Hey everyone! I’m working on a project where I need to add an auto-save feature to a form that uses TinyMCE editor. I want it to work kind of like how Google Docs saves stuff automatically.
I’ve been thinking about a few ways to do this:
- Send an Ajax request every time a key is pressed (but that’s probably too much)
- Send an Ajax request every minute
- Send an Ajax request every minute, but only if there’s been a big enough change (like 10 or more characters)
I ended up trying out the third option. Here’s a quick rundown of how I did it:
- I’m using jQuery
- I’ve got a form with a TinyMCE textarea and a hidden field to keep track of keystrokes
- I set up a callback in TinyMCE to count keystrokes
- Then I’ve got a function that checks every 10 seconds if there have been more than 30 keystrokes
- If there have been enough changes, it saves the content
Has anyone tried something similar? Any tips to make this better or more efficient? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
I’ve actually implemented something similar for a client project recently. One thing we found really helpful was using a debounce function to handle the auto-save. Instead of checking every X seconds, we’d trigger the save function after a period of inactivity (say, 2 seconds after the user stops typing.
This approach worked well because it reduced unnecessary saves while still capturing changes promptly. We also added a visual indicator (a small ‘Saving…’ message) to give users feedback.
Another tip: consider implementing a diff algorithm to only send the changes rather than the entire content each time. This can significantly reduce server load and improve performance, especially for larger documents.
Lastly, don’t forget about error handling. Make sure to have a robust system in place to deal with failed save attempts, network issues, etc. It’s crucial for maintaining data integrity and user trust.
hey tom, ur approach sounds pretty good! i’ve done smthing similar before. one thing that helped was using websockets instead of ajax. it’s more real-time and efficient for frequent updates. also, consider adding a simple recovery option in case of browser crashes. keeps users happy! good luck with ur project man
Your approach sounds solid, Tom. I’ve implemented similar auto-save features in the past, and your method aligns with best practices. One suggestion I’d make is to consider using a ‘dirty’ flag to track changes. Set it when content is modified and reset after saving. This can help avoid unnecessary save attempts.
Another consideration is handling large content efficiently. If you’re dealing with substantial amounts of text, you might want to look into incremental updates or delta compression techniques. These can significantly reduce the amount of data transferred during each save operation.
Lastly, don’t forget about user feedback. A simple status indicator (saved, saving, error) can go a long way in improving user experience and confidence in the auto-save feature. Keep up the good work!