloading the page, your browser's Back and Forward buttons and links between records keep what you had: section, scope, view, search and open record. Preferences you chose on purpose don't change either, such as showing or hiding what isn't yours, a calendar's week or month mode, or the visible statuses.

The header

At the top you'll find the name of the section you're in, on a computer, the icon buttons for Inbox (with a red circle for unread emails and a yellow one for unread message threads) and Settings, the magnifying glass for the search, and the user icon, with your language, your account and the option to log out. On a phone, Inbox stays in the bottom bar. On a computer you'll also see a greeting with your name.

If a task timer is running, a notice appears in the header: click it to open that task.

The global search

Click the magnifying glass in the header.
Type at least two letters in Search the whole app….
Pick a result with the mouse, or with the arrow keys and Enter, and its detail opens directly. Esc closes the search.

Results appear grouped by section: Tasks, Projects and services, Documents, Digital Garden, Inbox, CRM, Wiki, Agenda and Posts. Only the sections you have turned on appear, and only what you have permission to see: if you search for a colleague's task you're not involved in, you won't find it.

Things to know when typing:

Upper/lower case and accents don't matter: «reunion» finds «Reunión» and «nandu» finds «Ñandú».
You can type several words in any order: «minutes meeting» finds «Meeting: monthly minutes». All the words must appear.
Besides the title, the search also looks at the project or company something belongs to (for example, a task by its project name, a document by its company name) and, for contacts, their email and phone. Another person's private project can't be found by its name or through its tasks.
The closest match comes first: exact matches, or ones that start with what you typed, go before those that merely contain it.
Include other people's items: if you are an Owner, have Technical administration permissions or are a Supervisor, a checkbox appears under the field. With it ticked the search also covers other people's tasks, documents and projects (Owner), other people's projects (Technical administration permissions) or your team's tasks and documents (Supervisor), tagged «Others'». Other people's private documents or projects never appear, nor do other people's emails, and meetings are always just your own. Your choice is remembered in this browser.
Groups and filters: results are separated by type (Tasks, Projects, Services, Companies, Contacts, Meetings, Posts, Documents, Digital Garden, Wiki and Inbox). Under the field you'll see a chip for each type with its number of results (a «+» means there are more). Click a chip, or See more in a group, to see only that type with up to 25 results; All goes back to the full view.
Calendar events: if you have calendars connected in the Agenda, the search also looks in your events (title, location, description and attendees, regardless of case or accents). Because it reads Google or Outlook, it is the slowest part: the rest of the results appear right away and, while events are being searched, you see «Also searching your calendars…»; the Events group is added at the end when they arrive, without moving what you are already looking at. A repeating series shows a single occurrence (the closest to today), and the search covers events from the last 3 months and the next year. Clicking an event opens its detail. Only your own calendars are searched, never other people's.
It remembers your last search: when you reopen the search it shows what you last looked for (text, type and «Include other people's items»), already selected so you can type over it. It is stored on your user, so it follows you across devices; if you clear the text before closing, nothing is saved.
Shortcut: ⌘K (Mac) or Ctrl+K opens and closes the search from any screen (it doesn't act while you are typing in a note or document editor).

The Kairos mascot

If your account has the assistant turned on, you'll see a hedgehog peeking in from the right edge of the screen. Click it to talk to Kairos, the WorkOS assistant.

Tip: each section also has its own search box, which only searches that list. Use the global one when you don't remember which section what you're looking for was in.