---
title: "User Interface and General Functions in VAT"
description: "This page describes the structure of the VAT user interface and the general functions that work identically in all or most workspaces."
source_url: https://support.lucanet.com/en/documentation/income-taxes/vat/user-interface-general-functions
language: en
last_updated: 2026-09-28
---
# User Interface and General Functions in Lucanet VAT
## Overview of the User Interface and the General Functions in VAT
On this page, you will find information about the structure of the user interface in **Lucanet VAT** (Value Added Tax) and about the general functions that work the same way in all or most workspaces – for example, exporting, searching, and sorting tables. The pages of the individual workspaces only describe the functions that exist exclusively there.
## Structure of the User Interface in VAT
The user interface of VAT has the same structure in all workspaces and is displayed as follows, for example:
User interface of VAT using the example of the 'Tax code form' workspace
The following elements are available in the user interface of VAT:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| **Header** | Contains the breadcrumb navigation on the left and three icons on the right:
- **Breadcrumb navigation**: Shows your current location within VAT. Click the house icon to open the start page. Use the drop-down lists to change the reporting country, the period, and the company that all workspaces refer to. The kind of period – preliminary return, annual return, or special prepayment – together with the company type determines which workspaces and steps are available.
- **Gear icon**: Opens the overview of the settings, for example the **Interface configuration** and the **Connection parameter**. Some pages of this documentation refer to these settings when a function requires a specific configuration.
- **Bell icon**: Opens the notifications side panel on the right edge. There you track the creation of reports: you cancel running reports via the X icon, download finished reports via the file name, or delete them via the trash can icon (see [Creating and Downloading Reports](https://support.lucanet.com/en/documentation/income-taxes/vat/value-added-tax/create-download-reports.md)).
- **User icon**: Opens a side panel with your user information. There you open the **My profile** workspace with your personal data, security settings, and system settings, open the **User manual** and the **Release notes**, see the version of the application and the database, and log out of VAT via **Logout**. |
| **Overview** | Lets you switch between the workspaces of the individual functional areas on the left edge, for example **Value Added Tax** or **Master data**. Which workspaces the overview displays depends on the chosen company, the kind of period, and your permissions. |
| **Detail view** | Displays the contents of the opened workspace, usually as a table. The buttons of the workspace and the context menu of the three-dot icon (⋮) with additional functions are located in the top right corner (see section [Functions in the Context Menu of the Three-Dot Icon](#functions-in-the-context-menu-of-the-threedot-icon-in-vat)). General functions such as searching, sorting, and page navigation are available for tables (see section [Functions in Tables](#functions-in-the-tables-of-vat)). |
## Functions in the Context Menu of the Three-Dot Icon in VAT
The buttons of a workspace depend on the workspace and are described on the respective page. The context menu of the three-dot icon (⋮) in the top right corner contains additional functions of the workspace. The following functions are available in all workspaces of VAT that contain a table:
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
| Export table (Excel) | Exports the displayed table as an Excel file. |
| Export table (PDF) | Exports the displayed table as a PDF file. |
| Expand all/Collapse all | Expands or collapses all levels in hierarchical tables, for example in the month overview and the year overview. |
## Functions in the Tables of VAT
The following functions are available in the tables of the VAT workspaces:
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
| Search | Filters the table via the **Search** field above the table, for example by company name or number. |
| Sort | Sorts the table in ascending or descending order when you click a column heading. An arrow icon in the column heading shows the current sort order. |
| Column menu | Opens the following options via the menu icon in the column heading:
- **Sort ascending**: Sorts the table by this column in ascending order.
- **Sort descending**: Sorts the table by this column in descending order.
- **Filter**: Filters the table by a value in this column.
- **Columns**: Expands the list of available columns. Activate or deactivate the check boxes to show or hide columns, and confirm with **Save**. Click **Reset** to restore the default columns. |
| Page navigation | Displays large tables page by page. Use the navigation elements below the table to switch between pages and to adjust the number of records per page. |