Understanding the "Unsaved Changes" warning
PublishFi saves your work automatically as you edit — you never need to press a save button. But because saves happen in the background, there is always a short window between making a change and having it safely stored on the server. The Unsaved Changes warning exists to protect you from closing the editor during that window and losing recent work.
How auto-save works
Every time you make a change in the editor, PublishFi waits briefly — about 1.5 seconds after you stop editing — and then sends the update to the server. This short pause is intentional: it batches rapid edits together rather than saving after every individual action, which keeps the editor feeling fast and responsive.
While a save is in flight, the editor tracks that your project has pending changes. Once the server confirms the save is complete, the pending state clears and you can leave freely.
When the warning appears
The Unsaved Changes dialog appears whenever you try to navigate away from the editor — such as going to the dashboard or opening a different project — while:
- A save is still being sent to the server, or
- You have made edits that have not yet been queued for saving.
Your browser may also show its own native warning if you try to close the tab or refresh the page during this window. Both warnings serve the same purpose: giving you a chance to wait rather than discard recent work.
What to do when you see the dialog
The dialog presents two options: Stay on page and Leave.
- Click Stay on page if you want to keep your changes. Wait a moment for the save to complete in the background, then navigate away normally.
- Click Leave only if you are certain you do not need the changes you just made, or if you know the editor has already finished saving.
When you see the browser-level warning (for example, when closing the tab), choose to remain on the page, wait a few seconds, and then try again.
How to know when saving is complete
After making a change, the editor briefly shows a saving state. Once that clears, your project is safely stored and you can leave without any risk of data loss. If you are unsure, pause for five to ten seconds after your last edit before navigating away — the save will have completed in that time under normal conditions.
If the warning keeps appearing repeatedly
If the dialog appears every time you try to leave even after waiting, it may indicate a connection issue that is preventing saves from completing. Try refreshing the page — your last successfully saved version will reload automatically, and you can continue from there.
Tip: The most common moment to accidentally lose changes is immediately after a large edit — like adding a clip, trimming, or rearranging the timeline. After significant edits, give the editor a few extra seconds before closing the tab or the browser.
