How to preview message templates

The **Previews** page renders your flow and auto message templates with merge tags filled in, so you can read the exact text a recipient receives before anything sends.

### Overview

Previewing runs your template content through eCourtDate and returns the merged result on screen. You can render with a simulated client, with a real client record, or with content you type into the **Content** field. Every result shows the template before the merge, the rendered text after the merge, the character count, and, for text messages, the number of SMS segments. Nothing is delivered to a client from this page.

- Preview an entire flow, a single auto message, or ad hoc content you type yourself.
- Fill merge tags with sample data by leaving **Simulate Client** checked.
- Search for a real client and render against that client's events and payments.
- Switch the **Language** to check a translation, with a warning banner when the translation is missing.
- Copy or print the rendered messages so staff can review them before you go live.

### Prerequisites

Before you preview a template, make sure you have:

- An eCourtDate account that can open **Admin** > **Messaging**
- At least one flow or auto message with template content, or content you paste into the **Content** field
- Client records with events or payments, if you want to render against real data

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Open the Previews page

1. Click **Admin** in the top navigation bar.
2. Select **Messaging** from the dropdown menu.
3. Click the **Previews** tab.

You can also reach the page from a template. **Preview** on a flow row in **Flows**, and **Preview** in the flow editor, both open the **Previews** page in a new browser tab with that flow already selected. **Preview** in an auto message editor opens the page with that template loaded into the **Content** field.

#### Step 2: Choose what to preview

1. Review the cards listed under **Flows** and **Auto Messages** on the right side of the page.
2. Click a flow card to preview every message in that flow.
3. Click an auto message card instead to load that message's template into **Content** and preview it.
4. Click **Change** next to the selected **Flow** or **Auto Message**, or the back arrow above **Message Preview**, to return to the card list.

Flow cards list each message in the sequence with its timing (for example, "3 days before event date"), its character count, and any extra languages it holds. Auto message cards are grouped by trigger.

#### Step 3: Preview with simulated client data

1. Leave **Simulate Client** checked. It is checked by default.
2. Select a language from the **Language** dropdown.
3. Read the result in the **Message Preview** panel.

The panel regenerates on its own each time you change **Simulate Client** or **Language**. Simulated values include the client name Jane Doe, the client reference D-12345, case number 12345, judge Mary Smith, and location Courtroom 1, plus sample event and payment details.

#### Step 4: Preview with a real client

1. Enter a name or reference in the **Search clients...** box.
2. Click the client you want in the results list.
3. Select an **Event** if the selected flow is an event flow and that client has events.
4. Select a **Payment** if the selected flow is a payment flow and that client has payments.
5. Click **Preview Messages** to render with that client's data.
6. Click the red X next to the client name to clear the client.

Once you select a client, the client name replaces the **Simulate Client** checkbox, and clearing the client brings the checkbox back.

#### Step 5: Test content and merge tags

1. Edit the text in the **Content** field.
2. Click **Merge Tags** and select a tag to insert it at your cursor.
3. Select a **Location** if you want location merge tags to use a specific location.
4. Click **Preview Messages** to render the updated content.

#### Step 6: Read the rendered output

1. Read the **Template** line to see the content before merge tags are replaced.
2. Read the **Rendered** line to see what the recipient receives.
3. Check the character badge, which turns yellow once the message passes 360 characters.
4. Check the segment badge on text messages, plus the **Non-GSM** badge that appears when the content holds characters outside the standard GSM set.
5. Check the warning count at the bottom of the panel.

#### Step 7: Share the previews for review

1. Click **Copy All** to copy every rendered message, including the template, the rendered text, and the character count.
2. Click the copy icon on a single message to copy just that message.
3. Click **PDF** to open your browser print dialog. The form column and the buttons are hidden from the printed page, so the print holds only the previews.

#### Step 8: Test delivery with Simulate Mode

1. Open the auto message or flow you want to test.
2. Check **Simulate Mode**. The editor saves the change as soon as you check it.
3. Trigger the message.
4. Go to **Dashboard** > **Messages** and check the **Simulate Mode** filter to list simulated messages, which carry a SIMULATED badge.
5. Uncheck **Simulate Mode** on the auto message or flow once your test passes.

