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Offline Mode / Sync

New Feature Addition · Api · Created by TUSF

closed

offline-mode local-sync

What functionality is missing? What is unsatisfying with the current situation?

I've found in the past that if I want to work on my world on my laptop when I don't have internet access, my only option has been to work on it in Google Docs, and then copy over everything later. The only way to use WorldAnvil at the moment is to be always connected, but it would be useful for creators to be able to have an offline version of the site, using Service Workers and local storage capabilities provided by browser APIs (Whether that be local storage, Indexed DB, or whatever).

How does this feature request address the current situation?

With an offline-capable WorldAnvil, users can continue editing their world, and once they reconnect, the site can use version data to update pages to the most up-to-date versions.

What are other uses for this feature request?

In addition to being able to write while traveling, it would also allow writers to shut off more distractions: One might manually disconnect themselves from the net to avoid Social Media and other content, to focus solely on their writing.

Some Caveats

I imagine there would likely be some bugs in the early versions of this feature, particularly with merge conflicts. To mitigate this, the feature should be opt-in.

Additionally, browsers don't really give websites huge amounts of data to store information, unless those websites are PWAs or something. This can probably be fixed by making a "WorldAnvil Offline" extension, as Extensions do have larger quotas they can use. In theory, this entire feature can be implemented as an Extension that communicates with the WorldAnvil API, which could be a third-party program, but I think it would be more favorable for it to be officially supported.

Reddit Thread

The Team's Response

Hello beans! So, first of all this suggestion did not reach any of the two thresholds. Having said that,I have already announced that there will be a World Anvil application with some basic functionality at some point. In regards to the whole website every being completely offline, that will probably be very hard and close to impossible, since what is being asked is a COMPLETE redevelopment of the project. Having said that, WHEN we reach v.1.0.0 we know already that the website will go towards a complete redevelopment of its CORE parts to work closer to how an app does. Until then, the upcoming app will cover some of the functionality. Also keep in mind that our API is continuedly growing, This is my way to give people the chance to create APPS around World Anvil. My team is 2 + 1 people strong we simply do not have the bandwidth to run 2 projects at once, if we were making the core better will suffer.

Current score

200/300 Votes · +35270 points

Votes Cast

+300

by Kelvin Hilbun
on 2021-11-02 02:48
+200

by Dajim13
on 2021-11-01 22:29
+50

by A Rambunctious Ooze
on 2021-11-01 22:17
+300

by Midnightplay
on 2021-11-01 18:27
+300

by HailSam
on 2021-11-01 17:34
+300

by JaenJaenJaen
on 2021-11-01 15:27
+20

by muttdavies
on 2021-11-01 15:08
+300

by MissingRollPlayerFound
on 2021-11-01 14:14
+200

by Evil God Acedia
on 2021-11-01 06:05
+50

by Rachel Sikorski
on 2021-10-31 17:44
+100

by A Enfeebled Dragon
on 2021-10-30 23:20
+300

by sekritbros2
on 2021-10-30 20:31
+20

by Xoilicec
on 2021-10-30 19:12
+300

by Lorewick09
on 2021-10-30 16:11
+100

by A Thundering Ooze
on 2021-10-30 15:07
+300

by PartyBoy
on 2021-10-30 13:16
+300

by Noelle
on 2021-10-29 23:29
+300

by Kriltch
on 2021-10-29 20:36
+300

by TheBlackHybrid
on 2021-10-29 20:24
+300

by FireAtWill
on 2021-10-29 14:50
+200

by incedio7
on 2021-10-29 13:46
+10

by MayArtemis
on 2021-10-29 12:59
+300

by Nyvanod141
on 2021-10-28 21:50
+50

by trellowave
on 2021-10-28 21:37
+300

by Kitashi
on 2021-10-28 21:02
+300

by Dunnxx
on 2021-10-28 20:09
+20

by GeneralBloopers
on 2021-10-28 19:12
+300

by Khairo
on 2021-10-28 18:33
+300

by halduron
on 2021-10-28 10:22
+300

by quartercirclepunch1
on 2021-10-28 02:59
+300

by A Sneaky Cthulhu
on 2021-10-28 01:42
+300

by Kostaki80
on 2021-10-27 22:46
+100

by jolk the kobold
on 2021-10-27 18:49
+100

by adam022002
on 2021-10-27 17:54
+50

by Dark Hobbit
on 2021-10-27 08:01
+20

by A Uncontrollable Goblin
on 2021-10-27 07:05
I don't get the downvoting comments saying this would be too much work for the team. As long as you're not expecting this to happen overnight, are willing to accept that this may take months/years to happen, and are satisfied knowing that the team have this as one of their future goals, I don't see the problem? I think being able to work on your world offline for whatever reason (some people don't have reliable or permanent access to the internet, it's not just people travelling that would benefit). Take my last 20 ACs, I think this is a great long-term goal.
+200

