> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.hflow.pro/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Notifications

> When in-app announcements appear, how to read and dismiss them, and who sees which messages.

In-app **notifications** let the hFlow team share announcements with school staff while you work in the app. You cannot compose these from the school menus. They are not family emails. For messages you prepare for guardians, see [Communications](/hflow/communications).

You see notifications after you sign in to your school account. They can appear as a bell in the header, as an amber bar across the top of the page, and sometimes as a **New** badge next to a control on the screen.

## When you will see a notification

You may see a notice when all of the following are true:

* You are signed in to a school in hFlow (not on the sign-in screen).
* The notice is published and still current.
* Your **role** is included. A teacher-only notice does not appear for owners or admins, and an admin-only notice does not appear for teachers.
* Some notices go to every school. Others go only to your school.

You will **not** see a top banner or a **New** badge for a notice that was published **before you joined** the school. Those older notices can still appear in the bell list so you can catch up.

Notices stay in the bell list for about **90 days**. After that they drop off.

The bell and banner do not print. They also hide in some full-screen tools, such as drafting a family email in Communications or bulk assessment entry.

## The three places notices appear

### Bell list

A bell icon sits in the header, to the left of the sun or moon appearance control. A number on the bell is how many notices you have not marked as read yet.

### Banner

An amber bar can appear at the top of the app for time-limited announcements. If more than one banner is waiting, the bar shows **Message 1 of n**. Closing the current banner reveals the next one.

The banner shows the title and a short preview of the body. Open the bell to read the full text.

### New badge on the page

Some notices highlight a specific control, such as the header logo or **Import CSV** on Students. A **New** badge sits on that control. Click the **badge** (not the control itself) to read the notice.

## How to read notifications

1. Sign in at [app.hflow.pro](https://app.hflow.pro).
2. Click the **bell** in the header.
3. Read items under **New**. Items you already marked as read appear under **Read**.

Opening the list does **not** mark items as read. Items stay under **New** until you mark them.

Each item can include:

* **Mark as read**: moves it from **New** to **Read** and clears it from the unread number on the bell.
* **Show me**: opens a page in hFlow related to the notice. This link appears only if your role can open that page (for example, a teacher will not see **Show me** for an admin-only screen).
* **Learn more**: opens a help article or related page in a new tab.

If the list is empty under **New**, you see **You're all caught up**.

## How to dismiss a notification

What you dismiss depends on where you saw it.

### Banner

1. Click the **X** on the amber bar (**Dismiss announcement**).
2. The bar closes for you. If another banner was waiting, it appears next (**Message 1 of n** updates).
3. That notice is also marked as read. It stays in the bell under **Read**.

A banner also goes away on its own when its scheduled end time arrives.

### Bell list

1. Open the bell.
2. Click **Mark as read** on one item, or **Mark all as read** at the top when you have unread items.
3. Closing the panel (**X**, Escape, or click outside) hides the list but does **not** mark items as read.

Marking a notice as read also hides its banner if that banner was still showing.

### New badge

1. Click the **New** badge to open the short panel.
2. Click **Got it** to remove the badge.
3. Clicking **Show me** also removes the badge and takes you to the related page.

Closing the panel without **Got it** leaves the badge in place so you can open it again later.

## Who sees which messages

Notices are targeted. You only see a notice meant for your role.

| Who it is for      | Who sees it                                                                     |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Teachers only      | Staff with the **teacher** role                                                 |
| Admins only        | Staff with the **admin** role                                                   |
| Owners only        | Staff with the **owner** role                                                   |
| More than one role | Anyone whose role is included (for example owners and admins, but not teachers) |
| Everyone           | Owners, admins, and teachers                                                    |

A colleague can see a notice you do not. That usually means the notice was limited to their role, or it was sent only to their school.

**Show me** follows the same idea: if the linked page is not available to your role, that button is hidden. You can still read the title and body.

hFlow does not send these announcements as email. They appear only in the app.

## Admin vs teacher

<Note>
  **Teachers** see teacher-targeted and all-staff notices. They do not see notices limited to owners or admins. **Show me** is hidden when the linked page is an admin-only screen.

  **Owners** and **admins** see notices aimed at their role (and all-staff notices). They do not see teacher-only notices. Menu differences on Students are summarized in [Students: Admin vs Teacher](/hflow/students/roles-and-permissions).
</Note>

## Common questions

### I do not see a notice my colleague mentioned

Confirm you are signed in to the same school. Then check whether the notice was for a different role (for example **teachers only**). If you joined the school after the notice went out, look in the bell list rather than waiting for a banner.

### The banner came back after I closed the tab

Dismissing a banner is saved to your account. If the same bar appears again, it is likely a **different** notice (check **Message 1 of n**), or you have not dismissed it yet on this account.

### I marked something as read by mistake

Read items stay under **Read** in the bell for about 90 days. You can open them again there. There is no way to mark a notice unread.

## Related pages

* [Getting started](/hflow/getting-started): sign in and header controls
* [Students: Admin vs Teacher](/hflow/students/roles-and-permissions): what owners, admins, and teachers can do
* [Communications](/hflow/communications): family emails, which are separate from these in-app notices
* [Reporting issues and suggestions](/hflow/reporting-issues-and-suggestions): the ladybug, which is also separate from the bell