Create custom status values that match your agency's unique workflows, then use those statuses to filter records, trigger notifications, and drive automated processes across events, cases, and clients.

### Overview

Statuses in eCourtDate represent the current state of a record, whether it is a client, case, event, or payment. While the platform includes default statuses, most government agencies need values that reflect their specific terminology and workflow stages. Custom statuses let you define exactly what each stage means for your agency, from "Arraignment Scheduled" to "Warrant Issued" to "Supervision Complete." Once defined, statuses become available throughout the platform for filtering, reporting, workflow automation, and notification triggers.

- **What it does:** Lets you create, name, and organize status values for clients, cases, contacts, events, payments, warrants, and citations.
- **Why it matters:** Aligns the platform with your agency's actual workflow stages, improving data accuracy and enabling precise filtering and automation.
- **Who should use it:** Agency administrators, IT staff, and supervisors responsible for configuring the platform to match operational requirements.
- **Expected outcome:** A complete set of status values that your staff can apply to records, with those statuses driving notifications, reports, and workflows.

### Prerequisites

Before defining custom statuses, make sure you have:

- An active eCourtDate staging or production agency account
- Super Admin role or **General Settings** update permissions
- A documented list of the status values your agency needs for each record type (clients, cases, contacts, events, payments, warrants, citations)
- An understanding of which statuses should trigger notifications or workflow actions
- Access to **Admin** > **Settings** in the top navigation bar

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Navigate to Statuses

1. Click **Admin** in the top navigation bar.
2. Select **Settings** from the dropdown menu.
3. Click the **Statuses** tab on the settings page.
4. Review the list of existing statuses. Each status displays its name, record type, and current configuration.

#### Step 2: Create a New Status

1. Locate the **Create Status** form on the left side of the page.
2. Enter a descriptive name in the **Name** field (for example, "Warrant Issued" or "Supervision Active").
3. Select the **Type** to specify which record type this status applies to. Available types include:
   - **Client** for tracking client enrollment or participation stages
   - **Case** for indicating case progression
   - **Contact** for managing contact reachability and communication states
   - **Event** for representing hearing or appointment states
   - **Payment** for tracking payment obligation stages
   - **Warrant** for tracking warrant lifecycle stages
   - **Citation** for tracking citation processing stages
4. (Optional) Enter a **Reference** value if your case management system uses an internal code for this status.
5. (Optional) Add a **Description** to explain when this status should be used.
6. Click **Create** to save the new status.

#### Step 3: Configure Status Settings

1. After creating a status, click **Edit** next to it in the statuses list.
2. Review the following configuration options:
   - **Color:** Assign a color to help staff visually identify this status in lists and tables.
   - **Sort Order:** Set the display order relative to other statuses of the same type.
   - **Active:** Toggle whether this status is available for selection on records. Deactivating a status hides it from dropdown menus without deleting existing assignments.
3. Click **Save** to apply your changes.

#### Step 4: Apply Statuses to Records

Once created, your custom statuses appear in the status dropdown on the relevant record type:

1. To set a client status, navigate to **Clients**, click **Edit** next to a client, and select the desired value from the **Status** dropdown.
2. To set an event status, navigate to **Events**, click **Edit** next to an event, and select the value from the **Event Status** dropdown.
3. To set a case status, navigate to **Cases**, click **Edit** next to a case, and select the value from the **Case Status** dropdown.
4. Click **Save** after selecting the status.

You can also set statuses in bulk:

1. Click **Bulk Actions** in the top navigation bar.
2. Select **Update Status** as the action type.
3. Choose the new status value, filter for the target records, and click **Live Run**.

#### Step 5: Use Statuses in Filters and Reports

1. On any record list page (**Clients**, **Events**, **Cases**, **Payments**), use the **Search** form on the left side.
2. Select a status from the status filter dropdown to narrow results to records with that specific status.
3. Click **Search** to apply the filter.
4. Navigate to **Reports** to create reports filtered by status. Status-based reports help you track caseload distribution, pending hearings, or outstanding payments.