by A Beloved Dwarf
on 2021-10-27 05:26
+10

by Gege16
on 2021-10-27 00:56
This could be a good feature for a mobile app. Regarding the site itself, it would be tons of work for the team.
+300

by Believable Tabaxi
on 2021-10-27 00:04
+200

by SpencerH23
on 2021-10-26 22:38
+300

by tsannifer
on 2021-10-26 19:43
+20

by gcjones216
on 2021-10-26 18:57
+10

by cbirkinbine
on 2021-10-26 18:08
+300

by QuantumDND
on 2021-10-26 16:16
+300

by michaelthominks
on 2021-10-26 05:27
+300

by Ladybutterfly
on 2021-10-25 12:20
+300

by itmePhil
on 2021-10-25 11:37
+300

by Ian Eiriksson
on 2021-10-24 23:38
+300

by goncalojoaoc
on 2021-10-24 23:15
+10

by Loveland
on 2021-10-24 16:45
+20

by ExodusLARPSystems
on 2021-10-24 16:42
+300

by Kayne
on 2021-10-24 07:35
-300

by kasper376
on 2021-10-24 06:47
+300

by SparkyTheSec0nd
on 2021-10-24 05:20
+300

by TahmDotCom
on 2021-10-24 04:34
+300

by Shadowfell
on 2021-10-24 03:40
+100

by Tobus
on 2021-10-24 02:22
+100

by Grim Auctor
on 2021-10-24 02:03
+300

by raskolnikov1403
on 2021-10-23 22:30
+10

by CorissaBees
on 2021-10-23 19:46
+300

by Eve Musa Gemreez
on 2021-10-23 19:17
+300

by TheSneakyDestroyer
on 2021-10-23 17:53
+100

by A Glamorous Kitten
on 2021-10-23 17:14
+300

by RoseReveries
on 2021-10-23 17:13
+300

by therambogeeks
on 2021-10-23 15:11
+200

by Carcan
on 2021-10-23 14:28
+100

by Yuna_Nightshade
on 2021-10-23 08:09
+200

by ebonymonidorsey
on 2021-10-23 06:35
+100

by ImperfectPepper
on 2021-10-23 04:14
+300

by Auston.Lopez
on 2021-10-23 00:25
+100

by Vorbane
on 2021-10-22 22:08
+300

by wolfoflight2003
on 2021-10-22 21:19
+10

by TigLib6229
on 2021-10-22 20:46
+300

by Tiberius Fursten
on 2021-10-22 16:57
+200

by Zamelleon
on 2021-10-22 16:01
+20

by [email protected]
on 2021-10-22 15:53
+300

by Sicariouse
on 2021-10-22 15:30
+10

by A Revolutionary Goblin
on 2021-10-22 13:49
-10

by Drake Ragon
on 2021-10-22 10:06
+300

by Dxactivatxd
on 2021-10-22 04:51
+200

by Chef_Scott
on 2021-10-22 04:03
+50

by thegoofyben
on 2021-10-22 03:44
+20

by G.C.ink
on 2021-10-22 00:18
+300

by Anima0Libera
on 2021-10-21 21:15
+50

by IrisTheSC
on 2021-10-21 20:14
-20

by Snapps
on 2021-10-21 19:38
+100

by Merel.xx
on 2021-10-21 17:54
+300

by gerkiepickles
on 2021-10-21 12:56
+200

by kaibrightwing
on 2021-10-21 12:24
-300

by scholarmage
on 2021-10-21 10:52
While a useful feature, this would require a MASSIVE amount of development work, especially if it were to be coded into an extension, which then has to go to browser extension stores for approval & be supported through browser codebase changes. And which browsers would be supported, and which excluded? While all this development was ongoing, development on WA itself would grind to a complete halt.
+300

