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Project Menu Reference

Project Menu Reference

Article ID RC-NAV-UI-02 — Project Menu Reference
Domain Project Navigation
Applies To All project types
Prerequisite RC-NAV-UI-01 — Project Navigation UI
Version 1.1
Last Updated 2026
Author See KB-SOURCE-ATTESTATION.md
Related Topics RC-NAV-UI-01 — Project Navigation UI, RC-NAV-REC-01 — Record Navigation Overview, RC-NAV-REC-04 — Record Status Dashboard & Other Record LinksRC-USER-01 — User Rights: Overview & Three-Tier AccessRC-DE-02 — Basic Data Entry, RC-PROJ-01 — Project Lifecycle: Status and SettingsRC-FD-01 — Form Design Overview, RC-FD-05 — Codebook, RC-EXPRT-01 — Data Export: Overview & WorkflowRC-MLM-01 — Multi-Language Management, RC-IMP-01 — Data Import Overview, RC-DQ-01 — Data Quality Module, RC-DAG-01 — Data Access Groups, RC-DE-08 — Field Comment Log, RC-DE-12 — Data Resolution Workflow, RC-LONG-01 — Longitudinal Project Setup, RC-SURV-01 — Surveys – BasicsRC-SURV-05 — Participant List & Manual Survey InvitationsRC-ALERT-01 — Alerts & Notifications: SetupRC-RAND-01 — Randomization Concepts & TerminologyRC-PROJ-03 — Project Dashboards, RC-API-01 — REDCap API, RC-MOB-01 — REDCap Mobile App, RC-MYCAP-01 — MyCap: Overview & Enabling

1. Overview

This article is a structured reference for every section and item that can appear in the REDCap left-hand project menu. The menu is divided into labeled sections, each grouping related functionality. Not all items are visible to all users — visibility depends on user rights and project configuration. Each section below lists its items in a reference table with the item name, its visibility rule, and a plain-language description of what it does.

2. Key Concepts & Definitions

Always — A menu item with this designation appears for any user in any project, regardless of user rights or feature configuration.

Conditional — A menu item with this designation appears only when the required user rights are granted and/or the relevant feature is enabled in Project Setup. Both conditions must be satisfied.

User Rights — Per-project permission settings that control which menu items and features a given user can see and interact with. Managed under the User Rights section of the project menu.

External Module — A community-developed add-on that extends REDCap functionality. Must be enabled by a REDCap administrator. Enabled modules may add their own entries to the left menu.

Project Bookmarks — Custom links added by a project manager that appear in the left menu. Can point to internal REDCap pages, other REDCap projects, or external websites. Configurable per user or Data Access Group. See RC-NAV-UI-03 — Project Bookmarks.

3. Menu Section Reference

3.1 Top-Left Navigation

This group of links sits above the labeled menu sections and handles global navigation — they typically take the user out of the current project.

Menu Item Visibility What it does
REDCap logo Always Returns to the My Projects page. Equivalent to clicking My Projects.
My Projects Always Returns to the My Projects page. Same destination as clicking the logo.
Logged in as [username] / Log out Always Displays the current username. The Log Out link ends the session completely.
REDCap Messenger Always* A HIPAA-compliant in-project messaging tool for user-to-user communication. Cannot send external email, texts, or messages to other REDCap installations. (*Availability depends on whether your institution has enabled this feature.)
Contact REDCap Administrator Always Links to your institution's REDCap support channel (email, website, or survey). Configured by your local admin team. See RC-INST-01 — Institution-Specific Settings & Policies — Production for what this link opens at this installation.

3.2 Project Home and Design

This section covers features related to the setup and design of a project. It is most relevant during the project build phase and for ongoing project management.

Menu Item Visibility What it does
Project Home Always Opens the Project Home page, which shows basic project information and summary stats.
Code Book Always A human-readable view of all instruments and their variables. Use the Print button to export as PDF for external sharing.
Project Setup Conditional The main project configuration page. Used heavily during project design. Requires Project Setup/Design user rights.
Designer (Online Designer) Conditional Direct link to the instrument and field design interface. Requires Project Setup/Design user rights.
Dictionary (Data Dictionary) Conditional Direct link to the Data Dictionary — a spreadsheet-style view of all fields. Requires Project Setup/Design user rights.

Project Status

Project status is displayed and managed from the Project Home or Project Setup pages. Any user with sufficient rights can advance the status forward. Reverting to an earlier status requires a REDCap administrator.

Status Visibility What it means
Development Always Default status. All changes are immediate. No real participant data should be collected in this status. Use for building and testing.
Production Always Active data collection status. Structural changes require Draft Mode and may need admin approval. Protects data from accidental field edits.
Analysis / Cleanup Always Data collection complete. Most functionality disabled. Data intact. Can be returned to Production at any time by a user or admin.
Completed Always Locks the project entirely. Only REDCap administrators can access or revert a completed project. Use only when absolutely certain no further access is needed.

