Finding your way around the interface
Every RecyTrax screen shares the same structure: a header at the top, a menu on the left and the work area in the middle. Lists, filters and entry windows work the same way everywhere. This page describes them once and for all.
Before you start
You must be signed in (see Signing in and passwords). The menus and buttons shown depend on your permissions (see Roles and permissions).
The screen at a glance
| Area | Where | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Header | At the very top | RecyTrax logo, QR code scanner, language, theme, user menu. |
| Subscription banner | Under the header, only in some cases | A warning on a yellow background when your organization's subscription needs action (see My account and subscription). |
| Side menu | On the left | The screens you have access to. |
| Work area | In the middle | The open screen: its title, description and content. |
| Bottom bar | At the bottom, on phones only | Your most-used screens, Scan and Menu. |
The header
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Menu button (☰) | On tablets and phones only: opens the side menu as a drawer. |
| RecyTrax logo | Takes you back to Home. |
| Scanner (QR code icon) | Opens the camera to scan the QR code of an inbound or outbound batch; RecyTrax opens the batch's page directly. Its tooltip reads Scan a QR code. On a phone, this button is in the bottom bar. See QR codes and labels. |
| Language (globe icon) | Opens the list of languages: French or English. The choice is remembered in this browser. |
| Theme (sun, moon or screen) | Each click moves to the next theme: light (sun, tooltip Light), then dark (moon, Dark), then system (screen, System, which follows your device's setting), then light again. The default theme is "system". The choice is remembered in this browser. |
| User menu (person icon and your user name) | Shows your user name and email, the My account item and, in red, sign-out. On a small screen, only the icon is shown. |
The side menu
The menu only shows the screens you have access to, in this order: Home, Receptions, Inbound batches, Degassing, Dismantling, Outbound batches, Shipments, Reports and Administration.
- The open screen is highlighted in green.
- Reports and Administration are groups: click their name to show or hide their entries. The group of the open screen expands by itself. A group in which you cannot open any entry does not appear.
- In this guide, a path through the menu is written like this: Administration › Users.
Collapsing the menu (computer)
On a wide screen, a button at the bottom of the menu (double chevrons) collapses it to a column of icons, which leaves more room for lists. Hover over it: its tooltip reads Collapse menu or Expand menu.
With the menu collapsed:
- hover over an icon to see the screen's name;
- click a group's icon (Reports, Administration) to open the list of its entries next to the menu.
RecyTrax remembers in this browser whether the menu is collapsed.
On tablets and phones
The layout adapts to the width of the screen.
Tablet and small computer. The side menu is hidden. Tap the Menu button (☰) in the header to open it as a drawer; it closes when you choose a screen or tap outside the drawer.
Phone. In addition to the drawer:
- The bottom bar shows, from left to right, two of your screens, the round Scan button in the middle, a third screen and the Menu button. The screens offered are the first three you have access to, in this order of priority: Degassing, Dismantling, Inbound batches, Receptions, Outbound batches, Shipments, Home.
- The screen's main button (for example the one that saves or creates) moves to a fixed bar at the bottom of the screen, within thumb reach. While this bar is shown, the bottom navigation bar is hidden.
- Lists are shown as cards: each row becomes a card where every value appears under its column name, with the row's buttons at the bottom.
- Reports offer two views, Cards or Table (buttons at the top of the list); your choice is remembered in this browser. In table view, the first column stays visible while you scroll the table sideways.
- Entry windows and the period picker open full screen.
Lists
List screens (receptions, batches, shipments, administration lists, users, reports) all work the same way.
| Element | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Search | Type in the search box: the list updates as soon as you stop typing, with no button to click. The box's hint text says what the search covers (for example "Search by reception no. or carrier"). |
| Filters | The drop-down lists next to the search narrow the list, for example All statuses or a specific status. |
| Create button | The button on the right of the bar, for example New reception, creates a new item. |
| Sorting | Click the title of a column that carries arrows to sort in ascending order; click again for descending order. The solid arrow shows the sorted column and the direction. |
| Pages | Long lists show 50 rows per page. The bottom of the list shows the rows displayed (for example "51–100 of 312") and the page ("Page 2 of 7"), with the First page, Previous page, Next page and Last page buttons. |
| Opening an item | Click anywhere on the row. The row's buttons (pencil to edit, bin to delete…) keep their own action. If you select text in a row to copy it, the row does not open. |
- When you change the search, a filter or the sort, the list goes back to the first page.
