Refresh on Form Open

Data Freshness

TrueContext provides a Reconcile (Sync) feature that keeps form versions and related data up-to-date on the Mobile App. The TrueContext Mobile App reconciles at key points in a workflow to ensure that users have the latest form versions and related data. The Refresh on Form Open feature provides an additional check for data freshness between reconciles, right when a form opens. You can use this feature with App‑to‑App calls from a third-party app or when you frequently update mission-critical forms and Data SourcesClosed Data sources, also known as "Lookups", are external sources of data that you upload or connect to TrueContext. You can reference this data in a form to populate answers or answer options. Data sources save typing, reduce errors, and make it easy to provide mobile users with only the relevant, most current data.. This topic describes how to use the Refresh on Form Open feature and how it differs from a reconcile (sync).

Available on the Enterprise tier only:

Essentials
Advanced
Enterprise

Contents

Info:This feature serves a specific purpose—to check for data freshness between reconciles. Refresh on Form Open enforces a check for data freshness when the form opens. You don’t need to use it on all your forms. Use this feature primarily when:

Data Freshness on the Mobile App

The TrueContext Mobile App is an “offline first” solution that works when your technicians don’t have network connectivity. Before a user goes offline, however, they must reconcile the Mobile App. The reconcile action downloads forms and data to the device and uploads submitted forms from the device to the TrueContext server.

Info:The TrueContext Mobile App reconciles at key points in a workflow to ensure that users have the latest form versions and related data. The topic Reconcile or Send/Receive describes when and how often manual and automatic reconciles happen.

In some cases, you might want to check for new form versions and data between reconciles, or block the user from opening an out-of-date form. The Refresh on Form Open action checks for updates right when the form opens, regardless of when the last reconcile happened.

Tip:You don’t need to refresh every form between reconciles. Use Refresh on Form Open only when you want to:

  • Enforce a check for the latest form version and data. You can block or warn the user if the refresh can’t get the latest updates.

  • Use an App‑to‑App request to launch the TrueContext Mobile App from a third-party app and enforce a check for form and data updates.

Differences between Reconcile and Refresh on Form Open

  • The Reconcile (or Sync) action performs a send/receive between the TrueContext Mobile App and the TrueContext server. This synchronizes all new form versions, Data Sources, Resources, user lists, Dispatches, and the Outbox.

    Info:The topic Reconcile or Send/Receive describes the reconcile action in more detail, including when the app reconciles automatically.

  • The Refresh on Form Open action checks and updates the form version and related data for a single form. The refresh happens when a field user or an App‑to‑App request attempts to open the form. Unlike a reconcile, this action does not send data from the Mobile App to the server.

The following table describes the differences between the Reconcile and Refresh on Form Open actions in more detail.

Action Download Upload Forms Initiated
Reconcile Yes Yes All

Manually, by the user

Automatically, when the device is online, the field user is signed in, and the TrueContext Mobile App opens in the foreground
Refresh on Form Open Yes No Selected form only Automatically, as configured by the Admin

What is the Refresh on Form Open option?

Refresh on Form Open is an advanced form-level setting that activates a check for form and data freshness. When a field user or an App‑to‑App request opens the form, TrueContext checks and updates the following types of data:

Refresh on Form Open applies to regular Mobile App forms, including In-Memory Forms and forms that have Data Passthrough enabled.

Tip:Customer Feedback forms always load the latest form version and data, so there’s no need to check for data freshness.

When to use Refresh on Form Open

Use this action for mission-critical or frequently-updated forms, or if you notice that submitted forms and supporting data need to be updated between reconciles:

  • When you use App‑to‑App calls from a third-party app to open a form, and the Mobile App might not have time to reconcile before the form opens.

  • When you set up a schedule or script to fetch Data Source values frequently. This provides users with up-to-date options in Dropdown, Radio Button, and Multiselect questions, between reconciles.

    Info:A refresh checks for the latest data available on the TrueContext server. It does not trigger the TrueContext server to fetch data from an external source. The topic Maintaining Data Sources describes the options for keeping the server data up-to-date.

  • When you frequently update Resources (images and documents) and you want to make sure field users have the latest:

    • Equipment schematics

    • Illustrated Parts Catalog (IPC)

    • Troubleshooting procedures

    • Reference images, to help identify equipment models to service

  • When you have TrueContext Teamwork enabled on the form and you want to update the “transfer to” list of users between reconciles.

  • When you use forms for compliance and audit, such as an end-of-day report that pulls the latest data into a summary-type form. You can block or warn users if the refresh can’t get the latest data.

Info:You don’t need to use the refresh action on every form. Keep in mind that if a refresh fails:

  • The Block option won’t let users open the form, even if the form is up-to-date from a recent reconcile.

  • The Warn option slows users down, and they won’t know if the form is up-to-date from a recent reconcile.

  • The Ignore option doesn’t guarantee that the form and data are up-to-date.

The section Field user experience and options describes these options in more detail.

