How to preview messages

The preview page renders the messages in your flows and auto messages the way eCourtDate builds them, so you can check merge tags, wording, and length before anything goes out. You can render with simulated sample data or with a real client record.

### Overview

- **What it is:** A page under **Admin** > **Messaging** that renders flow and auto message templates against sample or real client data and shows both the raw template and the merged result.
- **Why it matters:** Broken merge tags, missing translations, and text messages that split into several segments all reach your clients unless you catch them first.
- **Who uses it:** Staff who build and maintain flows, auto messages, and merge tag content for your agency.
- **Expected outcomes:** A **Message Preview** panel listing every rendered message, with character counts, message segment counts, and warnings for unknown tags and non-GSM characters.

### Prerequisites

- Access to **Admin** > **Messaging** for your agency
- At least one flow or auto message that contains template content
- A client record with events or payments, if you want to preview against real data instead of simulated data

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Open the preview page

1. Click **Admin** in the top navigation bar.
2. Select **Messaging** from the dropdown.
3. Click the **Previews** tab (the `/preview` page).

#### Step 2: Choose what to preview

1. Review the cards under **Flows**, which show each flow name, its type badge, how many messages it contains, and the character count and languages of each message.
2. Click a flow card to preview every message in that flow.
3. Click a card under **Auto Messages** instead if you want to preview a single automated message. Cards are grouped by trigger and show the first 80 characters of the English template.
4. Click **Change** next to the selected **Flow** or **Auto Message** in the left panel to pick a different one.

#### Step 3: Set the data used for the merge

1. Leave **Simulate Client** checked to render with fixed sample values such as Jane Doe, reference D-12345, case number 12345, judge Mary Smith, and Courtroom 1.
2. Type at least two characters into the **Search clients...** field to preview against a real record, then click the client in the results list.
3. Select an **Event** to control the event merge tags. This dropdown appears only when a client is selected, the flow type is event, and that client has events.
4. Select a **Payment** to control the payment merge tags. This dropdown appears only when a client is selected, the flow type is payment, and that client has payments.
5. Select a **Location** to set the location merge tags. The first location in your agency is selected automatically.
6. Select a **Language** to render the template in one of the languages your agency has enabled.

#### Step 4: Adjust the content

1. Edit the text in the **Content** box to try different wording. Selecting an auto message copies its template into this box.
2. Click **Merge Tags** and click a tag to insert it at your cursor position, for example `[ClientName]` or `[LocationName]`.
3. Fix any tag listed under **Unknown tags:** below the box, since a tag that is not on the eCourtDate merge tag list will not merge.

#### Step 5: Generate and review the preview

1. Click **Preview Messages**.
2. Read each entry in the **Message Preview** panel. **Template** shows the raw text with tags in place and **Rendered** shows the merged result.
3. Check the badges under each rendered message for the character count, the number of message segments for text messages, and a **Non-GSM** flag.
4. Click the copy icon on a single message, or click **Copy All** to copy every preview at once.
5. Click **PDF** to open your browser print dialog if you need a copy to circulate for review.
6. Click the back arrow at the top of **Message Preview** to return to the flow and auto message cards.

### What to Expect

Previews render on screen only. Nothing is queued, scheduled, or delivered to a client from this page. Each preview is labeled with its message type and shows the character count, and text message previews add a segment count based on 160 characters per segment (70 when the content contains non-GSM characters such as accents, smart quotes, or emoji). The footer counts the messages and flags warnings for any preview over 360 characters or any text message with non-GSM characters, and offers a **Content Generator** link. If you pick a language that a template has not been translated into, a warning appears above the previews and the English version renders instead. Your selections are kept in the page URL, so you can bookmark or send the link and reopen the same preview.

### Best Practices

- Preview with a real client after you check the simulated version, because the simulated values are fixed sample data and will not expose gaps in your own records.
- Keep text messages inside a single segment where you can. Watch the segment badge, and remember that one non-GSM character drops the limit from 160 to 70 characters.
- Clear every entry under **Unknown tags:** before you rely on a template, and insert tags from the **Merge Tags** dropdown rather than typing them by hand.
- Preview each language your agency has enabled so you can see which templates fall back to English.
- Use **Copy All** or **PDF** when a supervisor needs to review the wording, since the page has no built in approval step.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Does previewing send the message to the client?**

A: No. The page only renders content on screen. Messages go out from your flows, auto messages, and one-off or bulk sends, never from **Previews**.

**Q: Why does the preview show Jane Doe and case number 12345?**

A: **Simulate Client** is checked by default and fills the merge tags with fixed sample values. Search for a client in the **Search clients...** field to render real data instead, or click the red X beside a selected client and generate the preview again to return to simulated data.

**Q: Does editing the Content box change my saved template?**

A: No. The **Content** box only affects the preview. To change the template itself, edit the flow or the auto message.

**Q: What does the Unknown tags message mean?**

A: Your content contains a square bracket tag that is not on the eCourtDate merge tag list. The tag is listed in red and outlined in the **Content** box, and it will not be replaced with a value. Check the spelling against the **Merge Tags** tab under **Admin** > **Messaging**.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** There is nothing to select on the preview page.

**Symptoms:** The page shows "No flows available." and "No auto messages available."

**Solution:** Build a flow or an auto message first on the **Flows** or **Auto Messages** tab under **Admin** > **Messaging**, then return to **Previews**.

**Issue:** The preview panel is empty after you pick a flow.

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

**Solution:** Confirm the flow you selected contains messages with template content, then click **Preview Messages** to generate the previews again.

**Issue:** The **Event** or **Payment** dropdown never appears.

**Symptoms:** The left panel goes straight from the selected flow to **Location** and **Language** with no **Event** or **Payment** dropdown in between.

**Solution:** Select a client first. **Event** appears only for a flow with the event type when that client has events, and **Payment** appears only for a flow with the payment type when that client has payments.

### Related Articles

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