- While loading, the list shows "Loading..."; if nothing matches, it shows "No data available" (or a message specific to the screen).
- Before a deletion, RecyTrax asks for confirmation, for example "Are you sure?" with the Yes and Cancel buttons.
The period filter
The dashboard and the reports are limited to a period. The period button (calendar icon) shows the chosen period and its dates, for example Last 30 days followed by the start and end dates.
- Click the period button.
- Choose a period in the list on the left, for example Last 7 days, This month or Last month. The calendar shows the matching days.
- Or choose your own dates: click a first day then a last day in the calendar, or type them in From and To. The period becomes Custom.
- Check the summary at the bottom of the window: the dates, followed by the number of days (for example "· 7 days").
- Click Apply. To close without changing anything, click Cancel.
Rules for a custom period:
- Dates are typed in the YYYY-MM-DD format; separators are optional (
20261006,2026/10/06and2026.10.06are accepted). The Enter key applies the period. - An empty To means a single day: the From day.
- Both dates are included in the period. The calendar week starts on Monday.
- A period cannot go past today: future days cannot be chosen.
| Message | Cause |
|---|---|
| "Invalid date: use the YYYY-MM-DD format." | The typed date is not a complete, real date. |
| "The period cannot go past today." | One of the dates is in the future. |
| "The From date must come before the To date." | The two dates are in the wrong order. |
The "last 7, 30 and 90 days" periods end today and include today: Last 30 days covers today and the 29 days before. This month and This year also end today. Last month covers the whole previous calendar month.
Exporting to Excel
Each report has an export button: the Excel file icon, whose tooltip reads Export.
- Choose the period (and the sort, if needed).
- Click the Excel icon. A loading indicator replaces it while the file is prepared.
- Your browser downloads the
.xlsxfile, and a message confirms the export.
The button is greyed out while the report has no rows. The file contains the whole chosen period, not just the page shown.
Entry windows
Creating and editing often happen in a window over the list.
- Required fields are marked with a red asterisk (*).
- An empty or badly filled required field gets a red border when you leave it, or as soon as you try to save. Some fields show the expected format under them, for example "Format: (111) 111-1111" for a phone number.
- The Enter key saves, like the Save button.
- If you started typing and close the window (Cancel or a click outside), RecyTrax asks "Discard your changes?" — "What you entered in this window will be lost." Click Keep editing to go back to the window, or Discard to close it without saving.
Messages and errors
- Confirmations. After a successful action, a short message appears at the bottom right of the screen, for example "Saved successfully". It disappears on its own; the cross closes it at once.
- Errors. When RecyTrax refuses an action, an An error has occurred window explains why, with the list of points to correct if needed. Click Ok to close it, correct, then try again. Each screen's messages are described on its page in this guide.
- Loading. A spinning circle, or grey blocks in place of the content, mean RecyTrax is loading data. Inside a button, the circle means the action is running: wait before clicking again.
History
The pages of an outbound batch and of a shipment have a History card: the list of the item's events, from newest to oldest. The solid dot marks the latest event. Each event shows what happened, the date and time (in your device's time zone and language) and, when known, the user ("by …").
Access denied and page not found
- Access denied (403). If you open a screen your permissions do not give access to (saved link, typed address, scanned QR code), RecyTrax shows a 403 page with a red shield, the message "You are not authorized to perform this operation." and a Back to the application button. See Roles and permissions.
- Page not found (404). An address that matches no screen shows 404 — "Page not found". Use the menu to find the screen you want.
Frequently asked questions
The left menu has disappeared. How do I get it back?
On a narrow screen (tablet, small window, phone), the menu is hidden: tap the Menu button (☰) at the top left, or Menu in the bottom bar on a phone. On a computer, if it only shows icons, click the double chevrons at the bottom of the menu to expand it.
Why did the screen switch to dark mode?
The "system" theme follows your device's setting, which may switch to dark in the evening. Click the theme icon in the header until you get the sun (light theme).
My search finds nothing although the item exists.
Check the filters next to the search (a status may be selected) and, in reports, the chosen period. The search box's hint text tells you which fields are searched.
The Export button is greyed out.
The report has no rows for the chosen period. Widen the period.
I closed a window by mistake. Is what I entered lost?
If RecyTrax asked "Discard your changes?" and you chose Discard, yes. Choose Keep editing to keep it.
My settings (language, theme, collapsed menu) don't follow me to another device.
That is expected: they are remembered in each device's browser. Set them once on the new device.