# Contacts

## What Contacts is for

Contacts is the shared contact database for the people and relationship details your teams
need to find together. Use the list when you need to locate shared contact history instead of
keeping names and contact details in personal phones, inboxes, or separate files.

| If you need to… | Go to |
|---|---|
| Recognize the list and its columns | [Understand the Contacts list](#understand-the-contacts-list) |
| Open the list | [Find the Contacts list](#find-the-contacts-list) |
| Create a contact | [Create a contact](doc:create-contact) |
| Review a saved contact | [Contact record](doc:contact-record) |
| Check why an action is unavailable | [When a Contacts action is unavailable](#when-a-contacts-action-is-unavailable) |

## Before you start

Actions appear only when your account and the contact meet the required access and branch
conditions. Before you begin, make sure you are signed in with access to Contacts and know
whether the contact belongs to the branch you are working with.

The list is available when the Contacts subscription is included. **New** is available when
your account has permission to create a contact. A row's edit action is available when the row
belongs to the same branch. The row's delete action requires both the same-branch condition and
delete permission.

## Find the Contacts list

Open the Contacts list when you need to review shared relationship information or choose a
contact action.

Prerequisites

- You are signed in.
- Contacts is included in your subscription.

Steps

1. Open the Contacts area.
2. Confirm that the Contacts list is open.
3. Confirm that the page heading reads **Contacts**.

![Identify the Contacts list before choosing an action](https://atloriaassets.blob.core.windows.net/assets/a438221c-c1af-407c-b9e6-a56c986db846/5cab153d71876cb7cfc612e636db7a36.png)

**Result:** The Contacts list is open.

## Understand the Contacts list

A contact row brings together the visible identity, role, department, account, and branch
information that helps you recognize the right person. The list currently shows these headers:

| Header | What you use it to recognize |
|---|---|
| **Title** | The person's title or salutation |
| **Name** | The contact's name |
| **Position** | The person's position |
| **Department** | The person's department |
| **Account** | The related account |
| **Branch** | The related branch |

The list also includes an identifier and avatar area for each row. The headers you see come from
your saved list layout, so work from the headers visible in your list rather than expecting every
list to have the same columns.

![Read the six visible Contacts list headers and row layout](https://atloriaassets.blob.core.windows.net/assets/a438221c-c1af-407c-b9e6-a56c986db846/97f6da7ea65f40d7c8449511d5ab7b0c.png)

The list toolbar includes **New**, **Refresh**, **Table Layout**, and **Settings**. **New** is
the labelled action; the other toolbar actions are identified by their displayed titles.

## Choose the next Contacts action

From the list, you can start a contact, open a saved contact, export the list, or delete a contact.

| If you need to… | Select or use |
|---|---|
| Start a new contact | **New** |
| Open a saved contact | Select the row's edit action |
| Prepare a list export | **Export** |
| Remove a contact | Select the row's delete action, then confirm **Delete** |

Prerequisites

- For **New**, your account has create permission.
- For a row edit or delete action, the contact belongs to the same branch.
- For deletion, your account also has delete permission.

Steps

1. Select the action that matches your task in the table above.
2. Complete the selected action:

   | Task | Action |
   |---|---|
   | Start a new contact | Select **New**. |
   | Open a saved contact | Select the row's edit action. |
   | Prepare a list export | Select **Export**. |
   | Remove a contact | Select the row's delete action. |
   | Confirm removal | After `Are you sure you want to delete this contact?` appears, select **Delete**. |

![Start a contact from the Contacts list](https://atloriaassets.blob.core.windows.net/assets/a438221c-c1af-407c-b9e6-a56c986db846/e8db9011e06f3a16d8c8accd4dee2508.png)

The export choice is headed `Exporting List:`. Select **Cancel** to leave the export choices, or
select **Export** to continue with the export action.

**Result:** The selected list action is open, or the contact deletion has been confirmed.

## When a Contacts action is unavailable

If an expected action is absent, compare the list and contact conditions below.

| What you check | What you see |
|---|---|
| Contacts subscription | The Contacts list is replaced by the subscription upgrade surface when Contacts is not included. |
| Create permission | **New** appears only when Contacts is included and your account has create permission. |
| Contact branch | The row edit or delete action is available when the contact belongs to the same branch. |
| Delete permission | The row delete action also requires delete permission. |
| Saved list layout | The headers currently visible on your list identify the columns available to you. |

**Result:** You know whether the missing surface is controlled by subscription, permission,
branch access, or the saved list layout.

## When a list action goes wrong

Use the message text to choose the next response.

| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| `Are you sure you want to delete this contact?` | Check the contact, then select **Delete** only when the deletion is intended. |
| `Exporting List:` | Choose **Cancel** to leave the export choices or **Export** to continue. |
| `Forbidden characters detected. Please remove them and try again.` | Remove the forbidden characters from the value you entered, then try the action again. |

**Result:** You can match the message on screen to the applicable list action and continue from
the correct page.

## What to do next

Choose the page that owns the work you need to continue:

- Open [Create a contact](doc:create-contact) when you need to enter and save a new contact.
- Open [Contact record](doc:contact-record) when you need to review or maintain a saved contact.

**Result:** You are directed to the page for the next contact task.