Skip to content
English
Create a Support Ticket Customer portal Sign in
Go to omnibyte.com
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Understanding IFS Advanced Forms Offline Capabilities

How IFS Advanced Forms ensures seamless communication between mobile and server

When the IFS Advanced Forms mobile app is online, it synchronizes (communicates) with the Advanced Forms admin (server). The admin server then communicates with the Advanced Forms database and any relevant third-party applications to gather the information required by the mobile app. Once the data is collected, the admin server returns the information to the mobile app. This communication happens when the mobile app is opened to the home screen or when a form is opened via a deep link.

During synchronization, the following types of information may be exchanged:

  • Forms the user has permission to access

  •  Forms assigned to the user through workflow

  • Processing of forms in the submission queue

  • Retrieval of form-level data

When the device running the mobile app is offline (no internet connection) it cannot communicate with the Advanced Forms admin server. As a result, synchronization and retrieval of new data are not possible while the device is offline.

However, users may still need to complete forms in environments where internet connectivity is unavailable.

Advanced Forms supports offline work by allowing users to initiate a sync before going offline. This sync downloads the information required for the mobile app to load the form and any dependent data while offline. A common way this sync is initiated is through a deep link from another application.

The following example illustrates a typical process for completing and submitting a form while offline:

  1. A user is assigned a task or work order in IFS MWO or another third-party application.

  2. Within the third-party application, the user selects a link that opens a form in Advanced Forms.

  3. Opening the form initiates a synchronization between the mobile app and the Advanced Forms admin server to retrieve the required form configuration and related data.

  4. After synchronization is complete, the user can continue working offline if internet connectivity is unavailable.

  5. The user completes and submits the form within the mobile app while offline.

  6. Once internet connectivity is restored, the user opens Advanced Forms to the home screen, which automatically initiates another synchronization.

  7. During this synchronization, the mobile app uploads any submitted forms to the Advanced Forms admin server for processing.