How to Manage Client Groups

Client groups label each client with one category your agency defines, so you can filter, message, and bulk update clients by segment.

### Overview

A group is a single value stored on each client record. eCourtDate builds the list you choose from by combining the **Default Groups** setting with every group value already saved on your clients.

- **What it is:** One **Group** value on each client record, chosen from your agency's group list.
- **Why it matters:** Groups filter the **Clients** list, trigger and filter auto messages, fill in missing values on uploads, and narrow bulk actions.
- **Who uses it:** Agency administrators who maintain the group list, and staff who create and edit clients.
- **Expected outcome:** Every client carries a group you can filter and message by.

### Prerequisites

Before you manage client groups, make sure you have:

- A user account with the `update_settings` permission to edit the group list
- The `create_clients` permission to see the **Create Client** form and its **Fields** button
- The `update_clients` permission to change the group on a client
- The `update_upload_templates` or `update_portals` permission if you set a default group on an upload template or an enroll form
- A naming plan for your groups (for example by program, case type, or location)

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Build Your List of Groups

1. Go to **Admin** > **Settings** in the top navigation.
2. Enter "Groups" in the **Search Settings** field.
3. Enter your group names in the **Default Groups** field as a comma separated list.
4. Click **Save**.

**Default Groups** sits in the **Events** section of the settings page, so you can also click **Events** in the settings navigation instead of searching.

![Configure Default Groups Setting](https://assets.ecourtdate.com/images/articles/groups-settings.png)

#### Step 2: Show the Group Field on the Clients Page

1. Click **Clients** in the top navigation.
2. Click the **Fields** button at the top of the **Create Client** form.
3. Click **Client Group** in the dropdown.

The **Group** field now appears on the **Create Client** form and as a column in the results table. eCourtDate saves this choice to your preferences, so it changes only your own view.

![Add the Group Field in the Create Client Form](https://assets.ecourtdate.com/images/articles/groups-create-client.png)

#### Step 3: Assign a Group While Creating a Client

1. Click **Clients** in the top navigation.
2. Fill in the **Create Client** form.
3. Select a group in the **Group** field.
4. Click **Create**.

The **Group** field is a dropdown of the names in **Default Groups**. When **Default Groups** is empty, the field is a text box you can type into instead.

#### Step 4: Change the Group on an Existing Client

1. Click **Clients** in the top navigation.
2. Click **Edit** on the client you want to change.
3. Select a group in the **Group** field.

The client saves as soon as you select a group. This dropdown lists your **Default Groups** plus every group already used by a client. Select the blank option to clear the group.

![Assign a Client to a Group](https://assets.ecourtdate.com/images/articles/groups-edit-clients.png)

#### Step 5: Filter Clients by Group

1. Click **Clients** in the top navigation.
2. Click a group badge in the **Search Clients** form.
3. Click more badges to include more groups.
4. Click a highlighted badge again to remove that group from the filter.

Results refresh each time you click a badge, and the line above the badges counts how many groups you have selected.

![Search Clients in Group](https://assets.ecourtdate.com/images/articles/groups-search-clients.png)

#### Step 6: Set a Default Group for Uploads

1. Click **Uploads** in the top navigation.
2. Click the **Upload Templates** tab.
3. Click **Edit** on the template you want to change.
4. Select a group in the **Default Client Group** field under **Default Values**.
5. Click **Save**.

eCourtDate applies this group when the group field is not mapped, or when a group is not found for a row. To read the group from the file instead, enter your column header in the **Group** field under **Field Mapping**.

![Upload Template Default Group](https://assets.ecourtdate.com/images/articles/groups-upload-templates.png)

#### Step 7: Set a Group on a Self-Enroll Form

1. Go to **Admin** > **Portals** in the top navigation.
2. Click **Edit** on the portal you want to change.
3. Click the **Enroll** tab.
4. Select **Group** in the **Enroll Fields** field.
5. Enter a group name in the **Default Value** field of the **Edit Field Group** card.
6. Select **Hidden** to keep the field off the public form while the default value still applies.
7. Click **Save**.

