We would like to start testing offline entities in our workflow with forms that already use entities and work well.
We have followed the instruction given here by @LN :
by:
upgrading Central to this version: v2024.2.1-1-g2d95a61
upgrading collect to this version: 2024.3.3
adding to the froms that create entities and to those that pull data from these entities a column "offline" to the entities tab of the froms and put "yes" under it
The offline entities are unfortunately not accessible by the form which created it (for updating) or by other forms that pull data from the entity. I could not even say, if the offline entities are created at all. However, once synchronised with central, the entities are created or updated as expected.
I tried the test form provided which worked without problem with the same versions of Central and Collect.
Is there anything else we have to consider to make offline entities working?
Could you try upgrading Central to 2024.3 (from mid-December 2024)? That is when the remaining offline entity support in Central was added, including more transparency about the state of Submissions creating/updating Entities.
First, thank you for doing some testing before rolling out to production. We do a lot of testing on our end but Entity-based workflows can get quite complex and specialized so it's wise to try out your specific flow.
You mean that you have confirmed you get offline Entities with those forms, right?
Everything you've done sounds right. Would you be able to share your forms either as part of a public message or in a direct message to me?
This will opt everything into using offline Entities so it may not be appropriate if the goal is to test offline Entities workflows in Collect before opting in entirely.
Thanks for your replies. Since offline entities wold be great thing to use in our largely offline workflow, we have in the meantime upgraded to:
versions:
477e4b040132451d7541d3df7fe0f2e3ab659efd (v2024.3.0-1-g477e4b0)
6ba4ef1183d2081e1da6f9921806c03df8483f97 client (v2024.3.0)
92f1186a3257393ba46ea8ede3dc75803eb15c4d server (v2024.3.0)
When uploading the forms, the offline column in the entitities tab is now rejected. I guess this is intended and we removed them and uploaded all forms again.
The result is the same as with the old version: Entities are created and updated as expected upon transmitting the submission to Central. But they are not accessable offline.
Thank you very much for sending me your forms and data attachments. I have been unable to reproduce the issue. I uploaded both forms and attachments to a Central v2024.3.1 server and using Collect v2024.3.3 I see that when I create or update Entities in one form, I see the updated values in the forms that use those Entities.
One thing I did notice is that the zip file you sent me with form attachments included CSVs with the same names as your Entity Lists. The first time I added attachments to a form, I dragged the full contents of that folder into Central and that replaced the Entity List link with a static CSV. I had to click the "link to Entity List" button to re-establish the connection.
Accidentally using a static CSV could potentially explain why you are not seeing offline Entities. If you did this, you would still see Entities created and updated as expected in Central, but you would see not see those changes reflected in Collect.
I hope that turns out to be what it is but if not, we'll keep trying to figure it out.
One thing you could also try is using the beta that we have recently published. When using a beta, you can go to Experimental settings and see lists of all Entities on the device, including their online/offline status. That could give you additional insight.
I was finally able to resolve the issue by deleting Collect (v2024.3.3) from the phone, installing it (same version) again and reconnect to the project.
Great thing, these offline entities! A big step forward.
I’m so glad it’s working now and that you’re seeing the value!
Did you previously use the 2024.3 beta by any chance? I don’t have an immediate explanation as to why uninstalling and reinstalling would have helped and that has me feeling concerned.
If anyone else experiences something like this please let us know!
