Safari - lost work within a web based application

Anto70 said:

My wife is applying for funding within a hospital website. A box within the application allows you to enter text up to 1000 words. There is a save icon to click after entering text. Unfortunately the web page timed out so when she hit save, it didn't recognise 1.5hrs work. Have looked in history but just goes back to page with none of her text. Is there any way to go back to the point before the page timed out to see the text she had typed in? Thanks

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I don't think there's any way to get it back, sorry. I have done this multiple times before and have found no solution. I would suggest using Notes to write up such a thing or copy it when she has finished. Even on a PC/Mac, it would still not have saved it and timed out.

I really hope there is a solution for your wife's sake however I haven't found one. Hopefully someone else on here can help you..

Anto70 said:

My wife is applying for funding within a hospital website. A box within the application allows you to enter text up to 1000 words. There is a save icon to click after entering text. Unfortunately the web page timed out so when she hit save, it didn't recognise 1.5hrs work. Have looked in history but just goes back to page with none of her text. Is there any way to go back to the point before she hit save to see the text she had typed in? Thanks

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Have had this happen myself. The only thing you could try is going back a page then forward again. If it is not there, then you are out of luck. From the sounds of it, it is already to late. It only took me once to learn never to do that again. I now do anything like that in Pages or Word, then copy & paste. Sorry this is not what you may want to hear, but it may help in the future.

I agree with the above responses. The problem is that many websites treat data entry into a text box as idling. This is bad programming. There are other sites that scan text boxes during data entry and treat text entry as activity.

It is frustrating for a site to give the user 10 minutes to enter 15 minutes of text. There is nothing that can be done about the hospital website text that your wife lost. However, there will be a next time--if not on the hospital website, then on some other site.

My advice is much the same as others have given. Do what I do. Create the text using a word processor or text editor. I prefer Text Wrangler. Text Edit, Pages, Word, or any other word processor will do as well. When you or your wife has completed the text to be entered into the text box, Select it all. Copy and paste the text into the text box.

[[ Is there any way to go back to the point before she hit save to see the text she had typed in? ]]

If you mean "get the text back that was lost", my guess is probably not.

May I offer a suggestion for the future?

Instead of entering text directly into an online form (using Safari, etc.), have your wife "pre-type" and SAVE the text using a word processor, or even (preferably) Text Edit.

Then, at the appropriate moment, just "copy and paste" the text composition from Text Edit into the text entry box in Safari.

Even if Safari were to crash at that point, because the text was "saved externally", you won't lose it. Just re-copy and re-paste again.