The Outbox feature was introduced in Mi-Apps version 12.6 to improve usability while a mobile device is offline. While the Mi-Apps client fully supports offline operation - allowing form sessions to be created, filled in, and finished while offline - the form session cannot be uploaded to the Middleware server until the mobile device has its internet connectivity restored. During this period, sessions are placed in the Outbox until the device is back online. The Outbox can be accessed through the side menu of the Mi-Apps main page.

General Operation

When a user finishes a form, Mi-Apps will attempt to upload the form session to the Middleware server to be processed. If the device is offline or Mi-Apps cannot otherwise reach the server, the upload will timeout and a message is displayed.

At this point the session remains in the Outbox and the upload will be retried every time the device is synced. Syncing happens when the user presses the orange Sync button on the main page, and also happens in the background when navigating to the main page. If the upload of a session in the Outbox fails, the session remains in the outbox and no additional warning is presented.

Outbox Display

To view the contents of the Outbox, open the side menu from the main page using the menu button in the upper right corner and select Outbox.

Pending sessions are shown, grouped by form name, and the number of times the upload has been attempted is provided. From this menu the user can attempt a manual upload using the orange button.

Additional Considerations

Note that the Outbox is a separate feature from the Batch Upload menu which displays all sessions on the device that are ready to be submitted. The key difference is that sessions in the Outbox have been submitted by the user, whereas sessions in the Batch Upload menu have been saved and closed and no attempt has yet been made to submit them.