> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://learn.withessential.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://learn.withessential.com/administration/settings/what-the-permissions-control-a-tour-of-the-catalog.md).

# What the permissions control: a tour of the catalog

When you open a role, its permissions are grouped by area so you can see what each one does. General covers logging in: "Access Web" lets someone use the Essential web platform, and "Access Mobile" lets them sign in to the technician app on iOS and Android.

Under Invoice and Quote, viewing is separated from creating and editing, with extras for overriding sales tax and building reusable prompt templates. Inspection Report permissions let people view reports, fill them out, and submit finished reports to the customer.

Property File permissions control opening property files from the back office and who can see each one. Customer Portal lets you configure the branded portal, while Customer covers merging duplicate customers or splitting a record.

Other areas include Inventory and Items, the Intake Form, and Compliance Engine. Scheduling covers GPS as well as Edit Automations, which is what gates Automated Outreach setup, and Create Own Visits, which lets a technician add a job and visit for themselves from any Visits view (Day, Week, Month, or Open) in the technician app (the Default Super Technician role includes it, and it works independently of the setting for booking backlog visits). Task covers the Task Automation Rule permissions (what the catalog elsewhere calls Task Automations). Time & Job Costing is a single category: it separates viewing cost and margin data (View Job Costing & Margin) from managing cost rates and settings (Manage Cost Rates & Pay Settings) and from approving a team's time (Approve Timecards), and its Edit Clock In/Out permission lets the back office correct a technician's clocked hours from the job page. The access-management area covers the Users and Roles & Permissions pages: with the Manage Users or Manage Roles & Permissions permission, adding or deactivating users, changing a user's name or login email, assigning roles, and creating or editing custom roles are self-serve there. Anyone who signs in to the web app can change their own name and email under Settings → Personal Settings, without any extra permission.

Document Templates includes editing the raw template source. One helpful detail: turning a permission on automatically pulls in anything it requires (for example, creating invoices needs viewing invoices), and turning one off drops anything that depended on it, so a role can't end up in an inconsistent state.

> **Where to find it:** Settings > Roles & Permissions, then open any role to see the full permission list grouped by area.

## Inspection-report creation and editing

**Create Inspection Report** lets a user start new reports. **Edit Inspection Report** lets them fill out reports that already exist. Create and Edit each require View, and neither requires the other. A user with Create but without Edit can prepare a report, but cannot change its answers afterward. **Submit Inspection Report** can remain enabled without Create, so technicians can complete reports prepared by the office. **Duplicate Inspection Report** also requires Create.

See [Roles and permissions](/administration/settings/roles-and-permissions.md#let-technicians-complete-only-office-prepared-reports) to configure this workflow.

## Related guides

* [Roles and permissions](/administration/settings/roles-and-permissions.md)
* [Add and manage users and their roles](/administration/settings/review-users-and-their-roles.md)


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