Published March 2023

Introduction

ChemProject now features  Auto-Save, a core functionality continuously saving work in progress without requiring any user interaction. This effectively  helps preventing data loss in case of unexpected events like a power failure or a system error. It is available from ChemProject 7.2.0 on.

Although Auto-Save is active by default, it is possible to switch to manual mode at any time by toggling the Auto-Save checkbox, which reveals the manual save button as present in previous versions.

How Auto-Save Works

Auto-Save does not save every keystroke, nor does it save the project in regular time intervals. Both strategies are inefficient in their own ways, and additionally may save the project in an incomplete or error state. Instead, Auto-Save stores the project state whenever the user completes a valid action. Thus, a material entry will only be auto-saved after at least an amount, a unit and a material name were specified – but not while any of these still are missing. Also, no Auto-Save occurs if any input element is marked as invalid entry. A green dot in the top right corner of the application window indicates when an auto-save operation actually occurs. 

In the Documents section, all operations like document addition, deletion, refresh sync, etc. are covered by Auto-Save, which updates the project file in real-time. This also includes in-place editing, where an embedded document is opened in its native external application after double clicking: Whenever the document is saved within the external application, Auto-Save catches this event and embeds the updated document state into the project on-the-fly.

Please note that only project related data are covered by Auto-Save. Edits to the global Price Lists currently depend on manual save, and there will be a warning if there are pending changes when leaving the application.