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Overview

The Admin Notification System allows administrators to broadcast important messages, announcements, and updates to all users across the platform. Notifications appear in a popup at the bottom-right corner of the user interface.

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Database Schema

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admin_notifications Table

Notifications are stored in the admin_notifications table: 
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS public.admin_notifications (
  id uuid PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
  title text NOT NULL,
  message text NOT NULL,
  enabled boolean DEFAULT false,
  created_at timestamp with time zone DEFAULT now(),
  created_by text,
  expires_at timestamp with time zone
);
Field Descriptions:
FieldTypeDescription
idUUIDPrimary key, auto-generated
titleTEXTNotification title (required)
messageTEXTNotification message body (required)
enabledBOOLEANWhether notification is active (default: false)
created_atTIMESTAMPWhen notification was created
created_byTEXTAdmin identifier who created it
expires_atTIMESTAMPOptional expiration date

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Row Level Security

The notifications table has RLS enabled with the following policies: 
-- Users can view enabled notifications
CREATE POLICY "Anyone can view enabled notifications" 
ON public.admin_notifications
FOR SELECT 
USING (enabled = true);

-- Admins can manage all notifications
CREATE POLICY "Admins can manage notifications" 
ON public.admin_notifications
FOR ALL 
USING (auth.uid() IN (SELECT id FROM public.admin_users));
Only notifications with enabled = true are visible to regular users. Admins can see all notifications regardless of status.

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Creating Notifications

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Admin Dashboard Interface

Access the notification manager from the Admin Dashboard → Notifications tab. Steps to create a notification:
  1. Navigate to the Notifications section
  2. Fill in the notification form:
    • Title: Short, descriptive heading
    • Message: Detailed announcement text
    • Expires At (optional): Set an expiration date/time
  3. Click “Create Notification”
  4. Toggle the notification to enable it

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Example Notification

{
  title: "Platform Maintenance",
  message: "Scheduled maintenance on March 15th from 2-4 AM EST. The platform will be temporarily unavailable.",
  enabled: true,
  expires_at: "2026-03-15T06:00:00Z"
}

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Managing Notifications

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Enable/Disable Notifications

Toggle notifications on or off without deleting them:
  • Enable: Makes the notification visible to all users
  • Disable: Hides the notification but keeps it in the database
Enabling a notification immediately broadcasts it to all active users. Ensure the message is accurate before enabling.

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Edit Notifications

Currently, notifications cannot be edited after creation. To modify:
  1. Disable the old notification
  2. Create a new notification with updated content
  3. Delete the old notification if no longer needed

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Delete Notifications

Permanently remove notifications by clicking the delete (trash) icon.
Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. Disabled notifications are preserved in the database for record-keeping.

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User-Facing Display

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Notification Popup Component

Notifications appear using the notification-popup.tsx component: Features:
  • Appears in bottom-right corner of the screen
  • Shows one active notification at a time
  • Auto-refreshes every 30 seconds to check for new notifications
  • Users can dismiss notifications
  • Respects expiration dates automatically
Display Logic: 
// Only shows notifications that are:
// 1. Enabled (enabled = true)
// 2. Not expired (expires_at is null OR expires_at > now())
// 3. Not previously dismissed by the user

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Auto-Refresh Behavior

The notification system polls for updates every 30 seconds: 
useEffect(() => {
  const interval = setInterval(() => {
    loadActiveNotifications()
  }, 30000) // 30 seconds
  
  return () => clearInterval(interval)
}, [])

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Integration Points

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Component Location

The notification popup is integrated into the main layout: 
// app/layout.tsx or similar
import { NotificationPopup } from '@/components/notification-popup'

export default function RootLayout({ children }) {
  return (
    <html>
      <body>
        {children}
        <NotificationPopup />
      </body>
    </html>
  )
}

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API Endpoints

Notifications are accessed via Supabase client queries: 
// Fetch active notifications (user view)
const { data } = await supabase
  .from('admin_notifications')
  .select('*')
  .eq('enabled', true)
  .or('expires_at.is.null,expires_at.gt.now()')
  .order('created_at', { ascending: false })

// Fetch all notifications (admin view)
const { data } = await supabase
  .from('admin_notifications')
  .select('*')
  .order('created_at', { ascending: false })

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Use Cases

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Platform Announcements

{
  title: "New Feature: AI Workspace",
  message: "Try our new AI-powered study workspace with real-time collaboration features!",
  enabled: true,
  expires_at: null // No expiration
}

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Maintenance Notices

{
  title: "Scheduled Maintenance",
  message: "Our servers will undergo maintenance tonight at 2 AM EST. Expect 30 minutes of downtime.",
  enabled: true,
  expires_at: "2026-03-08T07:00:00Z" // Expires after maintenance
}

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Promotional Messages

{
  title: "Weekend Special: 50% Bonus Credits",
  message: "This weekend only! Purchase credit packages and receive 50% bonus credits.",
  enabled: true,
  expires_at: "2026-03-10T23:59:59Z" // Expires end of weekend
}

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Critical Alerts

{
  title: "⚠️ Security Update Required",
  message: "Please update your password immediately. We detected unusual activity on some accounts.",
  enabled: true,
  expires_at: null
}

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Best Practices

Notification Guidelines:
  • Keep titles under 50 characters for optimal display
  • Limit messages to 2-3 sentences
  • Use clear, actionable language
  • Set expiration dates for time-sensitive announcements
  • Test notifications before enabling for all users
  • Don’t overuse - frequent notifications can annoy users

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Notification Frequency

Recommended notification frequency:
  • Critical alerts: Immediate
  • Feature announcements: 1-2 per week maximum
  • Maintenance notices: At least 24 hours in advance
  • Promotional messages: Sparingly, no more than weekly

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Content Guidelines

Do:
  • ✓ Be concise and clear
  • ✓ Include specific dates/times for events
  • ✓ Use emojis sparingly for emphasis
  • ✓ Provide actionable next steps
  • ✓ Set appropriate expiration dates
Don’t:
  • ✗ Use all caps (except acronyms)
  • ✗ Create multiple active notifications for the same topic
  • ✗ Leave expired notifications enabled
  • ✗ Use technical jargon users won’t understand
  • ✗ Make notifications too long

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Troubleshooting

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Notification Not Appearing

Check:
  1. Notification is enabled = true
  2. expires_at is null or in the future
  3. User hasn’t dismissed it recently
  4. RLS policies are correctly configured
  5. User is authenticated (if required)

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Notification Appearing Multiple Times

Ensure the popup component is only rendered once in your layout hierarchy.

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Auto-Refresh Not Working

Verify the 30-second interval is not being cleared prematurely: 
// Correct cleanup in useEffect
return () => clearInterval(interval)

Admin Dashboard

Return to admin dashboard overview

User Management

Learn about managing user accounts

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