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General

Arkata is a web application built for desktop use. It works in mobile browsers, but the experience is much better on a laptop or desktop screen.
No. Arkata is invite only. A Partner or Admin at your firm creates accounts for team members.
All modern browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge. Keep yours up to date.
Almost always your role. Architects cannot delete records, see the Finance menu or the Billing dashboard, or change firm settings. See Roles.

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Projects

Yes. Click Edit Project and pick a new type. The timeline starts over for the new type, the PA reference is cleared and documents move to General Documents. See Project types.
The optional internal reference is your firm’s own text for the project. The PA reference is the official number the Planning Authority gives you after you submit. See Project references.
In the Tracking Number field next to PA Reference, as six digits such as 309560. It shows while the PA reference is still empty, stands in as the project’s reference until the case number arrives, and is searchable from the Projects page. See Tracking number.
Partners and Admins can, using the bin icon on the project page. It cannot be undone and it deletes the project’s tasks too. To clear a project from your active list without losing it, set its status to Completed or Cancelled. See Archive and delete projects.
On PA projects every task belongs to a timeline sub phase, which is how tasks show up in the right place on the timeline. Pick the phase, then the sub phase, and save. To move a task later, drag it onto another sub phase on the project timeline. See Tasks on the timeline.

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Documents

Up to 10 per batch. Drag them onto a category to file them straight into it.
No hard limit. Files over 50 MB take longer depending on your connection, and the upload link expires after 10 to 15 minutes, so start straight away.
Not yet. Documents are downloaded one at a time.

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Billing

The Finance menu is for Partners and Admins, and only when your firm has Finance turned on. See Roles and Finance trial.
Yes. When creating the invoice, tick every stage that is Ready to Invoice and drag them into the order you want.
Yes, while it is Draft or Sent. Open it and click the pencil icon. A Paid or Cancelled invoice cannot be edited.
It marks a line as not charged. The client still sees it on the invoice, marked as waived, but it does not count towards the total. You can un-waive it until the invoice is sent.
Because the work behind it is done. Your firm links each billing stage to a timeline sub phase in Settings > Billing > Timeline Billing, and once that sub phase is ticked, the stage is marked ready and the Partners are notified. Some sub phases are ticked by Arkata when an authority email arrives, so this can happen without anyone clicking. See Timeline Billing.
The stage was already invoiced, so Arkata left it alone and saved your timeline change. It tells you which stage it skipped. If the invoice itself needs adjusting or cancelling, ask a Partner.
Project billing is now for Partners and Admins. Your ticks on the project timeline are what mark a billing stage ready, so your work still reaches a Partner for invoicing without the tab. See Roles.
Yes. Click the bell on any sent or partially paid invoice and Arkata drafts a short payment reminder, shows you who it goes to and sends it once you confirm. You can also chase a whole filtered list in one go. See Send a payment reminder.
Yes, and you choose per stage. Each stage on an invoice has an Itemise switch: on lists its services with prices, off shows the client a single stage total. Your firm’s default comes from Settings > Billing. See Create and send invoices.

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Email filing

Either it is not one of the eight supported types, or Arkata could not find a reference matching an existing project. See When an email does not match.
No. It never creates clients or projects from incoming email. The project has to exist first.

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Next steps

Troubleshooting

Fixes for common problems.

Roles

What your role can and cannot do.