Why features and menus can differ

#Common reasons

#Permission group

Owners, administrators, office staff, instructors, and clients have different default access. A studio can further customize access through Settings > Group Permissions.

A menu item being hidden does not prove that the data is missing. Ask an administrator to compare the user’s group and the permission required for that task.

#Studio mode

Child/family, adult, and combined modes affect how people are organized. In adult mode, Families can be absent while Students remains available.

#Studio settings

Many settings come from the studio’s own settings table. They can control navigation, required fields, registration rules, class/calendar details, private lessons, agreements, videos, files, messages, payments, and other behavior.

#Payment configuration

When the payment system is disabled, administration items such as Auto Payments, Scheduled Payments, On Hold Payments, Cards and ACH, and Vouchers can be hidden. Online Client checkout can still exist while online payment initiation is unavailable.

#External services

Some features require a separate service or valid configuration, including:

• card/ACH processors;
• SMTP, SMS, or delivery reporting;
• support ticket service;
• file/Drive storage;
• push notifications;
• scheduled jobs.

A page can be visible even when the external service is not ready to complete the action. Read the page’s status message and confirm configuration before relying on it.

#Record eligibility

Some items appear only for particular records. Examples include:

• instructor teaching/calendar tabs;
• payroll tabs for payroll-enabled staff;
• classes restricted by invitation, member category, prerequisite, age, capacity, or season;
• waivers or videos targeted to selected classes/categories;
• payment actions for accounts with an eligible method.

#Feature rollout

Some functions are introduced gradually or hidden until their end-to-end workflow is complete. The published manual should cover only the supported workflow and should label beta features clearly.

#Quick checks for staff

When a feature is missing or behaves differently:

1. Confirm the studio URL/slug and the signed-in account.
2. Confirm the person’s permission group.
3. Check whether the destination is available in the visible menu.
4. Review the relevant studio setting or integration status.
5. Check whether the current record is eligible for the feature.
6. Repeat the check with an administrator only to isolate permissions—not as the permanent workaround.
7. Record the tenant, role, URL, date, and exact message before contacting support.

#Documentation rule

Every manual procedure that depends on a setting, role, processor, integration, or record state should name that dependency in Before you begin. Screenshots should record the same context in the internal screenshot manifest.