In today's digital landscape, ensuring that your work is not lost due to unexpected crashes, system hibernation, or accidental closures is critical. Whether you are filling daily or extensive multi-day reports, saving drafts can prevent the frustration of losing work.
Understanding Autosave vs. Manual Draft Saving
TrueContext provides two key ways to safeguard your progress on forms in the Mobile App: autosave and the manual Save as Draft option. While autosave works quietly in the background to periodically back up your work, intentionally using "Save as Draft" offers a more controlled and reliable method to ensure your work is saved. Understanding when and how to use each can save you significant time and effort.
Autosave Drafts
Think of autosave as a helpful safety net that automatically captures your progress at certain points while you're working on a form in the TrueContext Mobile App. This happens when you:
- Move to a new page within the form.
- Save and close an entry in a repeatable section.
- Navigate between different entries within a repeatable section.
- Interact with device's features, like taking a photo or uploading an image.
While convenient, it's important to remember that autosave isn't foolproof. In the event of an app crash, the very latest autosaved work might not always be fully recoverable. This is why manually saving drafts is still the recommended best practice, especially when you're dealing with critical information or working on a form for an extended period.
For more in-depth information about the Mobile App Autosave Feature, including tips on how form design can influence autosave behavior, you can consult our documentation here: https://docs.truecontext.com/1374411/Content/Use%20the%20Mobile%20App/AutosaveOnMobileApp.htm
Manually Saving Drafts: Taking Control of Your Progress
The Save as Draft option puts you in direct control of when your work is saved. By intentionally choosing to save a draft, you create a secure snapshot of your progress that can be reliably retrieved even if the app closes unexpectedly or your device restarts. This is particularly beneficial when you need to:
- Maintain a form's state across multiple work sessions or shifts. You can start filling out a form and pick up exactly where you left off later.
- Leave your device unattended for longer periods. Whether it's for a break or overnight, a manually saved draft ensures your progress isn't lost due to inactivity timeouts or system processes.
- Work across different apps on your device. Switching between TrueContext and other applications can sometimes lead to the operating system suspending background processes. Manually saving ensures your form progress is safe before switching.
- Complete lengthy reports that span multiple days. You can save your progress at the end of each day and continue working the next.
For detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to manually save drafts on your specific device (whether you're using an iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet, or a Windows or macOS device) and how to easily find and open your saved drafts from both the main Forms list and your Inbox, please refer to our comprehensive documentation: https://docs.truecontext.com/1374411/Content/Use%20the%20Mobile%20App/SaveWorkOnMobileApp.htm
Conclusion
While autosave provides convenience, manually saving drafts remains the best practice for saving your progress. These recommended saving and transferring methods, as outlined in our documentation, represent the most reliable way to safeguard your work against unexpected crashes, hibernation, or system failures. Implementing these practices will lead to a more secure and efficient workflow, reducing the risk of lost productivity.
#TechTalkSuccess
------------------------------
Eddy Bohorquez
Customer Success Manager
TrueContext
Gloucester
------------------------------