Getting started

This chapter takes you from the first sign-in to finding your way around: the idea behind Mabato, your language and theme, and the navigation on a computer and on a phone.

What Mabato is

Mabato is a backlog manager built around a tree. Every project starts with a single node, the vision. You split it into smaller nodes until the pieces are small enough to work on. The nodes at the ends of the branches are your tasks.

The work then flows through four places in each project: the tree where you shape the work, the backlog where you rank the tasks, the board where you move them from To Do to Done, and releases that collect finished work. Not every project needs all of them; see Project types.

Signing in with password or Google

1. Open the address of your Mabato installation. If you are not signed in, the Log in page appears.
2. Enter your email address in Email and your password in Password.
3. Click Log in. The dashboard opens.

If your installation offers Google sign-in, a Log in with Google button appears below the form, after the word or. Click it and choose your Google account. If Google sign-in is refused, the page tells you why, for example that the account is not allowed or that its email address is not verified. Sign in with your password instead, or ask the person who runs your installation.

Accounts are created for you; there is no self-service sign-up. Legal information is linked at the bottom of the login page.

Choosing a language

1. Click the person icon (User settings) at the top right.
2. Pick a language in the Language list: Deutsch, English, Español or Français.
3. The application switches immediately. Click Close when you are done.

The language is saved in your account, so it is the same on every device you sign in on. This guide is available in English only.

Light and dark theme

1. Open User settings.
2. Under Appearance, choose Light mode or Dark mode.

The change applies at once and is saved in your account. The screenshots in this guide switch between light and dark along with the setting of your device.

Navigating the application

The bar at the top of every page has these entries:

• Mabato (left): takes you to the dashboard.
• Dashboard: your projects and the tasks assigned to you. See The dashboard.
• Projects: the list of all projects you can see, and the form for creating a new one.
• Tasks: search across your tasks; see Finding things.
• API tokens: personal tokens for other tools; see Using the API.
• Docs: this guide. The entry appears only if your installation has a documentation address set up, and it opens in a new tab.
• The bell: unread notifications with their count; see Notifications.
• The person icon: User settings.
• Log out.

Inside a project, the tabs below the bar switch between its views: Tree, Backlog, Board and Releases. A project without a tree has no Tree tab.

On a phone

1. Tap the Mabato button with the menu icon at the top left. The menu opens with Dashboard, Projects, Tasks and API tokens, plus Docs when your installation provides it.
2. Tap an entry to go there. The menu closes. Press Escape or tap outside the menu to close it without going anywhere.

Your settings

The User settings dialog holds three things: the language, the appearance and, for accounts that sign in with a password, a Change password section.

1. Open User settings.
2. Enter your Current password and a New password of at least 10 characters.
3. Click Change password. The message Your password was changed. confirms it.