by Jester%
on 2021-10-21 03:29
+300

by RogueKnight24
on 2021-10-21 00:59
+300

by nolantarik
on 2021-10-21 00:32
+300

by Ruthless Destiny Chronicles
on 2021-10-21 00:28
+100

by Dragolithic
on 2021-10-20 23:24
+300

by ynix
on 2021-10-20 20:42
+300

by Gabe Grimoire
on 2021-10-20 18:54
+300

by A Lusty Kobold
on 2021-10-20 17:30
+300

by tr0llbait
on 2021-10-20 17:15
+300

by 1talyGomez
on 2021-10-20 17:07
+300

by MattyMyco
on 2021-10-20 15:23
+100

by _Quoth_
on 2021-10-20 15:10
+300

by Asdradan
on 2021-10-20 14:48
+200

by FictionFan1995
on 2021-10-20 14:20
+300

by makonnen
on 2021-10-20 13:47
+200

by ItsBaileyA
on 2021-10-20 06:32
+50

by Mwopigan
on 2021-10-20 05:32
+300

by Expelence
on 2021-10-20 05:21
+50

by Arrines
on 2021-10-20 03:18
+50

by Pluumee
on 2021-10-20 03:17
+300

by Davekachel
on 2021-10-19 20:54
+300

by julsvern67
on 2021-10-19 20:28
+100

by namako
on 2021-10-19 19:05
+10

by SakulBadger
on 2021-10-19 18:20
+100

by 13Emperor37
on 2021-10-19 18:11
+50

by LordEnerjak
on 2021-10-19 16:56
+300

by Infected Magic
on 2021-10-19 15:00
+300

by WolfoftheNorth
on 2021-10-19 13:47
+300

by kaiohon
on 2021-10-19 13:41
+300

by brandonmabry
on 2021-10-19 11:45
+100

by CristalViper
on 2021-10-19 11:19
+20

by yungkorg666
on 2021-10-19 05:55
+300

by Terry & Glenn
on 2021-10-18 22:41
+300

by MoxillaFauxer
on 2021-10-18 15:41
+300

by Grathew
on 2021-10-18 13:57
-100

by Lunaticpict
on 2021-10-18 05:00
+100

by Adrian B
on 2021-10-18 04:21
+300

by Kryptic907
on 2021-10-18 04:05
+20

by Ascent___
on 2021-10-18 03:14
+20

by that0neguypj
on 2021-10-18 00:13
+20

by Grontius
on 2021-10-17 22:11
+100

by BrightBlue
on 2021-10-17 21:59
+300

by BlazingArcanine
on 2021-10-17 21:39
+200

by elemnope
on 2021-10-17 18:35
+300

by Master_Zephyr
on 2021-10-17 16:30
+20

by EdOW-C
on 2021-10-17 13:32
+50

by w0lfliche
on 2021-10-17 12:13
+100

by L0veSeeker
on 2021-10-17 06:58
+300

by A Filthy Mimic
on 2021-10-17 03:17
+200

by almond_entity
on 2021-10-16 22:51
-300

by SoulLink
on 2021-10-16 19:20
this is way too much work for the team. In the APIs current state it is possible for the community to build offline editor for articles that can be used by guild members
+300

by oliverrook
on 2021-10-16 18:33
I live in a dead zone for phone service, and my home internet is getting more and more unstable. Being able to work on my campaign while it's down would be an absolute blessing.
+50

by A Mischievous Mlem
on 2021-10-16 18:12
+20

by vivimorena
on 2021-10-16 15:45
+10

by Capreolus
on 2021-10-16 14:31
+200

by KiraMul99
on 2021-10-16 13:18
+300

by Adamlister19
on 2021-10-16 13:10
+300

by Lenosallose
on 2021-10-16 06:32
+300

by Adcheryl
on 2021-10-16 03:06
+50

by A Rambunctious Devil
on 2021-10-16 02:10
+300

by Flickered_Flame
on 2021-10-16 02:05
+100

by Makoto Ichijoji
on 2021-10-16 01:15
-10

by iamthetot
on 2021-10-16 00:04
I think there are so many existing features that deserve priority for improvement before something like this is even considered.
+300

