Everything your People shares (stories, songs, maps, calendars) lives in one project folder on your computer. PAC Manager tends that one project and updates the files in real time when new contributions are made. This article shows you how to open a project for the first time, what the Home screen shows once opened, and how the app retrieves it again on its own.
Open your project for the first time
When PAC Manager starts without a project, you see a welcome screen that says Welcome to PAC Manager with two buttons.
- Click Open a PAC project….
- A window titled Open PAC Manager project appears. Find the folder where your People's project lives and choose it.
- The screen briefly says Opening POCA instance… while everything loads. Then the Home screen appears with your People's name and seal.
If something goes wrong (for example, you picked a folder that is not a PAC project), a short message appears under the heading explaining what happened. Just click Open a PAC project… again and pick the right folder.
Starting fresh instead
If your People do not have a project yet, click Register a new PAC on the welcome screen. This takes you to the Register New PAC page, where you can name your People, choose a device type, and set up your first card. Once that is done, PAC Manager opens your new project the same way.
PAC Manager keeps one living record: the single home for all of your People's content. You do not juggle copies or versions. Every screen in the app works on this one project, and every card you deliver to a device comes from it.
What Home shows
Home is titled Our People. At the top you see your People's seal, its name, and its web address if one is set. To the right, the names of your Chief and Elders appear beside a circle of faces around the seal.
Below that is a preview board of eight tiles, one for each of the POCA apps: Amoxtli, Metztli, Tlato, Ollin, Cuilo, Teo, Pixli, and Tlalli. Each tile shows the newest piece of content in that app, with its title and a line like Added July 4, 2026. A blank tile (e.g. Nothing here yet) indicates no content has been added for that app so far.
Navigation
- Click the round button in the top-right corner. Before you sign in it says Sign in; afterward it shows your initials and any profile photo added.
- Signed out, the panel houses the Administrator Login. Enter your email and password and click Sign In.
- Signed in, the same panel becomes the instance menu. It lists every part of the app (Home, Apps, Culture Library, Card Index, Media & Devices, Publishing, Community Ads, and Register New PAC), along with a quick health summary under This PAC: the edition, how many cards and files you have, any issues, and when a card was last flashed.
The POCA mark in the top-left corner can return you to Home from any screen.
At the bottom right is a large Plus icon button. Click it (or press ⌘K) to open the one palette: search to make a new bundle, open any bundle already on the board, or jump to any screen.
In the bottom-left corner you may notice a quiet line of italic text. It tells you where the archive stands with your People, for example With the People when everything is out, or an invitation like On your try-out lane, waiting to be shared that takes you to Publishing. If a newer PAC Manager has been released, a second quiet line, A newer PAC Manager is ready, appears at the bottom center; clicking it opens the download in your browser.
Returning to the POCA instance
You only have to choose the project folder once, then PAC Manager retrieves the same instance each login.
- The next time you start the app, the screen says Opening POCA instance… and Home appears on its own.
- If the folder has moved or is on a drive that is not connected, the welcome screen appears instead. Reconnect the drive or click Open a PAC project… and point the app to the folder's new home.
Once Home is showing your People's name, seal, and board, you are ready to work. You'll be ready to add a story, tend the calendar, or deliver a card to a device.