There are two types of 'Date' fields you can create on a matter as 'Custom Data Date' and 'Linked appointment date'


  1. Custom Data Date - Dates can be entered into a matter as a Date that is not linked to a diary but just appears on the matter This is used for recording a date that is not related to attendance, meeting or physical attendance that would need to appear in a person's diary.

  2. Linked Appointment Date - Dates can be entered into a matter as a 'Linked Appointment date' meaning that the date will show in the matter but also as an appointment which is also in someone's diary.


FAQ on Dates

Q: I want the date in the matter and also in my diary and changes either in the matter or my diary are synced
A: Use Linked appointment date 

Q:  I just need to record a date on the matter which does not need to appear on any one's diary as a meeting/appointment
A: Use Custom Data Date


Q: Where do I see the 'Linked appointement dates' on the matter 

A: You have to enable to the Matter Calendar Appiontements Panel on the matter type to see these.





Q: How do I see the dates in Actionstep across all matters?
A:  You can expose 'Custom Data Dates' or 'Linked appointments' as a column in a list view.  Therefore you can create a list view of 'all upcoming dates.  An example for 'Custom Data Dates (Option 1)' -  Clients has created list views of 'This week's Conveyancing Settlements' which looks at all conveyancing matters and finds the matters that have a settlement date for this week.   Another example for 'Linked Appointments (Option 2) could be 'This weeks court dates' which looks for all matters that have a court date populated as a 'linked appointment' that have a date of this week. This is not in calendar format but rather a List view format. Therefore negating the need to have a dedicated calendar for 'Settlements' or 'Court Dates'

And finally, another example is that you may have a range of dates on the matter as either 'Custom Data Dates' or 'Linked Appointments' which you just want to see on a list view the 'NEXT' upcoming date. ie on a conveyancing file you may have 'Building and Pest date', 'Finance Due Date', 'Deposit Due Date', etc and you can have the system show you the first date of those three (or more) dates showing which one comes first.



Example of Custom Data Dates in a list view (the following images shows a list of agreemnts showing their expiry date ie not a meeting so this is a custom data date type only)




Q: Can I see 'Custom Data Data' on my dairy even if they are not Linked Appointments'
A: Yes, each user can configure their preferences to expose  'Custom Data Dates' on their own calendar for a file they are assigned to. An Example of this would be 'Building and Pest' Date for A conveyancing matter which is recorded as a 'Custom Data Date' as no one is physically attending a meeting for that date but it needs to be recorded on the matter. However, the conveyancer would like to see that date appear on the date on their calendar - so they personally can choose to expose that 'custom data date' on their calendar in actionstep automatically.


The following is an example of a Custom Data Date appearing in Blue for the 9th May on Matter 8.  This is showing as the user has chosen to expose Custom Data Dates on their Calendar





Q: Can I link a task to the dates?

A: Yes, when creating a task manually or automatically via the workflow steps you can link the TASK due date to the date (Custom data date or Linked appointment date), ie this task is due x days before/after the date (custom data date or linked appointement date)


Q: Can I view tasks on my Calendar

A: Yes, each user can choose to expose Tasks on their calendar, this handy to see what tasks need to be completed on a given day next to the appointemnts 



Q: Can I create an 'Actionstep only Caledar that does not sync to an users calendar?

A: Yes, Actionstep only calendars are just that visibile to actionstep users only (as long as its shared to those users within Actionstep)


Q: Can we record the court dates in an actionstep only calendar so we get a calendar view as well as a list view of the appointements?

A: Yes however you will need to invite the lawyer to the appointment so it also appears in their diary as well.  


The following image shows a task (in red colour - colour chosen by the user to show their tasks) on the calendar



Q:Can I merge matter data on to the appointment?

A: Yes, you can use most merge fields to merge other matter data onto the appointment title or the meeting ie Add Clients phone number the Appointment Body, or Add the Matter Number to the appointment Title etc


Other thoughts
  • Choosing to have Dates that are not linked to a matter (option 1 above) - this is great when you just need to record dates but not book time in a person's diary
  • Choosing to have 'Linked Appointment' Dates (option 2 above) - this is where you want to have the date in the lawyer's diary but be sync'd with the matter so if anyone changes the date in ACtionstep it changes it in the lawyer's diary. Conversely, if the date is changed by the lawyer in their Outlook or mobile phone, then the change is synced back to the matters. Therefore the matter is the 'single source of truth'
  • Dates that are linked appointments can also be moved from one person's diary to another person diary via actionstep lists in bulk. This is hand if a lawyer is off sick for an extended period of time and all the future appointments need to be moved manually to another person diary to handle.