Enter the default value before you select **Hidden**, because **Hidden** makes **Default Value** read only. Leave **Default Value** blank to let clients pick their own group. The public form then shows a dropdown of the names in **Default Groups**.

![Include a Group Field in the Enroll Form](https://assets.ecourtdate.com/images/articles/groups-portal.png)

#### Step 8: Archive or Trash the Clients in a Group

1. Click **Clients** in the top navigation.
2. Click the group badge you want in the **Search Clients** form.
3. Select the checkbox in the **SELECT** column for a client in the results.
4. Click **Select All** to add every client loaded in the list.
5. Click **Archive** or **Trash**.
6. Click **Confirm**.

**Select All** covers only the clients already loaded, so click **Load more** first if the list holds more.

### What to Expect

Group changes save right away. Selecting a group on the **Edit Client** form saves the client, and the **Create Client** form saves the group when you click **Create**. A name you add to **Default Groups** is available as soon as you click **Save** on the settings page. A group that exists only on client records can take up to 15 minutes to reach the badge list and the **Edit Client** dropdown, because eCourtDate caches the list of groups in use for 15 minutes. The badge list on the **Clients** page holds up to 100 groups.

### Best Practices

- Keep every group name in **Default Groups** so the **Create Client** form offers a dropdown instead of a free text box.
- Use short, consistent names, because filters and auto messages match the group value exactly.
- Set a **Default Client Group** on each upload template so rows with a missing or unmatched group still land in a known group.
- Pair a group with an auto message by selecting the **When a client group is** trigger, then choosing the group under **Enabled Trigger**.
- Filter by group before you run a bulk action so the action only touches that segment.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Can a client belong to more than one group?**

A: No. Each client record holds one group value, and selecting a new group replaces the old one.

**Q: Why do I see group names that are not in my Default Groups list?**

A: The group list combines **Default Groups** with the distinct values already saved on your clients, so a group that arrived through an upload, an enroll form, or the API appears too.

**Q: I added a group but it is not in the list yet. What should I do?**

A: A name you add to **Default Groups** appears as soon as you save the setting. Groups that exist only on client records are cached for 15 minutes, so wait and then refresh the **Clients** page.

**Q: How do I change the group on many clients at once?**

A: Create a bulk action with the type **Update Clients**, click the group badges to choose which clients it covers, then select the new group in the **Update Group** field.

**Q: How do I remove a group from a client?**

A: Click **Clients** in the top navigation, click **Edit** on the client, then select the blank option in the **Group** field.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The group field is missing from the **Create Client** form.

**Symptoms:** You see no **Group** field on the **Create Client** form and no group column in the results table.

**Solution:**

1. Click **Clients** in the top navigation.
2. Click the **Fields** button at the top of the **Create Client** form.
3. Click **Client Group** in the dropdown.

**Issue:** Clients created by an upload have no group.

**Symptoms:** Clients from a recent upload show a blank group in the results table.

**Solution:**

1. Click **Uploads** in the top navigation, then click the **Upload Templates** tab.
2. Click **Edit** on the template used for the upload.
3. Select a group in the **Default Client Group** field under **Default Values**.
4. Enter your file's group column header in the **Group** field under **Field Mapping** to read the group from each row.
5. Click **Save**, then upload the file again.

**Issue:** A group is missing from the badge list on the **Clients** page.

**Symptoms:** Clients carry the group, but no badge for it appears in the **Search Clients** form.

**Solution:**

1. Wait up to 15 minutes and refresh the page, because eCourtDate caches the list of groups in use.
2. Add the name to **Default Groups** in **Admin** > **Settings** so it always appears.

### Related Articles

- [How to Manage Clients](/how-to-manage-clients)
- [How to Update Clients via Bulk Actions](/how-to-update-clients-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to create upload templates](/how-to-create-upload-templates)
- [How to Setup a Self-Enroll Form](/how-to-setup-a-self-enroll-form)
- [How to Create an Auto Message](/how-to-create-an-auto-message)