Saving safely: edits, duplicates, look-alikes
What happens when two people edit one product, how Stocked at works, why a double click never saves twice, and the look-alike contact notice.
What it is
In a busy shop several people work on the same records at once, the network is sometimes slow, and people press Save twice. The app handles these cases by itself so that nobody's work is lost and nothing is entered twice:
- A product edit writes only the fields you changed. If someone else changed the same field while you were editing, the app stops and lets you choose: Keep theirs or Save mine.
- Stocked at on the product form starts keeping a product at a new location.
- A form saves once, however many times Save is pressed. A slow save shows "Still saving — this takes longer than usual. Nothing is saved twice."
- A new customer or supplier with the same phone or e-mail as an existing one gets a friendly notice: "This looks like {contact} — use it, or add a new one."
Why it matters: a price silently put back to last week's value, a sales order entered twice because the screen froze, or two records for the same customer split their history and their balance. Each of these costs money and time to find later.
Example: Ana opens the product "Linen shirt" to fix its description. Meanwhile her colleague raises the price from EUR 39 to EUR 42 in the list. When Ana saves, only the description is written; the new price of EUR 42 stays, and Ana sees "Updated meanwhile by someone else: Price. Their changes were kept."
Who it is for
- Teams where more than one person edits products
- Shops whose prices or stock also change from an online store sync or a bulk edit
- Staff entering orders, bills and payments on a slow connection
- Anyone adding customers and suppliers
Before you start#
Nothing to switch on. These rules apply to every business. You need the usual right to edit products, or to add customers and suppliers.
Step by step#
What to do when the app says someone changed the same field while you were editing:
- Open Inventory › Products, open the product and make your change.
- Press Save.
- If the app says "Some fields were changed by someone else while you were editing. Nothing was saved — choose for each one.", read the line under it for each field, for example "Rahim changed Price from 39 to 42 while you were editing. Keep theirs, or save yours."
- For each field press Keep theirs to leave the other person's value, or Save mine to write yours on purpose.
- Nothing is written until you choose. When every field is decided, the save goes through.
The same choice appears on the product form, the one-variant sheet, the variants quick edit and when you edit a single cell in the list.
How edits are compared#
The form remembers each value as it was when you opened it, and sends only the fields you changed, with their old value. Then:
- A field you did not touch is never written. A price that someone else, a bulk edit or a store sync changed meanwhile is not put back by your edit of another field.
- Other fields changed by someone else: your save goes through and says "Updated meanwhile by someone else: {fields}. Their changes were kept."
- The same field changed by both of you: the save stops for that field and shows both values, with Keep theirs and Save mine.
- Summary and details text you did not edit stays exactly as it was, also text that came from an import or a store. A problem in a field nobody touched never blocks your edit.
- The online store is told only when something the store reads really changed. A change to the reorder level or an internal note is not pushed. If the store could not be told, the save still succeeds and says "Saved. The online store was not told yet — Send again."
How to start stocking a product at a new location#
- Open Inventory › Products and open the product.
- Under Stocked at, tick the new location.
- Press Save.
The answer is "“{item}” is now stocked at {location}." The product starts there at zero; stock arrives with a purchase receipt, a transfer in or an adjustment. A location already ticked stays ticked: its hint says "Already stocked here. A stock record is never removed from this form."
You do not have to tick a location before stock comes in. A purchase receipt, a transfer in, a sales return, an adjustment up or opening stock at a new location creates the product's stock there at zero and then adds the quantity. Stock going out of a location where the product was never stocked is still refused, naming the product and the location.
Nothing is saved twice#
Each form keeps one key from the moment it opens until it is saved. A double click, an automatic resend after a dropped connection, or a second press of Save after a slow answer all carry the same key. The server answers with the first result and makes one record.
This covers the sales order, purchase order, bill, the payment dialogs for sales and purchases, the receive dialog, the order deposit, the invoice edit, and the contact and product forms. The till (point of sale) already worked this way.
When a save takes long, the page shows "Still saving — this takes longer than usual. Nothing is saved twice." and keeps waiting for the result, up to 2 minutes. It is safe to wait, and safe to press Save again on the same open form.
How to add a customer or supplier that looks like an existing one#
- Open Sales › Customers (or Purchasing › Suppliers) and press New customer (or New supplier).
- Type the phone number or e-mail and move to the next field.
