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Notifications

ORKSTRA notifies users when something needs their attention — an approval lands in their inbox, an inspection is scheduled, a permit is expiring, a quality alert. The Notifications module is the multi-channel delivery layer powering all of that.

Overview​

Five channels:

  • In-app — bell icon at top right, badge count.
  • Email — transactional SMTP via Mailgun / SES.
  • SMS — Twilio.
  • Push — APNS / FCM for the mobile app.
  • WhatsApp — Twilio WhatsApp Business API.
Screenshot: Notification preferences screen with per-channel, per-event toggles

Key concepts​

Event type. A discrete notifiable event — IPC_APPROVAL_REQUEST, PERMIT_EXPIRING, NCR_ASSIGNED, etc. 80+ event types ship by default.

Channel. One of the five above.

Per-event preferences. Each user can pick which channels fire for each event type. Sensible defaults are pre-configured (e.g., approvals → in-app + email).

Quiet hours. Per-user setting that suppresses non-urgent notifications during off-hours (default: 22:00 – 06:00 tenant time).

Digest. Some events can be batched into a daily / weekly digest instead of firing individually.

Distribution list. Admin-defined lists of users who receive specific event categories.

Step-by-step: configure your preferences​

  1. User menu → Notifications.
  2. For each event type, tick the channels you want.
  3. Set quiet hours.
  4. Save. Changes take effect immediately.

Step-by-step: opt into WhatsApp​

  1. User menu → Notifications → WhatsApp.
  2. Enter your WhatsApp number (with country code).
  3. Verify via OTP sent to that number.
  4. WhatsApp becomes available as a channel.

Step-by-step: create a distribution list​

  1. Admin → Notifications → Distribution lists → New.
  2. Name the list (e.g., HSE Manager Group).
  3. Add users.
  4. Bind to event categories.
  5. Save.

Common tasks​

  • Mark all read: Bell icon → Mark all read.
  • Snooze: snooze a notification to re-appear later.
  • Email-to-task: reply to a notification email with a one-word action (approve, reject, noted) for in-line decisions.
  • Audit deliveries: Admin → Notifications → Delivery log lists every send attempt.

Troubleshooting​

  • "I'm not getting any emails." — Check spam folder. Then check Admin → Notifications → Delivery log for delivery errors. Then verify the SMTP/Mailgun setup.
  • "Getting too many notifications." — Use digests. Preferences → Digest events to batch.
  • "WhatsApp says 'opt-out'." — User opted out by replying STOP. Re-opt-in via Profile → Notifications.
  • "SMS not delivered." — Twilio credit balance may be low. Check Admin → Integrations → Twilio.

Limits​

  • Max in-app notifications retained: 1,000 per user.
  • Email rate: 1,000 per hour per tenant default.
  • SMS / WhatsApp rate: per Twilio account.

Permissions reference​

PermissionWho needs it
NOTIFICATION_PREFERENCES_EDITEveryone (own)
NOTIFICATION_DISTRIBUTION_MANAGEAdmins
NOTIFICATION_DELIVERY_LOG_VIEWAdmins
NOTIFICATION_TEMPLATE_EDITTenant admin

See also: Approvals, HSE, Admin overview.