How saving works

Luzbase keeps your work in two ways. Everything you type is saved automatically as you go. A version is a named snapshot that you choose to save, so you can go back to it later. You never need to save to avoid losing work, but you do save versions to mark progress.

Your live copy is saved as you type

Each branch of a project has one live copy of its files. Every change anyone makes is saved to it within moments and shown to everyone working on the same branch. There is no Save button for this, and nothing to remember.

The status indicator in the editor header tells you where your changes are:

Status	What it means
Live	Connected. Every change is saved as you type and shared with everyone on this branch.
Saving…	Your latest changes are on their way. Keep the tab open until it says Live.
Connecting…	The editor is connecting.
Reconnecting…	The connection dropped. Your changes are kept in this tab and sent when it is back.
Offline — changes kept in this tab	You are offline. Keep typing, and don’t close the tab: changes are sent when the connection is back.
Disconnected	The branch was deleted, or you no longer have access to the project. The editor is read-only. Reload the page.

Offline changes live only in the open tab

While you are offline, your changes exist only in that browser tab. If you close the tab before the connection comes back, they are lost. If you try to leave while changes haven’t reached the server, Luzbase warns you first.

A version is a snapshot you choose to save

When you reach a point worth keeping, such as a finished section or a draft you sent to your supervisor, click Save version… and describe it. Luzbase records the state of every file on the branch at that moment.

Saved versions let you:

• look back at earlier states and compare what changed (how far back depends on the project owner’s plan; see Version history),
• restore an earlier state if something goes wrong,
• start a new branch from a known point,
• share a stable state with others.

See Save a version and Version history.

Version history on the Free plan

On the Free plan, versions older than the history window are hidden, and their stored files are deleted after an email notice. The latest version of every branch is always kept. See How far back history goes.

An example

You write all afternoon. Every word is saved automatically. At the end of the day you click Save version… and type “Finished the related-work section”. Next week, if an edit goes wrong, you can compare against that version or restore it.

What uses the live copy, and what uses the last version

Feature	Uses
The editor and everyone’s live edits	The live copy
Compiling and the PDF preview	The live copy, including changes not saved as a version
Export PDF in the preview	The live copy, as last compiled
The project’s Documents tab	The last saved version
Downloading the project as a .zip	The last saved version
Creating a new branch	The last saved version of the branch you start from
Pull requests and comparing branches	Saved versions only

So if a collaborator can’t see your latest changes in the Documents tab, a pull request or an export, save a version first.

If changes couldn’t be saved

Rarely, some of your recent changes can’t be saved, for example because someone deleted the file you were editing, or the connection dropped and you switched to another file. Luzbase then opens an Unsaved changes in … dialog with the text that was not saved. You can:

• Copy text to paste it somewhere yourself,
• click Save as … to keep it in a new file, such as chapter-recovered.tex, or
• Discard it.

Related

• Save a version
• Version history
• Branches
• Real-time editing