Auto-Save in the Form Builder
The Form Builder has no Save button because every change is saved instantly and automatically. You can close your browser, switch tabs, or step away — your work will be there when you return.
What Gets Auto-Saved
All changes in the Form Builder are saved the moment you make them, including:
• Adding, editing, or deleting fields
• Editing section titles and descriptions
• Layout, logic, and settings updates
These changes are stored as a Draft until you choose to publish them.
Publishing Your Changes
Auto-save protects your work, but it doesn't go live automatically. When you're ready, click Publish Form to apply your draft changes to the live form.
Draft indicator
A Draft label appears next to the form name in the top toolbar whenever you have unpublished changes. Check for this before leaving the builder.
Don’t Want to Keep the Changes?
Click Discard Draft to remove all unpublished changes and restore the last published version of the form.
⚠ This cannot be undone
Discarding a draft permanently removes all unpublished changes. Make sure you don't need them before clicking Discard Draft.
Auto-Save When Completing a Record
When filling out a form (creating or editing a record), IndyForms also saves your responses automatically as you enter them. Each field change is saved within a few seconds — so even if you navigate away unexpectedly, you won't lose your progress.
The Save and Submit Buttons
You'll see both a Save button and a Submit button when completing a record. They do different things:
 |  |
Keep working later | Finalise and complete the record |
Save — confirms your progress and lets you return to finish the record later. Use this when you need to pause mid-way.
Submit — finalises the record. Whether Submit is required depends on how the form's workflow is configured. See Workflow Settings for details.
Auto-save vs. Save button
Auto-save runs continuously in the background regardless of whether you press Save. The Save button is a manual checkpoint — useful if you want to ensure your progress is confirmed before pausing for an extended period.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Form Builder
Q. Why isn't there a Save button in the Form Builder?
A. Every change is saved instantly — there's nothing to manually trigger. The Form Builder auto-saves in the background so you can focus on designing your form.
Q. If everything auto-saves, what does 'Publish Form' do?
A. Auto-save stores your changes as a draft. Clicking Publish Form makes those draft changes live for anyone completing a record of that form. Your work is safe before you publish — it just isn't visible to users yet.
Q. What happens if I close the browser while editing a form?
A. Your changes are already saved as a draft. When you return, you'll find everything exactly as you left it. Look for the Draft indicator in the toolbar to confirm unpublished changes are waiting.
Q. I made changes by mistake — how do I undo them?
A. Click Discard Draft to remove all unpublished changes and return to the last published version. Note: this cannot be undone, so only use it if you're sure you want to start over from the published version.
Q. Can I view a history of previous drafts?
A. Draft history is not currently available. Only the most recent draft and the last published version are retained. If you need to preserve a specific version, publish it before making further changes.
Completing a Record
Q. Why is there a Save button when completing a record if auto-save is already running?
A. Auto-save handles continuous background saving. The Save button lets you manually confirm your progress — useful when you want to pause for an extended period and want a clear checkpoint before stepping away.
Q. Is Submit always required?
A. Not always. Whether Submit is required depends on the form's workflow configuration. Some forms are complete once filled in; others require a formal submission step. Check with your administrator if you're unsure.
Q. Will I lose my data if my internet drops?
A. IndyForms saves each field change within a few seconds of you making it. If your connection drops, any changes saved before the interruption are preserved. Changes made during a prolonged outage may not be stored until your connection is restored — so if you're working in an unreliable network environment, pressing Save periodically is a good habit.
💡IndyTips
These tips cover situations and edge cases beyond the basics above.
Publish only when ready
Your draft changes won't affect users until you click Publish Form. Take your time reviewing changes in draft before publishing — especially for logic or settings updates that affect how the form behaves.
Use Discard Draft carefully
Discarding removes all unpublished changes and cannot be reversed. If you want to experiment with changes without risk, consider duplicating the form first so the original remains intact.
Check the Draft indicator before leaving
The Draft label in the toolbar tells you that changes exist but haven't been published. If you don't see it, either your changes have been published or there's nothing new to publish.
Save periodically on unreliable connections
Auto-save is reliable on stable connections. If you're working on a slow or intermittent network, pressing Save when completing a record gives you an explicit checkpoint and reduces the risk of losing recent input.
Publish before making major structural changes
If you need to make significant edits to a live form, consider publishing the current version as a baseline first. This gives you a clean restore point if you use Discard Draft later.