Desktop
Upon logging into ERPNext, a user is presented with a sleek Home Screen in which all accessible Modules and Domains are presented as interactive cards. These cards show a neat, tidy view and are quick access points to functionalities.
This card-based UI replaced the previous module icon interface used in ERPNext versions below Version 12. Not only does the new system enhance the look but also navigation through integrated quick actions.
Card Categories
ERPNext categorizes these cards in four general categories:
- Modules: These are industry-agnostic modules applicable to all forms of organizations, independent of the industry they're in. Some examples are:
- Human Resources (HR) for managing employees
- CRM for tracking leads, opportunities, and customers
- Buying and Selling for procurement and sales management
- Accounts for accounting
- Domains: These are industry-specific modules that are enabled based on your chosen domain settings in ERPNext. Examples:
- Education for student, course, and grading management
- Manufacturing for production planning, BOM handling, and work orders These may be enabled or disabled through Domain Settings to suit your business purposes.
- Places: A location for tools that are not industry-specific and tended to be used for more general-purpose operational or analytical activities. Examples:
- Website builder
- Dashboards for analytics and KPIs
- Marketplace for the integration of external product and service offerings
- Administration: Modules offering system configuration, security, and customization features. Examples include:
- User and Role Management
- System Settings
- Data Import & Export
Navigation and Customization
The drop-down menu within each card consists of shortcuts to significant doctypes and reports. Users are able to customize these menus to include or exclude links for quicker access to most-used records.
You can also:
- Reorder cards using drag and drop
- Display or hide individual cards based on role permissions
- Control domain visibility so only applicable modules are seen by a specific user group
Module Page
Tapping on any card shows the Module Page, which has:
- All doctypes belonging to the module
- Built-in reports and custom reports
- Setup and configuration options
For instance, within the Accounts module, you'll see fields for Sales Invoices, Purchase Invoices, Payment Entries, Financial Reports, and so on.
Navigating the Module Page
Certain links on a module page might look greyed out. These are inactive links, which implies that a prerequisite document should be prepared first before they can be opened. For instance:
- To access the Sales Register, you have to first prepare a Sales Invoice. Rolling over the greyed link shows a tooltip describing the document or step that is needed.
Visual Status Indicators
ERPNext utilizes color-coded indicators alongside some links to indicate related document status:
- Red → There are open or overdue tasks/documents to be handled urgently
- Blue → No open tasks or pending items for that area
- Orange → Report or document type has yet to be accessed or no records have been established
The visual cue system makes users instantly recognize areas of action without having to manually open each report.
The revamped home screen and navigation system in ERPNext ensures that information is visually structured, context-sensitive, and action-focused, allowing users to be more focused on what counts.