Save form as draft in Enketo

Hi,

I’m wondering if Enketo is able to temporarily save answers, so respondents can fill in the survey in multiple time. I am asking since my respondents may be busy and need to go back to their work in the middle of the survey before completing it. If this happens, can they continue the survey from where they left (without missing the previous answers)? If so, for how long does Enketo keep the answers before fully discarding them? Thanks.

Hi @zanty,

Welcome to the community! Kindly please be informed that you are able to temporarily save the filled up forms in Enketo by following the steps outlined below:

  • While collecting data through Enketo press the Save Draft as shown in the image below:

  • Provide a suitable name to the form (optional) and then press SAVE & CLOSE as shown in the image below:

  • Select the Queue Records Pane as shown in the image below. At the same time you should also be able to see unsent forms at the Queued Records Counter (top left) as shown in the image below:

  • You should now be able to see the form that is not completed and is in a draft form that you are able to edit.

Note: When you have saved a form as draft please do not clear the cache of your browser. If you do so all the draft forms may get cleared (and you may not be able to retrieve them back). Similarly, do not upgrade your browser when you have drafts saved in the browser. This action may too clear your drafts making them impossible to retrieve back.

Regarding your query:

Yes, it’s possible to save filled up form as draft. The enumerators could come back and complete the survey as long as they have not cleared the cache of the browser or have upgraded their browser with some possible upgrades when the form is still in draft. The latter actions should delete the saved forms.

Have a great day!

Thanks for the quick reply Kal. The save draft option does not seem available. How can I activate the option?

Hi @zanty,

Could you let us know the version of KoBoToolbox that you are using?

Have a great day!

I use https://kobo.humanitarianresponse.info/. I’m sorry but would you please guide me on how to check the version of KoBoToolbox?

Hi @zanty,

Seems like you are using the Online-Only mode for collecting data through Enekto as shown in the image below:

Try using the Online-Offline (multiple submission) and you should be able to see the Save Draft as outlined in the post discussed above.

Have a great day!

I see. Thank you so much Kal for the explanation. Have a great day too!

1 Like

may I asked here in thread that how many drafts can be saved in Queue? is there any limitation for number ?

Hi @sevavardhini, maybe @martijnr would be in a good position to answer if there is any limitations on the total number of forms that can be stored in the browser while collecting data through Enketo. However, kindly please be informed that it is advised to submit your data to the server once it’s been finalized as you may be exposed to the risk of losing data if you accidentally clear the cache of your browser.

Yes, there is a limitation but it’s not a fixed number (and very unlikely to be reached). It’s quite complex but the limit is based on the amount of free space you have on your device. So e.g. removing photos will increase the amount of browser storage space (using indexedDb) Enketo can use. Unfortunately, it will likely vary by operating system and browser, so best advice is to make sure the device has plenty of free storage available.

Note that storing text data takes up very very little space. Only when collecting lots of large (media) files it’s worth worrying about free device space.

1 Like