Type @ and a name in any comment box to @mention a teammate. They get an in-app notification under the bell icon in the top bar, with a red badge for unread items. The bell also tells you when you are assigned a task, when a task you are on changes, when a record is shared with you, when a timesheet needs your approval, and when an automation rule notifies you.
In this guide
Where can I add comments in Autovella?How do I @mention someone?Can I attach files to a comment?What triggers a notification and how do I read them?How do I turn on desktop alerts?Do I get emails for notifications?Frequently asked questions
Where can I add comments in Autovella?
Comments live in a Comments section on the detail page of a record. Comments can be added on projects, tasks, accounts, contacts, deals, invoices, expenses, timesheets and time-off requests. This is the right place for decisions and questions, because the conversation stays attached to the record.
- Open the record, for example a task.
- Click in the box that says Write a comment... @name to mention.
- Type your message. Use Ctrl+Enter (Cmd+Enter on Mac) or click Send to post it.
You can edit or delete your own comments with the pencil and trash icons next to them. Edited comments show (edited). Someone else with update access to the record's module can edit it, and someone with delete access can remove it. Deleting a comment also removes its attached files.
To post a comment you need create or update access on the module the record belongs to, and access to that specific record. A customer with rights only to tasks, for example, cannot comment on an invoice. See How Access Works.
How do I @mention someone?
Type @ followed by the first letters of a name. A suggestion list appears; pick the person and Autovella inserts @First Last in your comment. Beneath the box there are also quick buttons for a few colleagues, such as @Priya, that add a mention in one click.
- Mentions are matched by name within your own organization, ignoring upper and lower case. @First Last matches the full name; a single word can match a first name, last name or username.
- Each mentioned person gets one notification reading, for example, "Priya Shah mentioned you in a comment on task "Name"". You are never notified about your own mentions.
- If you edit a comment and add a new @mention, only the newly added people are notified, so existing ones are not pinged twice.
- Mentioning someone does not give them access to the record. If they cannot open it, share it first. See Sharing Projects and Guest Links.
Automation rules can also react to a mention or a new comment, see Setting Up Automation Rules.
Can I attach files to a comment?
Yes, images. Click the attach icon (tooltip Attach image) next to Send, pick one or more images, and they appear as previews under the box before you post. Non-image files are rejected with a message that the file is not an image, and the page warns if a file exceeds the upload limit. Click an image in a posted comment to open a larger preview. For other documents use the Attachments section of the record.
Attached files count toward your organization's storage. You can see usage under Settings, Company Settings, Company Information. See Managing Users and Company Settings.
What triggers a notification and how do I read them?
Click the bell in the top bar. The dropdown lists your most recent notifications, newest first, with the time (just now, 5m ago, 3h ago, 2d ago). Unread items are highlighted with a blue dot. Click one to mark it read and, for most record types, jump straight to the project, task, account, contact, invoice or deal. Use Mark all as read to clear the badge. The count refreshes about every 30 seconds while the tab is open and instantly when you return to it.
You are notified when:
- Someone mentions you in a comment.
- You are assigned to a task, on creation or later.
- A task you were already assigned to changes in status, priority, title, start date or end date. You are not notified about your own changes.
- A task is assigned to someone who has approved leave overlapping the task dates. The project owner gets a leave-conflict notice.
- A record is shared with you, or with a team you belong to.
- A timesheet is submitted by one of your direct reports. It goes to their manager. See Approvals.
- An automation rule is set to send a notification. See Automation Rules.
Timesheet notifications open no page when clicked; use Approvals or the relevant list instead.
How do I turn on desktop alerts?
The first time you open the bell, a banner offers to enable desktop alerts. Click Enable and allow notifications in your browser. From then on, new notifications pop up as system alerts, even while you work in another window, as long as Autovella is open in a tab. Clicking the alert brings you to the record. Notifications that were already waiting when you signed in are not replayed.
- The banner then reads Desktop alerts on with a Turn off link.
- If you decline, it reads Desktop alerts off. If your browser blocks them, it says Desktop alerts blocked in browser settings, and you must allow them in the browser's site settings.
This preference is stored in your browser, so set it up on each browser or device you use.
Do I get emails for notifications?
Bell notifications are in-app only. Mentions, assignments and approvals do not send an email on their own. Email goes out for account actions such as password reset and verification, and for emails you set up yourself with automation rules or scheduled reports and alerts. To send team updates to chat tools, see Connecting Slack, Teams, GitHub, WhatsApp and Email.
Troubleshooting
- Nobody sees my mention. Check that the name matches a real user and that you chose the suggestion. Mentions of people who are not in your organization do nothing.
- No badge although I expected one. You are not notified of your own actions.
- Desktop alerts do not appear. Check the banner state and your browser and operating system notification settings.
Frequently asked questions
Type @ and start typing a name in a comment box, then choose the person from the suggestions. They receive a notification in the bell menu.
No. Mentions create an in-app notification under the bell icon. Autovella does not send an email for each mention.
You can attach images to a comment using the attach icon. For other file types, use the Attachments section on the record.
Open the bell and click Mark all as read. Clicking a single notification marks just that one as read.
Autovella skips notifications for actions you perform yourself, such as assigning yourself a task or mentioning yourself.