Other Functionality & Project Revision History

Accessible as tabs from the Project Home or Project Setup pages (for users with appropriate rights):

  • Other Functionality: Infrequently used administrative tools: advance project status, request project deletion, back up the project (useful when migrating between REDCap installations).

  • Project Revision History: Shows project statistics and a full log of official revisions. Allows downloading any prior revision as a Data Dictionary and rolling back structural changes. Note: the Data Dictionary only restores instruments and fields — not user rights, survey settings, or longitudinal configuration.

3.3 Data Collection

The primary section for day-to-day data entry and participant management. Users with any data entry rights will see at least the two core items.

Menu Item Visibility What it does
Record Status Dashboard Always Overview of form completion status across all records. Shows which forms are complete, incomplete, or unverified at a glance.
Add / Edit Records Always Create new records or look up and edit existing ones. Primary data entry entry point.
Survey Distribution Tools Conditional Appears when surveys are enabled in the project. Manage survey links, send email/SMS invitations, and view the invitation log.
MyCap Participant Management Conditional Manage participants using the MyCap mobile app. Requires MyCap to be enabled. As of MyCap 2.0 (September 2023, REDCap v13.10.0+), longitudinal projects are supported. Consult your support team before using.
Record shortcuts Conditional When a user is actively viewing a record, shortcuts to that record's instruments and record home page appear dynamically in this section.

3.4 Applications

Features that fall outside the core design and data collection workflows. Availability is based on user rights and project settings. Each application is self-contained.

Menu Item Visibility What it does
Project Dashboards Conditional Create aggregate data dashboards to track project progress (e.g. enrollment rates, survey responses). Dashboards can be made public — never include PHI in public dashboards. Use as an operational tool, not an analysis tool.
Alerts & Notifications Conditional Configure rule-based email alerts triggered by data entry events, survey completions, date comparisons, or custom logic. Supports piped (merged) REDCap field values in email content.
Multi-Language Management (MLM) Conditional Apply multiple language translations to instruments and parts of the REDCap interface. Useful for multilingual survey populations. REDCap identifies text that needs translation but does not translate it — use a native speaker.
Calendar Conditional Originally designed for longitudinal projects to track participant follow-up schedules. Not a replacement for hospital scheduling systems or a survey scheduler. Can sync with external calendaring systems.
Data Exports, Reports, and Stats Conditional Export project data in multiple formats (Excel, CSV, SPSS, SAS, Stata, R). Create and save custom filtered reports. Includes basic visualizations and connections to tools like Tableau.
Data Import Tool Conditional Import data into the project using a generated template. Validates formatting before import and shows a preview of changes including overwrite conflicts.
Data Comparison Tool Conditional Compare two records side by side. Primarily used with the Double Data Entry feature to identify discrepancies between two independent data entry attempts.
Logging Conditional Full audit log of all user activity in the project, down to page views. Filterable by user, event type, and date. Exportable — useful for regulatory compliance.
Email Logging Conditional Audit log of all emails sent from this project. Allows resending emails. Caution: in anonymous survey projects, this log may inadvertently link email addresses to records.
Field Comment Log Conditional Review and edit all comments added to specific fields across all records. Useful for capturing data situations not anticipated during design.
Data Resolution Workflow (Resolve Issues) Conditional Replaces the Field Comment Log when enabled. Adds the ability to assign field-level issues to specific users for resolution. Used in teams with formal data validation roles.
File Repository Conditional Access files uploaded to the project repository or auto-generated files (e.g., e-consent PDFs, data export files). Note: files uploaded within a record are accessed from that record, not here.
User Rights Conditional Manage user permissions for this project. Assign individual rights or create roles (e.g., Data Entry, Statistician, Data Coordinator) and add users to those roles.
DAGs (Data Access Groups) Conditional Designate record-level access groups so users only see records in their assigned group. Common use case: multi-site studies where site A users should not see site B records.
Customize & Manage Locking / E-signatures Conditional Configure record and instrument locking for projects requiring independent validation. Locked instruments cannot be edited by regular users.
Data Quality Conditional Run predefined or custom rules across the entire dataset to identify data issues (blank required fields, validation errors, custom logic violations). Used primarily during data cleaning.
API Conditional Generate or request an API token to allow external programs to interact with the project programmatically. Advanced feature requiring programming skills.
API Playground Conditional Explore and test available API methods with built-in documentation and code examples in multiple languages (PHP, Python, R, Java, etc.).
REDCap Mobile App Conditional Manage device connections for the REDCap Mobile App. Used for offline data collection by study staff in the field. See note below on Mobile App vs. MyCap.
Custom Links Conditional Links added by your local REDCap admin team pointing to institution-specific support resources (ticketing systems, training calendars, LMS portals, etc.). See RC-INST-01 — Institution-Specific Settings & Policies — Production for the specific links available at this installation.