- If a contact of the same kind has the same phone or e-mail, a notice appears: "This looks like {contact} — use it, or add a new one.", with the reason under it (same phone, same e-mail).
- Press Open {contact} to go to the existing one, or Add a new one to carry on with the new contact.
It is advice, never a refusal: two contacts may share a phone, for example two shops of one family. The phone is compared on its last 9 digits, so +880 1712-345678 and 01712345678 match. The e-mail is compared without capitals. Contacts that are already duplicates can be joined later with Find duplicates and Merge (see Customer management).
Daily use#
A cash on delivery shop in Bangladesh
The order desk takes orders by phone on a mobile connection. A clerk presses Save on a sales order, the screen hangs, and she presses again. She sees "Still saving — this takes longer than usual. Nothing is saved twice." and waits; one order is made. A returning customer calls from the same number with a new name spelling: the customer form shows "This looks like Nasrin Akter (C-0142) — use it, or add a new one.", and the clerk opens the existing customer instead of making a second one.
A multi-location retailer
A retailer opens a second branch. The manager ticks the new branch under Stocked at for 30 products before the first delivery. At the same time, the buyer changes cost prices in the list, and an online store sync updates stock. The manager's saves write only the locations she ticked; the buyer's costs and the synced figures stay. Where she and the buyer both changed the reorder level, she is asked Keep theirs or Save mine.
What you see#
| Message | Meaning |
|---|---|
| "Updated meanwhile by someone else: {fields}. Their changes were kept." | Your save went through; other people's changes to other fields were kept |
| "Some fields were changed by someone else while you were editing. Nothing was saved — choose for each one." | The same field was changed by both of you; choose per field |
| "“{item}” is now stocked at {location}." | The product is now kept at that location, at zero |
| "Still saving — this takes longer than usual. Nothing is saved twice." | The first save is still running; wait |
| "This looks like {contact} — use it, or add a new one." | A contact with the same phone or e-mail exists |
Good practice#
- On a slow save, wait for the result rather than reloading the page.
- After an unclear result, look in the list before you enter the document again.
- Choose Save mine only when you are sure your value is the right one; ask your colleague if not.
- Use Open {contact} when the notice appears, unless you know it is a different person or business.
Troubleshooting#
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Some fields were changed by someone else while you were editing. Nothing was saved — choose for each one." | Someone changed the same field after you opened it | Keep theirs or Save mine for each field |
| "{field} was changed while you were editing. Keep theirs, or save yours." | The same, where the old value is not known | Choose one |
| "This is still being saved. Wait a moment — it will finish once." | The first press is still running on the server | Wait; do not reload |
| "This was saved, but the answer did not arrive. Reload the page to see it — do not enter it again." | Saved, but the reply was lost on the way | Reload and find it in the list |
| "Something went wrong after part of this was saved. Reload the page and check it before you try again." | Part of the save was kept before a later problem | Reload, check what is there, then finish it |
| "Saved. The online store was not told yet — Send again." | The store could not be reached | Send it again later |
| "Already stocked here. A stock record is never removed from this form." | You cannot untick a stocked location | Leave it ticked; a location at zero does no harm |
| The look-alike notice did not appear | It appears when the phone or e-mail field loses focus | Move out of the field before pressing Save |
Limits and what is not there yet#
- Reloading the page starts a new form with a new key. After a reload, a second Save can make a second record, so check the list first.
- The look-alike notice appears when you leave the phone or e-mail field. Typing it last and pressing Save at once can save before the notice shows.
- The look-alike check is for new customers and suppliers only, and only on phone and e-mail (not on name).
- A stock record is never removed from the product form.
- A product photo uploaded as an opaque PNG is stored as JPG by design.
Questions#
Is it safe to press Save again when nothing happens?
Yes, on the same open form. The second press carries the same key, so the server answers with the first result and makes one record.
Will my edit overwrite a price someone else changed?
No. Only the fields you changed are written. If you both changed the same field, you are asked to choose.
Why can I not untick a location under Stocked at?
The product's stock history at that location is kept. A stock record is never removed from the product form.
The app says this customer looks like another one. Must I use the existing one?
No. It is advice only. Press Add a new one if it is a different customer.
What if I reloaded the page during a slow save?
Look in the list first. The first save may have gone through; entering it again on a new form would make a second record.