How Refresh on Form Open works

Note:The device must be online when a user opens the form. If a Reconcile (Sync) started before the form opens, the refresh starts after the reconcile finishes.

Refresh process

When a field user or App‑to‑App request opens a form, TrueContext runs a check for form and data freshness. The check includes the following steps:

  1. Is the device online?

    • If yes, proceed to the next step.

    • If no, display an alert to the Mobile App user.

  2. Compare the form data on the device with the data available on the server.

  3. Does the form exist in the FormSpaceClosed FormSpaces are where forms are stored and organized in the TrueContext Web Portal. A TrueContext Team may have multiple FormSpaces, depending on their needs. Admins can set FormSpace permissions to control which users have access to the forms in that FormSpace.?

    • If yes, continue with the refresh.

    • If no, display an alert that tells the user to contact their Admin.

  4. Is the form data up-to-date?

    • If yes, go to step 4.

    • If no, download the latest form version and data from the server.

      Tip:If more than one form references the same Data Source, the updated values are available to all of those forms. This applies to forms with or without the refresh option enabled.

  5. Confirm a successful refresh. Were the check and download (if needed) successful?

    • If yes, display the open form.

    • If no, and TrueContext can’t confirm a successful refresh, the Mobile App displays an alert. The alert and options depend on the form setup.

Why a refresh might fail

A refresh might fail to complete because:

  • The field user’s device is offline.

  • A system or network error caused a failure to check or update some or all of the data.

  • The form was archived or deleted from the FormSpace.

  • The user no longer has access to the FormSpace that the form is in.

  • A dispatched form was deleted or reassigned.

Field user experience and options

When the form opens, the TrueContext Mobile App displays an alert to tell the user a refresh is in progress:

Alert that tells the field user a refresh is in progress

For an unsuccessful refresh, the alert and user options depend on the form setup and whether the device is online. The following table describes each option in detail.

Form setup Description Reason for failed refresh Alert displayed on the Mobile App
Ignore

Least restrictive, field users can open and work on the form.

Users can work without interruption but might not have the latest form version and data.

 Device is offline None
Network or system error None
Warn

More restrictive, notifies the field user that their form and data might not be up-to-date.

Users can decide whether to proceed without the latest form version and data.

 Device is offline Alert that tells the user the form is unable to refresh because the device is offline. The user can discard and try again or continue with the form and data they already have.
Network or system error Alert that tells the user the refresh couldn't be completed. The user can discard and try again or continue with the form and data they already have.
Block

Most restrictive, user must refresh before they can start work on the form.

Ensures that the form version and data are up-to-date before the user starts work.

If the system can’t perform the data freshness check or updates, it blocks the user, even if their data is up-to-date.

Warning:

This option prevents field users from starting work if the data freshness check or updates fail. Use this option only when you know that field users will be online when they open the form.

 Device is offline Alert that tells the user the form is unable to refresh because the device is offline. The user must try again when the device is back online.
Network or system error Alert that tells the user the refresh failed to complete. The user must try again.

Extent of the form and data freshness check

The extent of the freshness check depends on the form’s location in the Mobile App and whether the form was previously saved.

If the form is in the… Then the form is… And when… Then the refresh action… Because
Forms list Empty

A field user or App‑to‑App request opens a form for the first time on the device

Checks and updates the:

  • Form version

  • Resources

  • Data Source values

  • User lists (for TrueContext Teamwork transfers)

Checks the form status (Active or Archived) and the user’s access to the form and FormSpace

 We can update without overwriting any work the user has done.

Inbox

Partially filled

A field user or App‑to‑App request opens a form for the first time on the device, and the form was:

  • Dispatched

  • Transferred as an Incomplete TrueContext Teamwork-enabled form

  • Sent for edit

Checks and updates the:

  • Resources

  • Data Source values

  • User lists (for TrueContext Teamwork transfers)

Does not check the form version or access

 The form on the device is already tied to a specific form version.
Search list Partially or completely filled

A field user opens a form on the device, and the form was:

  • Enabled for editing from Search

  • Submitted as an incomplete TrueContext Teamwork form for anyone to claim
Sent list A field user opens a form on the device, and the form was enabled for editing from Sent

Inbox

Drafts list

 Partially or completely filled A field user or an App‑to‑App request opens a form on the device that was previously saved Does not perform a freshness check We want to keep any saved work intact.

Tip:In the Web Portal, you can check which form version a user submitted. You can’t tell, however, whether the refresh updated other data.

Set up Refresh on Form Open

  1. From the Manage Forms menu, navigate to the form you want to set up.

  2. Select Settings > Workflow Settings. In the Refresh on Form Open section, select the Download the latest… checkbox.

  3. Choose Ignore, Warn, or Block to specify the alert and user options in case of an incomplete refresh.

Note:When you edit a form and then save your changes, the system creates a new version of the form. The Mobile App gets the new version the next time that the app reconciles. This applies when you change any of the form settings.

For Refresh on Form Open, remember that users must reconcile to get the form version that has this setting enabled. After that, the refresh action automatically checks for new form versions and data.