How to upload and manage client documents

The **Documents** page under **Clients** is where your agency uploads client files, files each one under a type, and tracks it through review. You can also let clients upload their own documents through a portal.

### Overview

A document in eCourtDate is a single record made up of a file, a **Type**, a **Status**, an optional expiration date, and the client it belongs to. Staff create documents on **Clients** > **Documents**, and clients add their own through a portal once you turn portal uploads on.

- Upload a file and file it under one of your agency's document types
- Attach each document to a client, then change or detach that client later
- Track review with a status of pending, rejected, or approved
- Record an expiration date and sort the list by it
- Scan a file with optical character recognition and map the detected values onto the document
- Collect documents from clients through a portal and get an email when one arrives

Intake staff use the page to collect identification and proof of address. Case managers use it to keep signed paperwork with the right client record. Anyone reviewing submissions works from the **Status** column, since everything a portal sends in arrives as pending.

### Prerequisites

- Access to eCourtDate with a role that can view and create documents (eCourtDate checks the same permissions it uses for messages)
- Client records for the people whose documents you file
- Your agency's document types, set on **Admin** > **Settings** in the **Document Types** field. Leave the field blank to use the standard types: Driver License, Proof of Address, Passport, National ID, and Other
- A portal with **Allow Documents Upload** turned on, if you want clients to upload their own documents

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Open the Documents page

1. Click **Clients** in the top navigation.
2. Click the **Documents** tab.

#### Step 2: Filter to a client first (optional)

1. Enter the client's name or reference in the client search box at the top of the left column.
2. Click the matching result.

The page now lists only that client's documents, and anything you create is attached to that client automatically. Click the close button on the **Client** card to clear the filter.

#### Step 3: Create the document

1. Click **Choose File** in the **Create Document** card.
2. Select the file from your computer.
3. Select a **Type**.
4. Click **Create**.

A progress bar tracks the upload, then eCourtDate opens the new document for editing.

#### Step 4: Complete the document details

1. Edit **Name**, which is set to the file name during upload.
2. Enter an **Expires On** date if the document expires.
3. Select a **Status** of pending, rejected, or approved.
4. Enter a **Description**.
5. Enter **Notes**.
6. Click **Save**.

To swap the file later, click **Choose File** on the **Edit Document** card and pick a new one. To remove it without deleting the record, click **Delete File** under the preview.

#### Step 5: Attach the document to a client

1. Enter the client's name in the search box on the client card at the right of the edit page.
2. Click **Search**.
3. Click **Attach** next to the correct client.

Once a client is attached, the card lists that client's details with **Change**, **Detach**, and **View Client** buttons.

#### Step 6: Scan the file for text

1. Click **Scan File** in the **Optical Character Recognition** card.
2. Review the fields the scan returns under the preview.
3. Click **Map Fields** to copy those values onto the document.
4. Click **Save**.

Mapped values become editable fields on the **Edit Document** card, and a detected expiry date fills **Expires On**. When the scan returns a first name and a client is attached, an **Update Client** button appears that copies the name, sex, and date of birth onto the client record.

#### Step 7: Collect documents through a portal

1. Go to **Admin** > **Portals**.
2. Click the edit icon next to the portal.
3. Click the **Documents** tab in the portal menu.
4. Select **Allow Documents Upload**, where **Public** accepts uploads from anyone and **Private** accepts them only from signed-in clients.
5. Enter a **Documents Title**.
6. Enter a **Documents Description** to display above the upload form.
7. Enter a comma-separated list of addresses in **Notify on New Documents**.
8. Click **Save**.

On the portal, clients choose a file, select a **Type**, and add a description and notes before uploading.

#### Step 8: Find and export documents

1. Enter a keyword in **Search** in the search card.
2. Select a **Type**.
3. Select a **Creator**.
4. Check **Archived** or **Trashed** to look at records you have set aside.
5. Click **Search**.
6. Click any column heading, such as **Expires** or **Created**, to sort the results.
7. Click the file name in a row to open that file.
8. Click **PDF** or **CSV** to export the list, or **Load more** to pull in the next page of results.

