> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.mathership.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Open Orders
> View and manage orders that still require vendor attention
# Open Orders
Open orders are orders that have been placed by customers and still require attention from the vendor.
They help vendors quickly see which orders are not yet completed, archived, or otherwise closed.
## What are open orders?
An open order is an order that is still active in the vendor workflow.
This usually means the order has been received but has not yet been fully processed.
Open orders can help vendors answer questions such as:
* Which orders still need to be reviewed?
* Which customers have recently placed orders?
* How many orders are currently active?
* Which orders still need a status update?
## Where open orders are used
Open orders are typically used in the vendor dashboard or order overview.
Mathership can show:
* The latest open orders
* The total number of open orders
* Basic order information
* Order status information
## Latest open orders
Mathership can return the latest open orders for a vendor company.
This is useful for dashboards where vendors need a quick overview of recent activity.
The open orders overview can include the last open orders, for example the latest 10 open orders.
## Open order count
In addition to the latest open orders, Mathership can also return a count of all open orders.
This count helps vendors understand their current workload.
| Value | Meaning |
| ------------------ | ----------------------------------------- |
| Latest open orders | Recent open orders shown in the dashboard |
| Open order count | Total number of currently open orders |
## Vendor access
Open orders are shown for a specific vendor company.
Only the authenticated vendor user who owns the vendor company should be able to access the open order overview.
Vendors can only access open orders for their own vendor company.
## Order status
Orders can have different statuses during their lifecycle.
The exact status values depend on the order status configuration in Mathership.
A vendor can update the status of an order when the order moves through the processing workflow.
Typical examples may include:
| Status type | Meaning |
| ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| Open | Order still needs processing |
| In progress | Vendor is working on the order |
| Completed | Order has been processed |
| Archived | Order is no longer part of the active order overview |
The exact order statuses depend on the configured order status choices in the application.
## Updating an order status
Vendors can update the status of an order if the order belongs to their vendor company.
When a vendor updates an order status, Mathership checks that:
* The user is a vendor
* The order exists
* The order belongs to the vendor company
* The new status is valid
If the status is invalid, Mathership rejects the update.
## Open orders and archived orders
Archived orders should usually not appear in active order overviews.
This helps keep the open order list focused on work that still needs attention.
## Difference from order history
Open orders are not the same as order history.
| Area | Purpose |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| Open Orders | Shows orders that still need attention |
| Order History | Shows past and current orders in a broader list |
| Order Details | Shows the full information for one specific order |
## Example: Vendor dashboard
A vendor opens the dashboard.
Mathership can show:
| Field | Example |
| ------------------ | ------------------- |
| Open order count | 7 |
| Latest open orders | Last 10 open orders |
| Vendor company | Fresh Food Supplier |
This helps the vendor quickly see how many orders still need to be handled.
## Example: Status update
A vendor receives a new order and starts processing it.
| Step | Action |
| ---- | ----------------------------------------- |
| 1 | Customer places an order |
| 2 | Order appears as open |
| 3 | Vendor reviews the order |
| 4 | Vendor updates the order status |
| 5 | Order eventually leaves the open workflow |
## Best practices
### Review open orders regularly
Vendors should check open orders frequently to avoid missing customer requests.
### Keep statuses up to date
Order statuses should be updated when work progresses.
This keeps the dashboard useful for the whole team.
### Archive completed orders
Orders that no longer require action should be completed or archived, depending on the workflow.
### Use open order count as a workload indicator
The open order count is useful for quickly seeing whether the vendor team has pending work.
## Common problems
### Open order count looks too high
Check whether old orders were completed or archived correctly.
### An order is missing from open orders
Check whether the order was already completed, archived, deleted, or filtered out.
### Vendor cannot see open orders
Check that:
* The user is logged in
* The user is a vendor
* The vendor company ID is correct
* The vendor user owns the company
* The order belongs to that vendor company
### Status update fails
Check that:
* The user is a vendor
* The order belongs to the vendor
* The submitted status is valid
* The order has not been deleted or made inaccessible
## Related pages
View the full details of a specific order.
Review previous and current customer orders.
Learn how vendors receive order notification emails.
Understand order email attachments.