How to create availability templates

Availability templates let your clients self-schedule an event through one of your web portals, using the event settings, scheduling limits, and enabled days you define.

### Overview

An availability template is a bookable event definition tied to a **Portal** and, optionally, a **Location**. You set how long the event lasts, how often start times repeat, how much notice you require, how many events you accept per day, how far ahead clients can book, and which days of the week are open. eCourtDate turns those rules into bookable slots and exposes them on the portal scheduling link.

- **What it does:** Defines a self-schedulable event (duration, start time increments, notice, daily and future limits, buffers, and enabled days) that clients book through a portal.
- **Why it matters:** Your agency controls the shape of every booking instead of handling scheduling requests by phone or email.
- **Who uses it:** Staff with access to **Admin** > **Automations**.
- **Expected outcome:** A saved availability template with a portal scheduling link you can share.

### Prerequisites

Before creating an availability template, make sure you have:

- Access to **Admin** > **Automations** in the top navigation
- At least one portal, because **Portal** is required on the **Edit Availability** form
- A location, if you want bookings tied to a specific place
- An auto message, if you want to send a **Confirmation Message** after a booking

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Open Availability Templates

1. Click **Admin** in the top navigation.
2. Select **Automations** from the dropdown.
3. Click the **Availability Templates** tab, or click the **Availability Templates** card on the **Automation & AI Tools** page.

#### Step 2: Create the template

1. Enter a name in the **Name** field of the **Create Availability Template** card.
2. Select a portal from the **Portal** dropdown.
3. Select a place from the **Location** dropdown, if the event happens somewhere specific.
4. Click **Create**.

eCourtDate saves the record and opens it on the **Edit Availability** page.

#### Step 3: Describe the event

1. Confirm the name in the **Event Name** field, which is required.
2. Confirm or change the **Portal** selection, which is also required.
3. Confirm or change the **Location** selection.
4. Check **Virtual** if the event happens online rather than in person.
5. Enter a value in the **Event Type** field to label the events this template creates.
6. Enter a value in the **Event Status** field to set the status those events start in.
7. Enter a description in the **Description** field.

#### Step 4: Set the scheduling rules

1. Enter the length of the event in minutes in the **Event Duration** field.
2. Enter how often start times repeat, in minutes, in the **Start Time Increments** field.
3. Enter how many hours of advance notice you require in the **Minimum Notice** field.
4. Enter a cap in the **Max Daily Events** field.
5. Enter how many days ahead clients can book in the **Max Days Ahead** field.
6. Enter minutes of protected time in the **Buffer Before Event** field.
7. Enter minutes of protected time in the **Buffer After Event** field.

#### Step 5: Choose the enabled days

1. Check each day you accept bookings under **Enabled Days**: **Sun**, **Mon**, **Tue**, **Wed**, **Thu**, **Fri**, and **Sat**.
2. Leave a day unchecked to close it to bookings.

#### Step 6: Add notifications

1. Enter a URL in the **Notify Webhook** field to notify an outside system such as Teams, Slack, or a Kiosk.
2. Select a message from the **Confirmation Message** dropdown to confirm the booking with the client.
3. Click **Save**.

#### Step 7: Configure the booking fields

1. Review the **Fields** card, which shows how many of the available fields are enabled.
2. Click a button under **Available Fields** to add a field. The choices are events.case_number, events.event_reference, events.judge_name, clients.client_reference, and clients.group.
3. Edit the text box next to a field to rename it.
4. Drag a field up or down the list to reorder it. Reordering saves the template right away.
5. Click the trash button next to a field to remove it.
6. Click **Save** to keep the fields you added, renamed, or removed.

#### Step 8: Share the scheduling link

1. Click **Portal Link** in the top right of the **Edit Availability** page.
2. Copy the link that opens in the new tab. It is your portal address followed by /schedule and the template reference.
3. Share the link with your clients or add it to your portal content.