### What to Expect

New documents appear at the top of the list with the creator and created date filled in. Files open through a temporary link that expires one hour after you request it, so reopen the document to get a fresh link rather than saving the address.

Documents that arrive through a portal are created with a **Status** of pending and the portal name as the creator, and eCourtDate sends a "Document Uploaded" confirmation to every address in **Notify on New Documents** and to the client when the client is signed in.

Nothing is sent automatically when a document expires. The **Expires On** date is stored, shown in the **Expires** column, and sortable, so build the check into your own routine. Selecting rows in the table gives you **Archive** and **Trash**, and **Restore** brings a record back.

### Best Practices

- **Filter to the client before you create the document.** The new record attaches to whoever the page is filtered to, which saves you the search on the edit page.
- **Set Document Types once for your agency.** The list on **Admin** > **Settings** drives both the **Type** dropdown on this page and the one clients see in the portal, so everyone files against the same names.
- **Work the pending queue.** Every portal upload lands as pending, so review each one and move it to approved or rejected to keep the list meaningful.
- **Fill in Expires On whenever a document has an expiry.** With no automatic reminders, sorting by the **Expires** column is how you catch renewals in time.
- **Archive superseded documents instead of trashing them.** Both can be restored, but archiving keeps the working list clean while leaving the record easy to bring back.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Which file types can you upload?**

A: Neither the **Documents** page nor the portal restricts file extensions. The edit page previews images and PDFs inline, and any other format opens through **Open File** or the file name in the results table.

**Q: Do clients need a login to upload documents?**

A: Only when **Allow Documents Upload** is set to **Private**. **Public** accepts uploads from anyone, and those documents arrive with no client attached, so attach the client yourself on the edit page.

**Q: How long does a document link stay valid?**

A: One hour. Open the document again and click **Open File**, or click the file name in the results table, to generate a new link.

**Q: Where do you see one client's documents?**

A: Filter the **Documents** page with the client search box, or open the client's record and click the documents count link in the **Photos** card, which opens the same page filtered to that client.

**Q: Does eCourtDate warn you before a document expires?**

A: No. The expiration date is stored and displayed, and checking the **Expires** column is up to your agency.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The **Optical Character Recognition** card is missing.

**Symptoms:** The document opens for editing but there is no **Scan File** button.

**Solution:**

1. Confirm the document has a file, since the card stays hidden until one is attached.
2. Click **Choose File** on the **Edit Document** card and select a file if the record was created without one or the file was removed with **Delete File**.

**Issue:** **Map Fields** does not appear after a scan.

**Symptoms:** **Scan File** finishes and no field list or **Map Fields** button appears below it.

**Solution:**

1. Check the **Type** on the document, because the scan is run against the type you selected.
2. Correct the **Type** and click **Save**, then click **Scan File** again.
3. Replace the file with a straight, full page, legible copy if the scan still returns nothing.

**Issue:** A client cannot reach the documents page on your portal.

**Symptoms:** The portal sends the visitor back to the portal home page.

**Solution:**

1. Open the portal, click the **Documents** tab, and check **Allow Documents Upload**, since a blank or **Disabled** setting hides the page.
2. Set it to **Public** if you want visitors who are not signed in to upload, because **Private** hides the page from them.
3. Click **Save** and reload the portal.

> **Important:** If the problem continues, open the **Help** menu in eCourtDate and click **New support ticket**.

### Related Articles

- [How to manage documents](/how-to-manage-documents)
- [How to verify client identity documents](/how-to-verify-client-identity-documents)
- [How to manage client photos](/how-to-manage-client-photos)
- [How to Manage Clients](/how-to-manage-clients)
- [How to Create Web Portals](/how-to-create-web-portals)