Note: REDCap Mobile App vs. MyCap: These are two separate apps with different purposes. REDCap Mobile App is for study staff to collect data offline across multiple records and then sync. MyCap is for individual participants to enter their own data into a single record on their personal device.

3.5 Custom Reports & Project Dashboards (Dynamic Sections)

When a user creates custom reports or project dashboards, REDCap automatically adds new labeled sections to the left menu listing those reports or dashboards. These sections only appear if at least one report or dashboard has been created and the user has access to it.

  • Reports section: Lists all custom reports the user has access to. Reports can be organized into folders (defined by name, then reports are added to the folder) — useful for projects with large numbers of reports.

  • Project Dashboards section: Lists all dashboards accessible to the user.

3.6 External Modules

External modules are community-developed add-ons that extend REDCap's functionality. They must be downloaded and enabled by your local REDCap admin team. This menu section only appears if at least one module is active in the project and has a dedicated page. For the list of modules available at this installation and the local policy on enabling them, see **RC-INST-01 — Institution-Specific Settings & Policies — Production

  • Click Manage in the External Modules section header to see available modules and enable/disable them (depending on your permissions and local policy).

  • View Logs is available for module developers and troubleshooting --- not typically needed by end users.

⚠ Warning: External modules are reviewed by Vanderbilt at submission time, but that is not an ongoing guarantee of functionality or continued support. All modules are built by volunteers. Use at your own risk and consult your REDCap admin before enabling unfamiliar modules.

3.7 Help & Information

Support and documentation resources. Always visible to all users.

Menu Item Visibility What it does
Help & FAQ Always Links to the Help & FAQ section on the REDCap home page. Good first stop for common questions.
Video Tutorials Always Links to Vanderbilt's official REDCap training videos. These are generic and do not reflect institution-specific configurations.
Suggest a New Feature Always Submits a feature idea to the Vanderbilt REDCap development team. Not a support channel — no direct response is given. Suggestions may influence the development roadmap over time.
Contact REDCap Administrator Always Connects to your institution's support team. Includes project metadata automatically so the support team knows which project you are asking about. This is the correct channel for immediate assistance.

4. Common Questions

Q: Why is a menu item not visible for a specific user? Two conditions must both be true for a menu item to appear: the user's rights for this project must include the relevant permission, and the feature must be enabled in Project Setup. Check both before concluding something is missing or broken.

Q: Why does the same user see a different menu in different projects? User rights are set per project, not globally. A user may have full rights in one project and read-only access in another, resulting in different visible menus.

Q: What is the difference between "Custom Links" and "Project Bookmarks"? Custom Links are added by the local REDCap administrator and point to institution-wide resources (support portals, training calendars, etc.). Project Bookmarks are added by a project manager within a specific project and point to project-relevant resources. Both appear in the left menu but are configured in different places. See RC-NAV-UI-03 — Project Bookmarks.

Q: Can I add items to the left menu? Project managers can add Project Bookmarks (custom links visible to project users) via the Project Bookmarks section. REDCap administrators can add Custom Links visible across all projects. End users cannot add items to the menu.

5. Common Mistakes & Gotchas

Using 'Suggest a New Feature' for support requests

  • What happens: User submits a support request through the feature suggestion tool and never receives a response. The Vanderbilt team does not reply to suggestions individually.

  • Prevention: For immediate help, always use Contact REDCap Administrator, which reaches your local support team and includes helpful project metadata.

Including PHI in a public Project Dashboard

  • What happens: A dashboard containing participant health information is made publicly accessible without login, creating a potential HIPAA/data privacy violation.

  • Prevention: Before making any dashboard public, audit every field and visualization for PHI. When in doubt, keep it private.

Relying on the Calendar app for survey scheduling

  • What happens: Users expect the Calendar to schedule survey sends or appointment reminders, but it does not — it is a display tool, not a scheduler.

  • Prevention: Use Automated Survey Invitations (in the Online Designer) or Alerts & Notifications to trigger time-based survey sends.

Downloading files from File Repository instead of the record

  • What happens: User looks in the File Repository for a file that was uploaded within a specific record and cannot find it there.

  • Prevention: Files uploaded in a record field (e.g., a file upload field in a form) are stored in the record, not the File Repository. Navigate to the record and the relevant instrument to access them. The File Repository holds project-level files and REDCap-generated outputs.

Enabling external modules without vetting them

  • What happens: An external module causes unexpected behavior or breaks when REDCap is updated, with no support pathway available.

  • Prevention: Check with your REDCap admin before enabling any module. Understand that modules are community-maintained and support is not guaranteed.