1. Start Martus



2. Select a language from the dropdown in the Martus SignIn dialog box. Select “Want to create a new Martus account?” and the Martus Setup Wizard will walk you through account creation:



By clicking the application we arrive at the sign in screen. Here we can choose a language. To open a new account we will click the link. The Wizard walks users through setting up an account in 6 steps:

1. Create an Account
• The password is the most important security feature of Martus set by the user. A strong password is long, unique, and something you can remember but others won’t be able to guess. See Creating strong passwords.
• Enter a unique user name. You can use capital letters, spaces, numbers and symbols. You will need to enter it exactly as it was written each time.
• Enter Author and Organization information for yourself. These are default values that appear on each record. By entering them here you do not have to write them each time you create a new record. You can always change the default or edit the information that appears on individual records.
2. Preferences
• Remember Tor is good to remain anonymous online but could mean slower connections and a red flag to watchers. You should use it only if you have identified it as a need.
• Choose how you’d like to see the date displayed.
• Indicate if you need to ensure records are NEVER deleted from the server. This is mainly for those that will share an account or think it is possible an attacker could enter their account. If this doesn’t apply to you, please do not select this option.
3. Server Preferences
• The “default” server is in Ireland, with backup/mirror to Brazil. (Reminder that all data is encrypted such that server operators/Benetech/hackers cannot read.)
• Or you can use another server set-up. For more information on how this works see Administering your own Martus Server
• Remember that backup can also happen without internet on external drives, if done regularly and off-site, by dragging and dropping .mba files (exported encrypted Martus records) in and out or by backing up your entire Martus directory. (Contacts still must be configured in order to read exported encrypted records). For more details on using Martus with limited internet access and/or low bandwidth see Using Martus without internet/limited access.
4. Contact Configuration

This step can be skipped and completed from the open account. For detailed instructions see Sharing and Managing your Contacts. To add contacts in the Wizard:

• The Access Token is like an email address, it needs to be gotten from your contact first and allows you to share with them
• Locate your own Access Token by clicking on the link at the bottom of the text box on the right.
• Enter your contact’s Access Token in the field and select the “Add Contact” button
• The verification window that pops up will help you to ensure you contact is, in fact, the Martus user you would like to be able to share your records with. You will want to verify in person or over the phone that their public code matches the number in the varication window. This way you are sure the contact you are adding is not someone pretending to be your contact or a user with a similar Access Code to your contact that you have mistakenly entered.
• Name the as you would like them to appear in your address book. This may not be their real name for security reasons and can be a different name than they use in Martus.
5. Import forms
• You might want to start with generic forms. A drop down menu will appear to the right
• You can create your own customized forms with the online Form Builder or Benetech can help you create customized forms. If you already have your form, you can load it in Martus here. You can also do this from the dropdown menus in the main workspace.
6. Key Backup
• A Martus account is secured with Username, password and key. The key is a file containing a unique key to your account that unlocks (i.e. deciphers and unencrypts) your data. An encryption key is really difficult and resource-heavy to crack.
• Benetech cannot recover your account so making sure you can access your data is up to the user.
• What's the first thing you do when you move into a new home? You make a copy of your key and you put it somewhere safe, not inside your new home.
• Your key is a .dat file that lives on your computer in your Martus directory and is what lets you into your account; it is associated with your specific username/password pair.
• You can create a backup key that doesn’t depend on your password from the main Martus workspace.

Note: Key backup is extremely important. See Backing up your Key for more details.

Your account is now complete. For orientation to the main workspace see Getting to know the Martus Workspace or the Quickstart Guide.

The next time you open Martus, input your username and password in the Martus Sign In dialog box to access your account.

The Main Taskbar

• Create a record with the click of a button!
• Toggle your Server connection On and Off:
• Turn embedded Tor use On and Off:
• Perform a simple text Search across all of your records.
• Select Help for information about your Martus version and a link to the Martus documentation.

The Record List Pane

• Sort your records by multiple fields:
• On Server (indicates whether or not the record has been saved to your configured server)
• Author
• Verified (indicates whether the record was created by a contact that you have verified)
• Title
• Date Saved
• View and Edit records at your convenience.
• Delete , Export Move and Copy records.

The Sidebar

• Customize and organize your Cases (which function like folders) with the Label Manager and the Add and Delete options.
• Manage deleted records in the Trash .
• Use the Template Manager to upload, download, and edit customized form templates.
• Upload and download records using the Sync Manager .
• Import Records into Martus from your local device.

Drop Down Menus

• Settings allows you to adjust Server Settings, System Preferences, and Tor.
• Account contains options
• Analysis contains options for Reports, Graphs and Advanced Search.