### What to Expect

The **Previews** page generates a result as soon as it loads, and again whenever you select a card, change **Simulate Client**, change **Language**, leave the **Content** field, or click **Preview Messages**. Until you select a flow or an auto message, the right side of the page lists the cards rather than the preview. Each rendered message is labeled with its message type and shows the character count, and text messages also show the segment count. Simulate Mode goes one step further than previewing: messages are recorded in **Messages** with a SIMULATED badge instead of being delivered.

### Best Practices

- **Watch the character and segment badges.** The character count turns yellow past 360 characters, and the panel counts that message as a warning.
- **Check for non-GSM characters in text messages.** A single non-GSM character (a curly quote or an accented letter) drops the segment size from 160 characters to 70.
- **Preview each language you send in.** The banner that names a missing translation only appears once you switch **Language** away from English.
- **Preview against a real client before you activate a template.** Simulated data always fills every tag, so a real record is a better test of tags that pull from events, cases, or payments.
- **Use PDF to circulate previews.** Printing the page gives a supervisor the rendered messages without the preview form around them.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Does previewing send anything to a client?**

A: No. The page renders text on screen only, even when you select a real client. To test actual delivery, use **Simulate Mode** on the auto message or flow instead.

**Q: Why do I see cards instead of a preview when I open Preview from an auto message?**

A: The right side lists **Flows** and **Auto Messages** until you select one. Click a flow card to render the text already in **Content**, or click an auto message card to load that message's own template.

**Q: What data does Simulate Client use?**

A: Fixed sample values, including the client name Jane Doe, client reference D-12345, case number 12345, judge Mary Smith, and location Courtroom 1, along with a sample event date and payment amount.

**Q: How do I preview a translation?**

A: Select the language from the **Language** dropdown. The preview regenerates on its own, and a yellow banner tells you when a translation is missing and English was used instead.

**Q: Can I write new copy on the Previews page?**

A: Yes. Type or paste into the **Content** field, insert tags from the **Merge Tags** dropdown, then click **Preview Messages**. Changing **Content** does not change the saved auto message or flow.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** A merge tag still shows in brackets in the rendered output.

**Symptoms:** A red **Unknown tags:** line appears under the **Content** field or under the **Template** line, and the **Content** box is outlined in red.

**Solution:**

1. Compare the tag against the **Merge Tags** dropdown, which lists every tag your agency supports.
2. Click the correct tag in the dropdown to insert it, then delete the incorrect one.
3. Click **Preview Messages** to render again.

**Issue:** The preview shows English for a non-English language.

**Symptoms:** A yellow banner says the translation is not available for this auto message, or that some messages in the flow are missing the translation, and English was used as a fallback.

**Solution:**

1. Open the auto message or flow message and check whether that language holds any content.
2. Click **Auto Translate** for the language on the auto message editor, or enter the translation yourself.
3. Return to the **Previews** page and select the language again.

**Issue:** No **Event** or **Payment** dropdown appears after you select a client.

**Symptoms:** The client name shows in the form, but there is nothing to pick an event or payment from.

**Solution:**

1. Confirm the selected flow is an event flow before you look for **Event**, or a payment flow before you look for **Payment**.
2. Confirm the client actually has events or payments on their record.
3. Select the flow again if you changed it after selecting the client.

**Issue:** The preview panel says there is nothing to display.

**Symptoms:** The panel reads "No previews to display. Use the form to generate message previews."

**Solution:**

1. Confirm the **Content** field holds text, or that the selected flow has messages.
2. Click **Preview Messages**.
3. Open the **Help** menu and click **New support ticket** if the panel stays empty.

### Related Articles

- [How to preview messages](/how-to-preview-messages)
- [How to set up message templates](/how-to-set-up-message-templates)
- [How to Use Merge Tags](/how-to-use-merge-tags)
- [How to Create an Auto Message](/how-to-create-an-auto-message)
- [How to Create a Flow](/how-to-create-a-flow)
- [How to use ai generator](/how-to-use-ai-generator)