If the system allows session starts, it will usually show a Begin Session button when the booking becomes active. If that button does not appear, review the booking, resource requirements, and current project first.

Why does a resource show as unavailable?

A resource may be unavailable because of:

Planned downtime or maintenance
Business hours or schedule restrictions
Holiday closures
Active bookings by other users
Facility access rules that block the current time or user

This does not necessarily mean something is broken. In many cases, the facility has intentionally blocked the resource for safety, fairness, or operational reasons.

See Resources for more on availability, schedules, training, and access requirements.

Why does my booking show “Late” or “Missed”?

Facilities often define a grace period.

Late – The session was not started within the grace period
Missed – The booking ended without a session being started

These states help facilities manage availability and fairness.

Training & Access

Why do I need training?

Training ensures:

Safe operation of equipment
Compliance with facility policies
Appropriate access to restricted resources

Training requirements vary by resource, location, or process.

How do I get trained?

You can:

Join a scheduled training session
Request individual training
Request training directly from a resource page

If a session is full, a waitlist may be available.

What happens if a training session is full?

If the facility supports it, you may be able to join a waitlist.

Depending on facility configuration:

You may be notified if a space opens
Staff may contact you with another option
You may need to choose another session or submit a request

If no waitlist is available, contact facility staff or submit a training-related request.

What do my training statuses mean?

Your training records typically use statuses such as:

Valid – Training is complete and access is allowed
Expired – Training is no longer valid and must be renewed
Revoked – Training was removed or invalidated

If a required training is Expired or Revoked, booking or session start may be blocked until retraining is completed.

You can review your current status in Training & Access.

What happens when training expires?

Expired or revoked training:

Prevents booking or starting sessions
Can usually be renewed by requesting retraining

Once training is revalidated, access is restored automatically.

Requests & Communication

What are requests used for?

Requests are how you communicate with the facility, including:

Training requests
Configuration requests
Issue reports
Special access requests

Requests create a shared conversation between you and facility staff.

Can I update a request after submitting it?

Yes. Users can typically:

Edit certain request details
Add additional information
Attach files
Communicate using threaded comments

All communication stays tied to the request for clarity.

Why haven’t I received a response to my request yet?

Request timing varies by facility, request type, and staff workload.

Keep in mind:

Some requests require manual review or approval
Some requests involve multiple staff members
Replies may appear in the request thread rather than as a direct email
Notifications depend on your notification preferences

The best place to check status is the request itself. If a request has been sitting for longer than expected, add a polite follow-up comment or contact facility staff.

Where do request updates appear?

Request updates usually appear in:

The request’s threaded comments
The request’s activity history
Your Dashboard
Your notifications, if enabled

This is why checking the request detail page is usually more reliable than relying only on email.

Why did my request attachment upload fail?

One common reason is that the file type is not allowed by the facility configuration.

In that case, you may see an error such as 422.

Try the following:

Confirm the file type is supported
Compress the file into a .zip archive if appropriate
Contact facility staff if you need a file type that is currently blocked

Usage Records & Charges

What are usage records?

Usage records are the finalized system record of your usage.

They show:

What was used
Which project it belonged to
What quantity or duration was recorded
Whether a charge was generated

They provide transparency and traceability for your work.

What’s the difference between a usage session and a usage record?

This is an important distinction:

Usage Session – The live activity while you are actually using the resource
Usage Record – The finalized record Colabmacs stores after the session is complete

In practice, this means:

A session reflects the real check-in to check-out interaction
A usage record is the persistent record used for reporting and billing
A single session may create more than one usage record
The final usage record may reflect facility rules, system modeling, or billable breakdowns rather than just a simple copy of the live session

Examples:

One resource session may also create separate records for a process or configuration
A facility may track billable quantities in a specific unit or split usage into separate records for reporting

If you are comparing what you did in real time to what appears later in reporting or billing, the usage record is the authoritative record to review.

Will I always be charged for usage?

Not necessarily.

Charges depend on:

Facility policies
Resource rates
Project configuration
The finalized usage record created from the session

Some usage is tracked for reporting even if no charge is generated.

Why did my charge change or look different than I expected?

Charges are usually based on actual usage, not only booked time.

Differences can happen because of:

Actual usage duration differing from the booking duration
The finalized usage record differing from the live session representation
Resource-specific or project-specific billing rules
Process or configuration choices affecting billing
Facility adjustments or charge regeneration after a correction

If something looks incorrect, contact facility staff and provide the relevant booking, usage record, or project details.

Who should I contact about a billing discrepancy?

Start with:

Facility staff
The project owner or team owner
Your facility administrator, if they manage billing workflows

They can review the underlying usage, project, and billing configuration with you.

Can I export my usage history?

Yes. Usage records can usually be filtered and exported (for example, as CSV files) for:

Reporting
Reimbursement
Personal records

See Usage Records for more detail.

Getting Help

Something doesn’t look right — what should I do?

If you notice:

Incorrect usage
Missing training
Unexpected restrictions

Use Requests or contact your facility administrator.

They have visibility into training, rules, and configuration.

Who should I contact for help?

Colabmacs is configured per facility.

If you need help with access, permissions, missing features, or unexpected restrictions, contact your facility administrator, facility staff, or project owner, depending on how your facility is organized.

Permissions & Missing Features

I see “Unauthorized action” or “You can’t do that” — what does it mean?

In most cases, this means your account does not currently have the required permission for that action.

This can happen when:

Your assigned role does not include the needed permission
A facility-specific role was changed
You are missing access that another staff member expected you to have

If this happens, contact your facility administrator or facility staff and let them know what page or action you were trying to use.

Usually, yes.

Many parts of the Colabmacs interface are permission-aware. If you do not have permission to view or use something, the system may hide it entirely instead of showing it in a disabled state.

Common examples:

A page does not appear in navigation
A button or action is missing from a detail screen
A dropdown does not include an expected option
An admin page is visible to one user but not another

This is usually expected behavior and most often points to a missing permission.

What should facility administrators check?

Facility administrators should review the user's roles and the permissions attached to those roles.

Start with the Authorization page and check:

The roles assigned to the user
The permissions included in those roles
Whether the expected view_*, create_*, update_*, or manage_* permissions are present

If the user should have access but still does not, compare their assigned roles to another user who can see or perform the same action.

Admin Troubleshooting Pattern

If something is missing from the UI, first check for a missing view_* permission. If the page is visible but the user cannot perform an action, check for the corresponding create_*, update_*, delete_*, or manage_* permission.

For most questions, contact:

Facility staff
Project owners
Lab or shop administrators

They can resolve issues much faster than general support.

Final Tip

Colabmacs is designed to guide you, not block you.

If you can’t do something, there is usually:

A missing training
A project issue
A rule you need to be aware of

The system will point you in the right direction — and your facility team is always there to help.