Previewing message templates lets you see exactly what your recipients will receive before any message goes live, helping you catch errors and get staff approval.

### Overview

The preview feature in eCourtDate allows you to test your message templates with simulated or real client data before activating them. This is essential for government agencies where accuracy matters. A misplaced merge tag or unclear instruction in a court reminder can lead to confusion, missed appearances, or unnecessary calls to your office. Previewing ensures that personalization works correctly, translations are accurate, and the overall message reads as intended.

- Preview any auto message or flow template with a single click.
- Use simulated client data to test without needing a real client record.
- Search for a specific client to preview with actual case, event, and payment data.
- Switch between different client profiles to test how templates handle edge cases, such as clients with no upcoming events or missing contact information.
- Share previews with supervisors or staff for review and approval before going live.

### Prerequisites

Before previewing message templates, make sure you have:

- An active eCourtDate agency on staging or production
- Super admin role or the **Update Auto Messages** permission (for auto messages) or **Update Flows** permission (for flows)
- At least one message template created with content and merge tags
- (Optional) Client records with associated events, cases, or payments if you want to preview with real data

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Open the Template Editor

1. Click **Admin** in the top navigation bar.
2. Select **Messaging** from the dropdown menu.
3. Click on the **Auto Messages** or **Flows** tab, depending on the template type you want to preview.
4. Click the **Edit** button next to the template you want to preview.

#### Step 2: Preview with Simulated Data

1. In the template editor, click the **Preview** button at the top of the page.
2. A preview panel opens showing the message as it will appear to recipients.
3. Check the **Simulate Client** checkbox to generate a preview using sample client data.
4. The system fills in all merge tags with realistic placeholder values (for example, "John Smith" for `[ClientFirstName]`, a sample court date for `[NextEventDateTime]`).
5. Review the message to confirm that the content flows naturally and all merge tags resolve correctly.

#### Step 3: Preview with a Real Client

1. In the preview panel, uncheck **Simulate Client** if it is enabled.
2. Use the **Search Clients** field to find a specific client by name, reference number, or other identifier.
3. Select the client from the search results.
4. If the client has related records (events, payments, cases), the preview panel lists them.
5. Click the **Preview** button to generate the message using that client's actual data.
6. Review the output to verify that real data populates correctly, especially for merge tags that pull from events, cases, or payment records.

#### Step 4: Test Edge Cases

Testing with different client profiles helps you identify how your template handles missing or unusual data.

1. Search for a client who has no upcoming events to see how event-related merge tags behave when there is no data.
2. Search for a client with multiple cases or events to verify the correct record is referenced.
3. Search for a client with a non-English language preference to confirm the appropriate translation is used.
4. Check that conditional merge tags (using the `[%label% MergeTag]` syntax) correctly hide content when data is missing.

#### Step 5: Share Previews for Staff Approval

Before activating a template, you may want another staff member to review the content.

1. After generating a preview, take a screenshot of the preview panel or copy the rendered text.
2. Share the preview with your supervisor, legal team, or communications staff through your internal review process.
3. Incorporate any feedback by editing the template content directly in the editor.
4. Click **Save** after making changes, then generate a new preview to confirm the updates.

#### Step 6: Use Simulate Mode for End-to-End Testing

Previewing shows you what a message looks like, but Simulate Mode tests the full delivery process without sending real messages.

1. In the template editor, enable the **Simulate Mode** toggle.
2. Click **Save** to apply the setting.
3. Trigger the template (either manually or through an auto message trigger).
4. Check your **Outbox** or message logs. Simulated messages appear with a "simulated" label, showing exactly what would have been sent.
5. After confirming everything looks correct, disable **Simulate Mode** and click **Save** to make the template live.

### What to Expect

When you preview a template, the system generates a rendered version of your message with all merge tags replaced by actual or simulated data. The preview reflects what the recipient would see for text, email, and voice channels. If your template includes multilingual content, the preview displays the translation matching the selected client's language preference. Simulate Mode takes testing further by creating message records in your outbox without delivering them, giving you a complete audit trail of test messages.

### Best Practices

- **Preview every template before activating it.** Even minor changes to merge tags or wording can produce unexpected results. A quick preview catches issues before they reach clients.
- **Test with at least three different client profiles.** Choose a client with complete data, one with minimal data, and one with a non-English language preference to cover the most common scenarios.
- **Use Simulate Mode for trigger-based templates.** For auto messages that fire automatically (such as when an event is created), Simulate Mode lets you verify the trigger logic without sending real messages.
- **Establish an internal review process.** For court-related communications, have a supervisor or legal team review previews before the template goes live. This adds accountability and reduces the risk of sending inaccurate information.
- **Re-preview after every edit.** When you change template content, merge tags, or translations, generate a fresh preview to confirm the update works as expected.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Does previewing a template send any messages to clients?**
A: No. The preview feature only generates a visual representation of the message. No messages are created or sent. Even when you preview with a real client's data, the client does not receive anything.

**Q: What happens in the preview if a merge tag has no data for the selected client?**
A: The merge tag is removed from the preview, just as it would be in a real message. If you used the conditional syntax `[%label% MergeTag]`, the entire conditional block (including the label text) is removed when no data exists.

**Q: Can I preview a flow with all of its message steps at once?**
A: Yes. When you click **Preview** on a flow, the system shows all message steps in the sequence. Each step displays the rendered content with merge tags resolved, along with the timing (for example, "3 days before event date"). This lets you review the entire communication sequence in one view.

**Q: How do I preview a voice message?**
A: Voice messages appear as text in the preview panel showing exactly what will be spoken. The preview does not play audio, but the text representation gives you an accurate view of the spoken content. Keep voice messages concise and use simple sentence structures for clarity.

**Q: Can I preview a template on a mobile device?**
A: Yes. The eCourtDate platform is accessible from mobile browsers. You can open the template editor, click **Preview**, and view the rendered message on your phone or tablet. This is also useful for checking how SMS messages will appear on a recipient's device.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** Preview shows merge tags as raw text instead of resolved values.
**Symptoms:** The preview displays `[ClientFirstName]` instead of a name, even when **Simulate Client** is checked or a real client is selected.
**Solution:**

1. Confirm that **Simulate Client** is checked or that you have selected a valid client from the search results.
2. Click the **Preview** button again to refresh the rendered output.
3. Verify that the merge tag syntax is correct (check for typos, missing brackets, or incorrect tag names).
4. If previewing with a real client, confirm the client record has data in the relevant fields.

**Issue:** Preview does not show the translated version for a non-English client.
**Symptoms:** You selected a client with a Spanish language preference, but the preview shows the English version.
**Solution:**

1. Open the template editor and scroll to the language fields. Confirm that a Spanish translation exists for the template.
2. Verify the client's language preference is set correctly on their client record (go to **Clients**, search for the client, and check the **Language** field).
3. Ensure Spanish is enabled as a language in **Admin** > **Settings**.
4. If the issue persists, sign in to eCourtDate and create a ticket by clicking the ticket button in the bottom right corner of the screen.

### Related Articles

- [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 Import Sample Message Templates](/how-to-import-sample-message-templates)