About eCourtDate Regions

Every eCourtDate agency belongs to one region, and that region decides the web address you sign in to, which agencies you can switch between, and whether your outbound messages send for real.

### Overview

A region is a separate eCourtDate environment with its own web address, its own agencies, and its own data. Each agency record carries a region, and eCourtDate shows that region on a badge next to the agency name.

- **What it does:** Runs your agency in one named environment reached at that region's web address.
- **Why it matters:** Your sign in link, the agencies you can switch between, and your send mode all follow the region you are working in.
- **Who uses it:** Anyone who signs in to eCourtDate, and especially anyone who works in more than one agency.
- **Expected outcome:** You know which region you are in and how to reach an agency in another one.

#### Production regions

| Region | Link |
|--------|------|
| us-east | [https://us-east.ecourtdate.com](https://us-east.ecourtdate.com) |
| us-west | [https://us-west.ecourtdate.com](https://us-west.ecourtdate.com) |
| us-south | [https://us-south.ecourtdate.com](https://us-south.ecourtdate.com) |
| us-texas | [https://us-texas.ecourtdate.com](https://us-texas.ecourtdate.com) |

#### Staging region

| Region | Link |
|--------|------|
| staging | [https://staging.ecourtdate.com](https://staging.ecourtdate.com) |

There is also a main link at [https://app.ecourtdate.com](https://app.ecourtdate.com). Signing in there lists your agencies from every production region, and it leaves staging agencies out.

### Prerequisites

Before working across regions, make sure you have:

- An eCourtDate account with at least one active agency
- The link for the region your agency runs in, or access to the **Agencies** page to look it up
- Access to the **Users** page if you need to copy a custom identity provider sign in link

### How-To Steps

#### Check which region you are in

1. Click the agency name button in the top right of any page.
2. Click **View All Agencies**.
3. Read the region badge in the **Current Agency** card at the top of the page.

#### Open an agency in another region

1. Go to the **Agencies** page.
2. Find the card for the agency you want. Each card shows a region badge next to the agency name.
3. Click **Switch to Agency** when the card's region matches your current region.
4. Click the **Go to** button (labeled with the region name, such as **Go to us-west**) when the card's region is different. The button opens that region's link in a new tab.

#### Jump straight to another region

1. Click the globe button next to the agency name in the top right.
2. Select a region under the **Switch Region** heading. The link opens in a new tab.
3. Sign in on that region when prompted.

#### Sign in when your agency uses a custom identity provider

Custom identity provider sign in links are region specific, so the link for one region will not work on another.

1. Go to the **Users** page in an agency you can already reach.
2. Find the **Custom Identity Provider** card in the left column.
3. Click **Open Sign In Page**, or use the copy button to share the link.

If you cannot sign in at all, open `/lookup` on any region link (for example [https://app.ecourtdate.com/lookup](https://app.ecourtdate.com/lookup)) to reach the **Find your login** page, enter your **Work email address**, and click **Email me my login**.

### What to Expect

After you sign in, eCourtDate opens your **Dashboard** for the current agency in that region. Switching agencies inside a region reloads the page on the same address, while opening an agency in another region opens that region's address in a new tab and signs you in there.

On staging, the footer states that this is a staging environment and all outbound messages are simulated. Saving **Settings** on staging stores **Send Mode** as simulate, the **Live Mode** filter on the **Messages** page shows "Disabled in staging.", and auto messages report **Simulate Mode**. Outside staging, **Send Mode** in **Settings** decides whether outbound messages send live or simulate.

A few features also differ by region. In us-texas, the **Geolocations** page shows the notice "This feature is not available in the Texas region."

### Best Practices

- Bookmark the link for the region your agency runs in so you land in the right place every time.
- Check the region badge in the **Current Agency** card before you change settings, since agencies in different regions can share a name.
- Practice new configuration on a staging agency, where outbound sending is simulated for you.
- Click **Preview** on a flow to check the message content without sending anything.
- Share the link from the **Custom Identity Provider** card instead of creating accounts by hand, because an account is created the first time someone signs in through it.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Which regions can I open from inside eCourtDate?**

A: The **Switch Region** dropdown lists us-east, us-west, us-south, us-texas, staging, and the main app link. Each entry opens that region's address on ecourtdate.com.

**Q: Can one account reach agencies in more than one region?**

A: Yes. The **Agencies** page lists your agencies with a region badge, and any agency outside your current region gets a **Go to** button that opens that region's link.

**Q: Do outbound messages send on staging?**

A: No. Staging saves **Send Mode** as simulate, so outbound messages are simulated rather than delivered.

**Q: Why does the agency switcher not show every agency I have?**

A: The **Switch Agency** dropdown loads active agencies for the region you are on, and on the main app link it leaves staging agencies out. Use **View All Agencies** to see the full list.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** An agency you expect is missing from the agency switcher.

**Symptoms:** Searching in the **Switch Agency** dropdown returns nothing for an agency you know exists.

**Solution:**

1. Click **View All Agencies** to open the **Agencies** page, which lists agencies from other regions too.
2. Check the region badge on the agency card.
3. Click the **Go to** button on that card to open the agency's region.

**Issue:** Send Mode will not stay on send live.

**Symptoms:** You set **Send Mode** to send live in **Settings**, save, and it comes back as simulate.

**Solution:**

1. Check the region badge in the **Current Agency** card on the **Agencies** page.
2. Confirm you are not on staging, which stores simulate whenever you save **Settings**.
3. Repeat the change in your production region agency.

**Issue:** A custom identity provider sign in link does not work.

**Symptoms:** The link opens but the sign in fails, or you never reach the **Dashboard**.

**Solution:**

1. Confirm the link points at the same region as the agency, since each link includes its own region address.
2. Open the **Users** page in an agency you can reach and copy the current link from the **Custom Identity Provider** card.
3. Open `/lookup` on any region link and use **Email me my login** when nobody can sign in to copy the link.

If you still have trouble after these steps, sign in to eCourtDate, click the **?** help button in the bottom right corner, and select **New support ticket**.

### Related Articles

- [How to Switch Agencies](/how-to-switch-agencies)
- [Platform Architecture](/platform-architecture)
- [How to Copy Settings From One Agency to Another](/how-to-copy-settings-from-one-agency-to-another)
- [How to Manage Users](/how-to-manage-users)