.. comment out this Section (by putting '|updatedisclaimer|' on top) if file is not uptodate with release

.. _`offlinedit`:

Offline Editing Plugin
======================

For data collection, it is a common situation to work with a laptop or a cell
phone offline in the field. Upon returning to the network, the changes need to
be synchronized with the master data source, e.g. a PostGIS database. If several
persons are working simultaneously on the same datasets, it is difficult to
merge the edits by hand, even if people don’t change the same features.

The |offline_editing_copy|:sup:`Offline Editing` Plugin automates the
synchronisation by copying the content of a datasource (usually PostGIS or
WFS-T) to a SpatiaLite database and storing the offline edits to dedicated
tables. After being connected to the network again, it is possible to apply the
offline edits to the master dataset.

Using the plugin
----------------

* Open some vector layers, e.g. from a PostGIS or WFS-T datasource
* Save it as a project
* Press the |offline_editing_copy|:sup:`Convert to offline project` icon and
  select the layers to save. The content of the layers is saved to SpatiaLite
  tables.
* Edit the layers offline.
* After being connected again, upload the changes with the |offline_editing_sync|
  :sup:`Synchronize` button.

.. _figure_offline_editing_1:

.. only:: html

   **Figure Offline Editing 1:**


.. figure:: /static/user_manual/plugins/create_offline_project.png
   :align: center
   :width: 30em

   Create an offline project from PostGIS or WFS layers