---
last_review: "2026-05-07"
last_reviewer: "i.nueske"
documented_code: []
---

```{tags} tutorial, user, webinterface
```

# First Steps with the Web Interface

By the end of this tutorial you will have logged in to the LinkAhead demo instance, oriented
yourself in the interface, and opened a single entity to inspect its data and references.

:::{admonition} Learnings
:class: tip

* Navigate the LinkAhead web interface.
* Open and read an entity's properties and references.
:::

## Prerequisites

* Access to the [LinkAhead demo instance](https://demo.indiscale.com). No installation required.
* Familiarity with LinkAhead's data model (Records, RecordTypes, Properties) is helpful but not
  required -- see [Data Model and Schema](/tutorial/introduction/datamodel_and_schema.md)
  for background.

:::{note}
**Prefer to click over reading?** Select **Tour** in the 
[demo website](https://demo.indiscale.com)'s navigation bar to start the built-in interactive tour.
You can return to this tutorial at any time.
:::

## Log in

1. Open [demo.indiscale.com](https://demo.indiscale.com) in your browser.

2. Click the **Login** button in the top-right corner of the navigation bar.

   :::{figure} /.assets/images/tutorials/webinterface/first_steps/login.png
   :alt: The LinkAhead navigation bar with the Login button in the top-right corner.
   :::

3. Enter the demo credentials -- username: `admin`, password: `caosdb` -- and confirm.

   :::{figure} /.assets/images/tutorials/webinterface/first_steps/credentials.png
   :alt: The LinkAhead navigation bar with the credentials having been inserted.
   :::

   :::{note}
   Without logging in you can already browse some public entities. This tutorial assumes you are
   logged in to see the full interface.
   :::

## Get oriented

After logging in, the navigation bar shows the main sections of the interface:

:::{figure} /.assets/images/tutorials/webinterface/first_steps/nav_bar.png
:alt: The LinkAhead web interface after login, showing the navigation bar.
:::

* ① **Entities**: browse all entities in the database: Records, RecordTypes, Properties, and Files.
* ② **Query**: search and filter data using the query language, covered in the
  [Query tutorial](query_find.md).
* ③ **Tour**: starts the built-in interactive tour.
* The remaining entries (**Edit Mode**, **File System**, **Curator Tools**, **User Administration**,
  **Bookmarks**, **Map**, and others) cover editing, administration, and advanced features that are
  out of scope for this tutorial.

## Browse entities

1. Click **Entities** in the navigation bar and select **Records** from the dropdown.

   :::{figure} /.assets/images/tutorials/webinterface/first_steps/entity_menu.png
   :alt: The entity menu in the LinkAhead web interface, listing different entity types.
   :::

   A list of records is shown.
   By default, ten entities are shown per page. Use the **Next Page** and **Previous Page**
   buttons to navigate.

   :::{figure} /.assets/images/tutorials/webinterface/first_steps/record_list.png
   :alt: A list of Records in the LinkAhead web interface.
   :::

2. Explore the other entries in the **Entities** dropdown to see the different entity types
   available in this instance.

## Open a single entity

1. In the record list, click the name of any record to open a details view for that entity.

   :::{figure} /.assets/images/tutorials/webinterface/first_steps/record_details.png
   :alt: The detail view of a single LinkAhead record, showing its properties and values.
   :::

   The entity card shows:

    * The ① **RecordType** (for example, `Guitar`) and the ② **entity name** in the header.
    * Each ③ **property** as a row: the property name on the left, its value on the right.
    * ④ **Reference properties** (for example, `Manufacturer`) whose values are clickable links to
      the referenced entity -- click them to navigate directly to it.

2. To see which other entities reference this record, click the ⑤ **References** button. This
   leads to a list of all records that point to this entity.

## Next steps

You have navigated the web interface and inspected an entity. From here you can:

* **Create and edit entities** -- follow the [Edit Mode tutorial](edit_mode.md).
* **Search and filter data** -- follow the [Query tutorial](query_find.md).

For further information, read
the [WebUI Explanation pages](/explanation/webinterface/web_interface_overview.md).