by Chadera
on 2021-10-15 16:36
+300

by GerberLife
on 2021-10-15 14:48
+100

by Tijmuhn
on 2021-10-15 12:05
+300

by Mullanphy
on 2021-10-15 09:55
+10

by Sh4d0wPh03n1x
on 2021-10-15 08:17
While I love the idea of a WA desktop app (because that's essentially what you're asking for), I don't think it's feasible for the foreseeable future. It takes a ton of work and you would need more than just the API calls. There are also some "hidden" problems that would increase the complexity tenfold (think about syncing, how do you get the first set of data and merge it with the new data, the resources it requires to upload the data on connecting and that's just a few from the top of my head). This could be a project for way down the line in a couple years or so, but not right now.
+300

by Wernerknoesen
on 2021-10-15 07:29
+300

by Racdoom
on 2021-10-15 07:13
+50

by A Sneaky Dimensional Horror
on 2021-10-15 02:23
+300

by VervainWitch
on 2021-10-15 02:14
+10

by JudahDragon
on 2021-10-14 23:45
+50

by obLIVious066
on 2021-10-14 22:45
+100

by Amancham
on 2021-10-14 21:20
As much as I would love this (not only for mobiles but in general) I don't think ALL of worldanvil could be added in something like that. It's just such a massive project. But I would LOVE to be able to work on articles and make new articles offline/from an app and do the rest on the site directly. So yeah, something like that would be amazing. I believe there was a suggestion for a mobile app before and talk about using the API?
+20

by Foxtrot89
on 2021-10-14 19:50
+100

by ShadowWalker368
on 2021-10-14 19:47
if it is opt in
+200

by TealedFleet
on 2021-10-14 19:21
+50

by Tornhalo56
on 2021-10-14 18:52
+100

by Chillian
on 2021-10-14 17:55
-300

by A Roaring Dimensional Horror
on 2021-10-14 16:58
This is something that can be done for a WA app, which could use local storage when needed, but for the actual site this is not something thats quite possible to do without having long-standing issues from it even if its accomplished
+300

by Teigh
on 2021-10-14 16:38
+200

by TheMonkeyDoodles
on 2021-10-14 16:28
+300

by A Thundering Mlem
on 2021-10-14 13:22
+50

by Kleinoede
on 2021-10-14 12:26
+100

by LoxeWh
on 2021-10-14 11:50
+300

by A Roaring Unicorn
on 2021-10-14 11:24
As long as it's opt-in, I'm all for it.
+300

by Multipask
on 2021-10-14 09:39
-300

by A Uncontrollable Orc
on 2021-10-14 08:41
+300

by Racussa
on 2021-10-14 04:46
+10

by cedes
on 2021-10-14 01:42
+300

by Voxol Tetra
on 2021-10-14 01:11
+100

by A Uncontrollable Ooze
on 2021-10-14 00:28
+100

by RC8692
on 2021-10-13 23:48
+300

by Crusher_102
on 2021-10-13 23:26
+20

by Melibear
on 2021-10-13 22:07
+300

by A Adorable Hobbit
on 2021-10-13 21:24
+300

by lord_hyperion
on 2021-10-13 21:10
+100

by UnknownWriter88
on 2021-10-13 19:07
+100

by Blue Collar DM
on 2021-10-13 18:27
+300

by Rika35
on 2021-10-13 18:12
+200

by Careen Ligh
on 2021-10-13 18:11
+20

by A Mischievous T-Rex
on 2021-10-13 18:01
+100

by Ponydera
on 2021-10-13 17:42
+200

by WilfordWorldbuilder
on 2021-10-13 15:52
+300

by Rieliesza
on 2021-10-13 15:10
I would like to have an app (Android/iOs/...) for this as well. (Yes, I know, that will probably be very complex to programme).
+300

by Tybris
on 2021-10-13 14:50
+200

by Father Volume
on 2021-10-13 13:45
+300

by Rayna Fairbell
on 2021-10-13 13:32
Don't know how difficult it would be to implement this, but it would be very useful if you don't live in an area with good internet connection, so I'll support it.
+100

by A Rambunctious Dwarf
on 2021-10-13 13:31
+300

by TUSF
on 2021-10-13 08:22

Hello! <3 I hope you are having a nice day!

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Community Suggestion: Offline Mode / Sync

Offline Mode / Sync

What functionality is missing? What is unsatisfying with the current situation?

How does this feature request address the current situation?

What are other uses for this feature request?

Some Caveats

The Team's Response

200/300 Votes · +35270 points

Votes Cast

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