Auto-Save and Draft Recovery
TestPlanIt saves your work as you write a test case. If your browser closes, your session expires, or you navigate away before clicking Save, your edits are still there when you come back.
This applies to both places you author a test case:
- The Add Case dialog, when creating a new case
- Edit mode on the Test Case Details page
How Saving Works
Your edits are kept in two places. The browser keeps a copy the moment you type, so a crash costs you nothing. A copy is also saved to the server a few seconds after you stop typing — and at least every 30 seconds while you keep typing — so your work survives switching to another browser or machine.
Everything in the editor is captured: the name, steps, expected results, rich text fields, custom fields, tags, and issues.
Files you have selected but not yet uploaded are not part of a draft. Browsers do not allow a page to re-open a file you picked before a reload. Attach files again after restoring a draft.
Save Status
An indicator shows where your work stands:
| Indicator | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (nothing shown) | You have not changed anything yet |
| Unsaved changes | You have typed something and the save is a moment away |
| Saving… | The save is in progress |
| All changes saved 2:41 PM | Everything is safely stored |
| Unable to save — retrying | The server could not be reached |
Unable to save — retrying does not mean your work is lost. The browser still holds it, and TestPlanIt keeps retrying on its own. When the connection returns, the indicator goes back to All changes saved.
In the Add Case dialog the indicator sits beside the Create button. In edit mode it sits on the same row as the folder selector.
Restoring a Draft
When you reopen a case that has unsaved work, TestPlanIt asks what to do:
- Restore puts your unsaved edits back into the editor
- Discard throws them away and loads the saved version
Restoring only fills in the editor. Nothing reaches the test case itself until you click Save.
Recovering After a Crash
If you were editing an existing case, you land on the read-only view rather than the editor, which shows the last saved content — so it can look as though your work is gone. A banner at the top of the page tells you a draft exists:
You have unsaved changes to this test case from 20 minutes ago.
Choose Resume editing to reopen the editor with your work restored, or Discard them to drop it.
If Someone Else Saved First
If another person saved the case after your draft was written, the prompt adds a warning. Restoring replaces their content when you next click Save. Check the version history first if you are not sure what changed.
When Drafts Are Removed
A draft is deleted when you:
- Save the test case — your edits become part of the case
- Cancel out of the editor — an explicit decision to abandon the edits
- Discard it at the restore prompt or the recovery banner
Closing the Add Case dialog with the X or the Escape key keeps the draft, so an accidental dismissal does not cost you anything.
Drafts you never return to are removed automatically after 30 days.
Privacy
Drafts are private to whoever wrote them. Nobody else can read your unsaved work, including administrators, and two people editing the same test case never see each other's drafts. Only the saved test case is shared.