Collaborative Editing

The conversational flow builder supports team collaboration through a lock-based editing system. This ensures that multiple users can work with flows without overwriting each other's changes.

Lock System

To prevent conflicts, only one user can edit a flow at a time. This is managed through an automatic locking mechanism.

How It Works

1. Acquiring a lock: When you open a flow for editing, you automatically acquire an exclusive lock
2. Lock duration: The lock has a Time-To-Live (TTL) of 5 minutes
3. Automatic renewal: While you're actively editing, the lock is renewed automatically (heartbeat every 60 seconds)
4. Other users: Users who try to edit a locked flow enter read-only mode

Lock Indicators

The builder interface shows the current lock status:

• Your lock: You have editing rights and can make changes
• Someone else's lock: Shows who has the lock and when it was acquired
• No lock: The flow is available for editing

Pointer Mode (Read-Only)

When another user has the editing lock, you enter pointer mode automatically.

Capabilities in Pointer Mode

Visual Indicators

In pointer mode, the interface provides clear visual cues:

• The editing toolbar is disabled
• A banner shows who has the lock
• Node selection is limited to viewing

Control Delegation

The system supports explicit control transfer between team members.

Ways to Transfer Control

1. Explicit release: The current editor can release control through the interface
2. Request control: Another user can request control from the current editor
3. Automatic release: Lock is automatically released after 5 minutes of inactivity

Best Practices for Team Collaboration

• Communicate: Let your team know when you're editing a flow
• Release promptly: Release the lock when you're done editing
• Save frequently: Although autosave is enabled, saving before releasing ensures all changes are persisted
• Plan sessions: Coordinate editing sessions to avoid wait times

Timeout Behavior

The lock system includes automatic timeout handling:

Recovering from Timeout

If your lock times out while you had unsaved changes:

1. The system will notify you that the lock was lost
2. Your local changes may still be in the browser
3. Request the lock again when available
4. Review and reapply any lost changes