Help Sections
Admin & Coordinator Guide
This guide covers all administrative functions: user management, session management, research centers, reports, certificates, system settings, and more.
Admin vs Coordinator
Both Admin and Coordinator roles share most permissions. The Admin role additionally has access to system-level functions like migrations, settings, and force-logout. The Role Matrix defines exact permissions for each role.
User Management
Viewing Users
Navigate to Users to see all registered users. The user list supports filtering by department, role, and status.
Creating a User
1
Go to Users → Create User
Click "Create User" to open the creation form.
2
Fill in User Details
Enter name, email, department (from dropdown), and assign one or more roles.
3
Save the User
The user is created as inactive. They will receive an activation email.
Bulk Import
Import multiple users at once via CSV file:
- Go to Users → Import
- Upload a CSV file with columns: name, email, department, role
- The system validates each row and creates inactive accounts
- Activation emails are sent automatically
Bulk Actions
| Action | Description | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| Send Welcome Email | Resend the welcome/password-set email to a user or all filtered users | users.welcome_email |
| Send Password Reset | Send a password reset link to a user or all filtered users | users.reset_password |
| Deactivate User | Disable a user account (user cannot log in) | users.delete |
| Export Users | Download user list as CSV | users.export |
Business Rules
- Email must be unique across all users
- Users can hold multiple roles except Intern (exclusive)
- Adding the Intern role to an account that already has other roles will fail
- New users are created as inactive until they activate via email
- Password reset tokens expire after 24 hours
- All user actions are audit-logged
Internship Sessions
Sessions define the time window for an internship program (e.g., "Summer 2026", "Winter 2026").
Session Lifecycle
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Open | Registration is active. Interns can register and apply. |
| Closed | Registration is closed. No new interns can join. |
| Archived | Session is completed and archived. Data is read-only. |
Session Actions
- Create — Define session name, start date, end date, and registration window
- Edit — Modify session details (only while not archived)
- Clone — Duplicate an existing session to create a new one with similar settings
- Archive — Mark a session as completed. Archived sessions cannot be modified.
Session Scoping
All intern data (registration, daily logs, attendance, evaluations) is scoped to a specific session. Interns from different sessions are managed independently.
Research Centers & Sections
Manage the organizational structure of PIDE research centers.
- Centers — Top-level research divisions (e.g., "Center for Energy Research")
- Sections — Sub-divisions within a center
- 14 default centers/sections are seeded during setup
- Interns are allocated to a center/section during the onboarding process
Departments
Departments represent PIDE's administrative departments. 19 departments are seeded by default.
- Users are assigned to a department via a dropdown in the user form
- Departments can be created, edited, and deleted
- Department filtering is available on the Users list and Reports
Intern Management
The Interns page provides a comprehensive view of all registered interns.
Key Actions
| Action | Description | Permission |
|---|---|---|
| View Intern Profile | See complete intern details, documents, and status | interns.view |
| Allocate to Center | Assign an intern to a research center/section | interns.allocate |
| Assign Supervisor | Assign a PIDE employee as the intern's supervisor | interns.assign_supervisor |
| Unlock Account | Re-enable a locked intern account | interns.unlock_account |
| Unlock with Email | Unlock account and send notification email | interns.unlock_account |
| Send Profile Reminder | Bulk-send profile completion reminders | interns.unlock_account |
| Download Documents | Download uploaded intern documents | interns.view |
Business Rules
- Interns must be allocated to a center before a supervisor can be assigned
- Supervisor must be an active employee in the system
- Supervisor hierarchy is validated to prevent circular relationships
- Intern profile completion is enforced before allocation
Reports & Export
Generate and export reports with session-based filtering.
Available Reports
- Intern enrollment and status summary
- Task completion by intern/center/session
- Daily log submission and approval rates
- Attendance compliance statistics
- Evaluation scores and performance metrics
- Supervisor-specific reports (for supervisor role)
Export Formats
| Format | Permission | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
reports.export_pdf |
Official reports, presentations | |
| Excel (XLSX) | reports.export_excel |
Data analysis, further processing |
| CSV | reports.export_csv |
Import into other systems |
Certificates
Generate and manage internship completion certificates.
Certificate Lifecycle
- Generate — Select eligible interns and generate certificates (
certificates.generate) - Review — View pending certificates before issuing
- Issue — Officially issue the certificate to the intern (
certificates.manage) - Revoke — Revoke a certificate if needed (
certificates.manage) - Download — Interns and admins can download issued certificates (
certificates.download)
Certificate IDs
Each certificate has a unique identifier with the PIP prefix (e.g., PIP-2026-001). The ID is printed on the certificate and can be used for verification.
Announcements
Create and manage announcements visible on all user dashboards.
- Create — Write an announcement with title, body, and optional target audience
- Target — Send to specific users, roles, or the entire organization
- Edit/Delete — Modify or remove announcements
- Dashboard Widget — Active announcements appear on all role dashboards
System Settings
Configure portal-wide settings from Settings (settings.manage permission required).
Settings Categories
| Category | What You Can Configure |
|---|---|
| General | Portal name, timezone, maintenance mode, debug mode |
| Security | Session timeout, password policy, login throttle limits |
| Email (SMTP) | SMTP server, port, encryption, credentials, from address |
| Document Upload | Maximum file sizes, allowed formats per document type |
| Intern Wizard | Step configuration (enable/disable steps, reorder) |
System Diagnostics
The Diagnose page checks system health: database connection, SMTP connectivity, file permissions, and PHP configuration.
Audit Logs
View a complete audit trail of all system actions (audit_logs.view permission required).
- Every create, update, delete, login, and approval action is recorded
- Logs include: user, action, entity type, entity ID, old values, new values, IP address, timestamp
- Audit logs are read-only and cannot be modified or deleted
- Useful for compliance, troubleshooting, and security investigations
Force Logout All Users
Admins can force-logout all active sessions from the user menu. This is useful for:
- Security incidents
- System maintenance
- Configuration changes that require re-login
Caution
This action terminates every active session except your own. All users will need to log in again.