### What to Expect

Clicking **Save** shows an "Availability updated" confirmation and refreshes the upcoming availability list on the right side of the **Edit Availability** page, which previews the bookable slots for the next month. The **Portal Link** button appears only after you save the template with a portal that has a **Portal Link** value, then reload the page. Every change is recorded in the **Audit Logs** card below the form. Changes apply as soon as you save, so a link you have already shared reflects the new rules the next time a client opens it.

### Best Practices

- Set **Start Time Increments** to match or divide evenly into **Event Duration** so slots line up cleanly.
- Use **Minimum Notice** to protect your staff from same hour bookings, and **Max Days Ahead** to keep the calendar from filling months out.
- Add buffer minutes with **Buffer Before Event** and **Buffer After Event** rather than padding **Event Duration**, so the event length stays accurate.
- Create a separate template for each **Location** or **Event Type** instead of one template that tries to cover everything.
- Check the upcoming availability list after saving to confirm the slots look the way you expect before sharing the link.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Does an availability template set my agency's open and close times?**

A: No. The form has no open and close time fields. You control availability with the **Enabled Days** checkboxes plus **Event Duration**, **Start Time Increments**, **Minimum Notice**, **Max Daily Events**, **Max Days Ahead**, and the two buffer fields.

**Q: Is a portal required?**

A: Yes. **Portal** is required on the **Edit Availability** form, and the **Portal Link** button builds the client scheduling address from the portal you select.

**Q: What is the difference between Minimum Notice and Buffer Before Event?**

A: **Minimum Notice** is set in hours and controls how far in advance a client must book. **Buffer Before Event** is set in minutes and holds time immediately before each booked event.

**Q: Can I create more than one availability template?**

A: Yes. Create as many as you need, each with its own **Portal**, **Location**, and rules. The list page lets you filter them by **Portal** and **Location**.

**Q: How do I take a template out of service?**

A: Open it, click **Tools**, then click **Archive** or **Trash**. Find it again by checking **Archived** or **Trashed** in the **Search Availability Templates** card.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The **Portal Link** button does not appear.

**Symptoms:** The top right of the **Edit Availability** page shows **Save**, **PDF**, **Tools**, and **Close**, but no **Portal Link**.

**Solution:**

1. Select a portal in the **Portal** dropdown and click **Save**.
2. Confirm the portal has a **Portal Link** value, since the button is built from the portal address.
3. Reload the page.

**Issue:** The **Save** button is missing.

**Symptoms:** A banner reads "Availability was archived on" or "Availability was trashed on" at the top of the page.

**Solution:**

1. Click **Tools**.
2. Click **Restore**.
3. Edit and save the template as usual.

**Issue:** No upcoming slots are listed.

**Symptoms:** The list on the right side of the **Edit Availability** page is empty after saving.

**Solution:**

1. Confirm at least one day is checked under **Enabled Days**.
2. Confirm **Event Duration** and **Start Time Increments** both have values.
3. Lower **Minimum Notice** or raise **Max Days Ahead**, since the preview only covers the next month.
4. Click **Save** to regenerate the list.

**Issue:** A template is missing from the list page.

**Symptoms:** The page shows "No Availability Templates found." or the template you expect is not listed.

**Solution:**

1. Clear the **Portal** and **Location** filters in the **Search Availability Templates** card.
2. Clear the **General Search** field.
3. Check **Archived** or **Trashed** to see records that were removed from the default view.
4. Click **Search**.

> **Important:** If you continue to experience issues after following these troubleshooting steps, sign in to eCourtDate and create a ticket by clicking the ticket button in the bottom right corner of the screen.

### Related Articles

- [Automations overview](/automations-overview)
- [How to manage automations](/how-to-manage-automations)
- [How to Create Web Portals](/how-to-create-web-portals)
- [How to Create Locations](/how-to-create-locations)
- [How to Create an Auto Message](/how-to-create-an-auto-message)
- [How to Create a Virtual Event](/how-to-create-a-virtual-event)