Add to Directory
A quick popup for creating or renaming a group, with a name, a color, and sometimes a description.
This popup is how every group and sub group in the Directory gets created and renamed. It is deliberately small: a name, a color, and a save. The title changes to match what you are doing, so the same card can read Add to Directory, Add New Sub Group, Update Group or Update sub group depending on where you opened it from.

Overview
| Control | Purpose | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Tells you what you are creating or changing. See the table below. | — |
| Name field | The group's name. Required. The keyboard opens on this field automatically so you can start typing. | Empty when creating; the current name when renaming |
| Color swatch | Tap to open the color picker. The value appears beside the swatch and becomes the badge color for the group everywhere in the Directory. | Black when creating |
| Description area | Optional free text. Only shown for group types that use it. | Hidden |
| Slider | An optional setting shown only for group types that use it. | Hidden |
| Delete | Removes the group. Only shown when deletion is allowed — see below. | Hidden |
| Save | Creates the group, or applies your changes | — |
| Back | Closes the popup without saving | — |
Which title you see
| You opened it from | Title |
|---|---|
| Add (+) → Add New Group on the Directory list | Add to Directory |
| Add (+) → Add New Group inside a group | Add New Sub Group |
| Press-and-hold on a group row in the Directory list | Update Group |
| Press-and-hold on a sub group row inside a group | Update sub group |
The popup widens and narrows with the device, so it stays readable on a phone in portrait, a phone in landscape and a tablet. It also shifts up when the keyboard appears so the Name field is never hidden behind it.
Getting Here
To create a group
- Open Home, then tap Directory.
- Tap Add (+) and choose Add New Group.
To create a sub group
- Open a group to reach Group Detail.
- Tap Add (+) and choose Add New Group. The popup opens titled Add New Sub Group.
To rename or recolor
- Press and hold the group or sub group's row.
- The popup opens pre-filled with the current name and color.
Creating or Renaming a Group
- Type a name in the Name field. Leaving it blank and saving shows "Enter name" and nothing is created.
- Tap the Color swatch. The color picker opens; choose a color and the swatch and the value beside it update immediately.
- If a description area is shown, add any notes about what the group is for.
- Save.

A new group appears in the Directory section of the Directory list, sorted alphabetically with the rest. A new sub group appears under Sub groups inside the group you were in.
Color is the fastest way to tell groups apart in a long list. Agree on a scheme across your agency — one color for stations, one for mutual aid partners, one for vendors — and the Directory becomes scannable rather than something you have to read.
Deleting a Group
The Delete button is only on the popup when the group can safely be removed.
| Situation | Is Delete shown? |
|---|---|
| The group has no sub groups and no contacts | Yes |
| The group still holds at least one sub group | No |
| The group still holds at least one contact | No |
| The row is your own Agency | No — your agency can be renamed and recolored but never deleted |
| The row is a Mutual Aid Agency | No — the same rule applies |
- Tap Delete.
- The app asks, under the heading Delete: "Are you sure you want to delete this group?"
- Confirm with Delete, or back out with Cancel.
Deleting a group removes it from your agency's Directory for everyone, and it cannot be undone from this screen. If you still need what was inside it, move those contacts to another group first from Group Detail.
Permissions
You need two things to rename or delete a group: your role has to include Directory edit permission, and the group itself has to be one your agency allows changes to. If either is missing, pressing and holding the row simply does nothing — there is no error message, because there is nothing you can do about it from the app.
Similarly, the Add (+) button that opens this popup is hidden unless your role includes permission to add to the Directory.
Working Offline
| Action | Offline behavior |
|---|---|
| Creating a group | Saved on your device, shown in the Directory right away, and sent to the server when you reconnect |
| Renaming or recoloring | Saved locally and queued the same way |
| Deleting | Queued and applied on the server once you are back online |
Nothing about this popup requires a connection, so you can reorganize a Directory in a dead zone and let it catch up later.
How This Connects
- Where the data goes. Saving writes the group into your agency's Directory record on the server. Once it syncs, teammates see the new group the next time their Directory refreshes — which happens in the background every time the screen opens.
- Group Detail. A group created here is immediately openable as a Group Detail screen, ready for you to add contacts or nest more sub groups inside.
- Contacts. Contacts are never created from this popup. Use Add New Contact or Import Contact inside the group, which open Add a Contact.
- Chat. Groups carry their own unread badges in the Directory, counting chat activity tied to that group. The conversations themselves live on Messages.
- Moving contacts. The group structure you build here is exactly what the move popup on Group Detail walks through when you relocate contacts, so a clear naming scheme pays off there too.
- Offline and reconnect. Creates, renames and deletes made offline are stored on the device and pushed in order once the connection returns.
Troubleshooting
| If this happens | What to do |
|---|---|
| Saving shows "Enter name" | The Name field is empty. Type a name and save again. |
| There is no Delete button | The group still holds sub groups or contacts, or it is your agency or a mutual aid group. Empty it first, or accept that it cannot be removed. |
| Press-and-hold on the row does nothing | Your role lacks Directory edit permission, or that group is read-only for your agency. |
| The color you picked is not showing on the list | Save the popup. The color only applies once you save. |
| The popup covers the field you are typing in | Rotate the device or dismiss the keyboard; the card shifts itself up when the keyboard appears, and resizes when you rotate. |
| A new group is missing on a teammate's device | It has not synced yet, or their app has not refreshed. Reconnect, then have them reopen the Directory. |
| You wanted a sub group but got a top-level group | Open the parent group first, then use its Add (+) menu. From the Directory list the same menu item creates a top-level group. |
Related Pages
⬅️ Previous: Add a Contact | Next: Add User Info ➡️