Adding a Companion Group

New companion groups can be created using the Companion Groups Directory as well as directly from the Companion Cases tab in a Case Folder. There are two parts to adding a Companion Group:

Adding a Companion Group

To add a group in the Companion Groups Directory,

  1. Click the Companion Groups button on the Directory ribbon to open the Companions Groups Directory.
  2. With the Groups Pane displayed (Hide/Show List button is toggled on), click the Add button on the Directory ribbon. A blank row will be inserted in the Groups Pane.
  3. Enter a Group Name up to 40 characters. The new row cannot be blank and must be unique. The Group Name field will display a red validation border and icon until a valid name is entered. Mouse over the validation icon to display the reason for the error.  

  1. An Invalid Data warning message will display when leaving the Group Name field or when attempting to Save either by clicking the Save button or clicking the Yes button on the Save Changes message when the new Group Name is invalid. Click OK on the message to return to the Companion Groups window and enter a valid Group Name.

  1. If a Group Name is already in use, a Duplicate warning message will display. Click on the OK button to return to the Companion Groups window to enter a new Group Name.

  1. Add a case to the new group. At least one case must be associated with the new group in order to save changes.

  1. Click the Save button to keep the new Companion Group, once a case has been associated. The new group will be resorted alphabetically in the grid.

Adding a Case Member

Using the Group Members Pane on the right side of the Companion Groups Directory, a case can be added to the selected Companion Group. The Add Case search field, located above the Group Members Pane, allows you to search for names attached to cases in Needles.

To add a case as a member to a Companion Group,

  1. Select the desired Companion Group from the Groups Pane on the left of the Companion Groups Directory window. The list of current members for the selected group will display in the Group Members Pane on the right side of the tab.
  2. Enter a fragment of a party name in the Add Case search text field above the Group Members grid, and click the search icon or hit the ENTER key. The Name Results List will display.

The Find a Party Search Results window will display the name results. The Search By criteria dropdown can be changed to use different criteria to locate a case using other known information.

  1. Double-click the desired case to add it to the selected Companion Group. The selected case will display in the Group Members grid for the selected Companion Group.

  1. Click the Save button to keep your changes.

Double-clicking a case member from a selected Companion Group will open the Case Folder for the selected case.

The added case will be listed as a member in the Companion Groups Directory for the selected Companion Group as well as on the Companion Cases tab for that case when changes have been saved.