How to manage waitlists

The **Waitlists** screen gives your front desk one place to watch the day's scheduled events and the check-ins arriving against them.

### Overview

- **What it is:** A read-only day-of view under **Events** that pairs an **Events** list with a **Check-ins** list, three counters at the top, and filters for date, status, location, and search text.
- **Why it matters:** Staff working a lobby need to know which events are still expected and which clients have already checked in, without opening each record.
- **Who uses it:** Front-desk and clerk staff who monitor arrivals, plus administrators who preset the screen for their teams.
- **Expected outcomes:** A live picture of arrivals at one location, with one click from any row to the event, the client, the check-in, or the portal check-in form.

The screen does not create waitlist records, reorder a queue, or send notifications. Clients join the public waitlist through your web portal, and check-ins are created there.

### Prerequisites

- A signed-in eCourtDate account with the **Waitlists** tab visible in your navigation
- At least one location saved in your agency, so the location picker has something to choose
- A web portal on the **ecase.io** domain if you want the **Open Portal**, **Portal**, and **Check In** buttons, which only appear when one exists
- Events scheduled for the date you are viewing

### How-To Steps

#### Open the screen

1. Click **Events** in the main navigation.
2. Click the **Waitlists** tab.

#### Scope the screen to a location

1. Click **Choose Location**.
2. Select a location name from the dropdown. Both lists reload for that location.
3. Click the **Close** button that names your location (for example, **Close Main Courthouse**) to drop the location filter.

#### Filter the events list

1. Set **Event Date** to the day you want to review. The screen uses the current date until you change it.
2. Select a value in **Status** to narrow the list to one event status, or leave it on **All**.
3. Enter text in **Search** to match events.
4. Click **Search** to apply your filters.

#### Sort each list

1. Click the sort dropdown in the **Events** card header. It is labeled with the current sort field, such as **Event Date**.
2. Select a field under **Sort by**.
3. Select an option under **Order**. The wording follows the field you picked, such as **Ascending (oldest first)** for a date or **Descending (Z to A)** for text.
4. Repeat both steps in the **Check-ins** card header, which carries its own sort dropdown.

#### Act on a row

1. Click **Event** on an event row to open that event record in a new tab.
2. Click **Portal** to open the event's public portal page in a new tab.
3. Click **Check In** to open the portal check-in form in a new tab, prefilled with the client name and location from the event.
4. Click **View Client** on an event row to open the linked client record in a new tab.
5. Click **View Check-in** on a check-in row to open that check-in record in a new tab.
6. Click **Load more** below the **Events** list to pull the next page of events.
7. Click **Open Portal** at the top of the screen to open your portal's public waitlist page.

#### Preset the screen for your agency

1. Go to **Admin** > **Settings**.
2. Select **Check-ins and Waitlists** in the settings navigation.
3. Set **Default Waitlist Location**, **Default Waitlist Event Status**, **Default Waitlist Event Sort**, **Default Waitlist Event Sort Direction**, **Default Waitlist Check-in Sort**, and **Default Waitlist Check-in Sort Direction** under **Waitlist Screen Defaults**.
4. Click **Save**.

### What to Expect

The three cards at the top read **EVENTS**, **CHECK-INS**, and **AVG. WAIT TIME**. **EVENTS** counts the events matching your current filters. **CHECK-INS** counts the check-ins created during the current day. **AVG. WAIT TIME** displays a fixed 15 min figure and does not recalculate from your check-in records.

The **Event Date**, **Status**, and **Search** filters apply to the **Events** list only. Your chosen location applies to both lists. The **Check-ins** list always covers the current day and holds up to 100 records.

New check-ins arrive on the screen without a refresh. When a check-in comes in for an event you are watching, the check-in appears in the **Check-ins** list and that event drops out of the **Events** list. Each check-in row shows how long ago it was created, the name submitted, and a status badge such as **Waiting**, **Ready**, **In Progress**, or **Checked Out**.

Your filters are written into the page address, so the browser URL reproduces the exact view you are looking at. A URL with its own filters overrides the agency defaults from **Settings**.

### Best Practices

- Set **Waitlist Screen Defaults** in **Admin** > **Settings** > **Check-ins and Waitlists** so your team opens the screen already scoped to the right location and status.
- Choose a location before you start if your agency runs more than one, so the counters and both lists describe the same building.
- Copy the browser URL once your filters are set and share it with the rest of the front desk instead of asking everyone to reset filters.
- Use **Check In** rather than typing a client into the portal form, since it carries the name and location over from the event.
- Leave the screen open at the desk during arrival hours, because check-ins post to it live.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Does the Event Date filter change the Check-ins list?**

A: No. **Event Date** filters the **Events** list and the **EVENTS** count. The **Check-ins** list and the **CHECK-INS** count always cover the current day.

**Q: Why are the Portal and Check In buttons missing from an event row?**

A: Those two buttons render only when your agency has a web portal on the **ecase.io** domain and the event has its own portal URL. Without both, that row's button group shows **Event** on its own.

**Q: Where do I turn on the public waitlist clients see?**

A: On the portal, not on this screen. Go to **Admin** > **Portals**, open the portal, select the **Checkin** tab, and check **Enable Waitlist**. **Hide Wait Time** and a **View Waitlists** link appear once it is on.

**Q: How many records do the two lists show?**

A: The **Check-ins** list returns up to 100 records for the current day. The **Events** list loads a page at a time, so click **Load more** to keep going.

**Q: Can I hide events that finished hours ago from the portal waitlist?**

A: Yes. Set **Waitlist Cutoff** in **Admin** > **Settings** > **Check-ins and Waitlists**. It takes a number of hours and hides events scheduled further in the past than that. Leave it blank to show the full day.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The events list is empty.

**Symptoms:** The **Events** card reads "No events found" even though events exist.

**Solution:** The screen filters to the current date until you change **Event Date**. Set a different date, set **Status** back to **All**, clear **Search**, and click **Search**. If a location button reading **Close** plus a location name is showing, click it to include every location.

**Issue:** An event vanishes from the list while you are watching it.

**Symptoms:** A row you expected disappears without anyone refreshing the page.

**Solution:** That is the intended behavior. A check-in arriving for that event moves it out of the **Events** list and into the **Check-ins** list. Look for the client there, or click the refresh icon in the **Events** card header.

**Issue:** The **Check In** button will not respond.

**Symptoms:** The button is greyed out on an event row.

**Solution:** **Check In** stays disabled while the lists are loading. Wait for the events and check-ins to finish loading, then click again. If the button is missing rather than greyed out, that event has no portal URL saved, so open the event record and add one.

### Related Articles

- [How to Manage Portal Check-ins](/how-to-manage-portal-check-ins)
- [How to Manage Events](/how-to-manage-events)
- [How to Create Locations](/how-to-create-locations)
- [How to Create Web Portals](/how-to-create-web-portals)
- [How to manage walk in waitlists](/how-to-manage-walk-in-waitlists)