Object Locking & Concurrent Editing

Lowgile uses object locking to prevent multiple users from simultaneously editing the same object. This prevents conflicting edits, loss of vital updates, and preserves consistency in object definitions.

Object locking ensures that only one user can save edits to an object at a time and applies to all editable objects, including:

• Screens,
• Entities,
• Processes, and
• Configurations.

How object locking works

When you open an object for editing:

• A full lock is automatically applied,
• The object becomes locked to your user session, and
• Other users cannot edit it unless they override the lock.

Visual indicator

When you open an object for editing, the header bar appears in its default (blue) state, as shown in the following image.

Figure 1:

Lowgile lock icon on header bar

The lock icon allows you to request or override the lock.

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Insight

If you click the lock icon and the object is already locked by another user, the header bar turns orange to indicate that the lock belongs to another user.

When multiple users save updates to the same object

Before you try to save changes to an object that another user has locked:

1. Click the lock icon in the toolbar.
2. On the first click, you will see an error message:

Cannot obtain full lock; object already has full lock by user [name]

3. Click the lock icon a second time and the system will override the lock.

Overriding a lock

Overriding allows another user to take control of the object by replacing the existing lock.

However, this has serious implications.

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Why

If a lock is overridden before the original user saves their changes, those unsaved changes will be permanently lost.

When to override a lock

Only override a lock when:

• You are certain the original user is no longer working on the object,
• You have coordinated with the other developer, or
• The other changes are not critical or have already been saved.

Avoid overriding locks during:

• Active development sessions, and
• Collaborative editing without communication.

Recommended team workflow

To reduce conflicts:

• Work in separate modules where possible,
• Communicate before editing shared objects,
• Save changes frequently, and
• Avoid leaving objects open and locked for long periods.

Summary

Object locking:

• Eliminates edit conflicts,
• Ensures consistent object definitions, and
• Supports safe multi-user collaboration.

Use it carefully, especially when overriding locks, to avoid unintended data loss.

Related concepts

• Access control fundamentals (permissions to read/write objects)
• Task assignment (process-level responsibility)

Object locking is separate from permissions — even if you have access, you may still be blocked by a lock.