Hi, I have an app which, in part, is a times...

[Green_Gorilla]

Hi,

I have an app which, in part, is a timesheet, where users enter a start time, and then later, and end time, and sign the thing off at the end.

The issue we have is that some users are not synchronising their app, and so when we introduce a modification to the app, that doesn’t get passed to their phone.

We have to have them being able to work offline.

Basically, some users are managing to create time entries, but somehow have still not synchronised to the latest version. How are their time entries getting into spreadsheet if they are not clicking sync?

I wonder if it is to do with the settings in the Offline/Sync tab, but I am not too sure on what. I attach an image of our current settings…

To sum up… we need it to be offline, and we want them to do time entries,k and sync. We want them to always have the most up-to-date version of the App to include new additions/edits.

Thanks in Advance Craig GGSL

[Aleksi_Alkio]

If you haven’t made any huge updates into your app, like you haven’t added or removed columns or types, they can save the data.

[Green_Gorilla]

@Aleksi_Alkio Ok, SO that’s what is happening - a save without synching.

So, is there any way to force a sync? Did I see somewhere where we could do that?

[Deep_Foundation]

@Green_Gorilla There is a “Force a sync…” topic in this link - https://blog.appsheet.com/feature-friday-air-table-

[Green_Gorilla]

@Deep_Foundations I saw that, but I can’t see a link to show how to do it? Or am I just being dumb?

[Aleksi_Alkio]

How about if you check what is the last time when the app has been synced and then don’t allow them to fill the form if it’s more than 1 hour or something like that? Should that work?

[Green_Gorilla]

@Aleksi_Alkio We do have a way of checking the last sync. We enter values in a column, and can see how far back some of them are.

The odd thing is,

I enter a time in the app and save, and if I don’t sync, it doesn’t ever get to the spreadsheet. Somehow their data IS getting there… they must somehow be syncing but nit getting the updated versions.

[Aleksi_Alkio]

Yes you can read the last synced DateTime value.

If the data is not saved into the spreadsheet, it means they have been offline. When the connection is back again, they have probably synced or if the “Delayed synced” & “Automatic updates” are both ON, it has saved the data after a while.

[Green_Gorilla]

@Simon_Robinson

[Stephen_Mattiso]

Sounds like you need the Sync on Start setting so Users always work on latest version.

Also probably need some kind of midnight update schedule if you’re making regular changes to the app so app will be stable throughout the day.

[Green_Gorilla]

@Stephen_Mattison As I see it, some users will not restart their Apps. So would Sync on Start be ineffective there?

[Stephen_Mattiso]

@Green_Gorilla Sync on Start would be ineffective if the app is never restarted, I suppose.

Instruct Users they must restart every morning.

Getting new/updated data to Users without Syncing or Restarting is going to be a problem. Sounds like you need a complicated solution I don’t have the answer to.

[Green_Gorilla]

@Stephen_Mattison Yeah, the issue is getting the users to do it… some are not playing ball!

I understand there is a method to force a sync as part of an action, and that it might be possible to force it when they hit “save” to save their time entries… that would solve the issue, as they will always want to press save, as without it they won’t get paid!

[Simon_Robinson]

@Stephen_Mattison We can’t use sync on start since we can’t guarantee they have data.

Hence why its set to work offline.

[Simon_Robinson]

@Aleksi_Alkio I’m working with GG on this App.

It’s acting like Automatic Updates is turned on when it is turned off.

[Simon_Robinson]

@Aleksi_Alkio We are making changes to this App daily.

So a daily sync is required.

But the App is uploading data without them having to click sync.

Either that or sync is somehow only syncing the data, not the definition.

We can tell this based on the results we are getting