#### Step 6: Trigger Notifications Based on Status Changes

1. Navigate to **Admin** > **Settings** and locate the notification or workflow configuration for the relevant record type.
2. Configure rules that fire when a record's status changes to a specific value.
3. For example, set up an auto message to notify a client when their event status changes to "Rescheduled" or alert a supervisor when a case status changes to "Warrant Issued."
4. Save your notification rules.

### What to Expect

After creating custom statuses, they immediately appear in the corresponding dropdown menus across the platform. Staff members can assign these statuses to records, and the statuses become available in search filters, reports, and bulk actions. If you configure notification triggers based on status changes, those notifications fire automatically when a record's status is updated. Changes to status names or settings take effect immediately for all users in your agency.

### Best Practices

- **Standardize names across your agency.** Agree on consistent status names before creating them in the platform. Avoid duplicates like "Complete," "Completed," and "Done" for the same concept.
- **Start with essential statuses.** Begin with the statuses your agency uses most frequently and add more as workflows mature. Too many statuses from the start can overwhelm staff.
- **Use the Reference field for integration.** If your agency imports data from an external case management system, set the **Reference** value to match the status codes used in that system for accurate mapping during uploads.
- **Deactivate instead of deleting.** When a status is no longer needed, deactivate it rather than deleting it. This preserves historical records that use that status while hiding it from new selections.
- **Document your status workflow.** Maintain a simple chart showing the expected progression of statuses (for example, "Scheduled" to "Checked In" to "Completed") so staff apply statuses consistently.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Can I rename an existing status without losing data?**
A: Yes. Editing a status name updates it everywhere it is used. All records previously assigned that status automatically reflect the new name.

**Q: Can a record have more than one status at a time?**
A: No. Each record has a single status value at any given time. To track multiple dimensions, consider using separate status types or custom fields.

**Q: How do statuses interact with uploads?**
A: When processing an upload, eCourtDate matches status values from your file to existing statuses by name or reference. If you enable **Auto Create Statuses** in the upload template's post-processing settings, new statuses are created automatically from values found in the file.

**Q: Can I restrict which users can change a record's status?**
A: Status changes follow the standard update permissions for each record type. If a user has the **Update Events** permission, they can change event statuses. Use roles and permissions to control who can modify records.

**Q: What happens if I deactivate a status that is currently assigned to records?**
A: Existing records retain the deactivated status, but it no longer appears as an option in dropdown menus for new assignments. You can reactivate it at any time to make it available again.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** A custom status does not appear in the dropdown when editing a record.
**Symptoms:** You created a status, but it is not listed in the status dropdown on the client, event, case, or payment edit form.
**Solution:**

1. Navigate to **Admin** > **Settings** > **Statuses** and locate the status.
2. Click **Edit** and verify that the **Active** toggle is enabled.
3. Confirm that the **Type** matches the record type you are editing (for example, an event status only appears on event records).
4. Refresh the page and try again. If the status still does not appear, clear your browser cache.

**Issue:** Uploaded data creates duplicate or unexpected statuses.
**Symptoms:** After processing an upload, new statuses appear in the statuses list that do not match your agency's naming conventions.
**Solution:**

1. Navigate to **Admin** > **Settings** > **Statuses** and review the newly created statuses.
2. If **Auto Create Statuses** is enabled in the upload template, status values from the file are created automatically.
3. Edit or merge any duplicate statuses to match your standard naming.
4. To prevent auto-creation in the future, disable **Auto Create Statuses** in the upload template's post-processing settings and ensure your file uses status values that already exist in the platform.

### Related Articles

- [How to Manage Events](/how-to-manage-events)
- [How to Manage Cases](/how-to-manage-cases)
- [How to Manage Clients](/how-to-manage-clients)