Syncing Offline
A key feature Mifos provides is the ability to use the Android Client App offline. Aside from being able to create clients and groups offline, a field officer can track certain clients on the go and make both loan payment and savings account transactions. Once the user is back online, the user can sync all actions that were completed offline.
If you do not know how to login/logout of the app, please see the Login/Logout page.
On this page:
- 1 How To Toggle Offline Mode
- 2 How To Navigate to Offline Sync
- 3 How To Create a New Client Offline and Sync
- 4 How To Create a New Group Offline and Sync
- 5 Field Officer: How To Track Clients
- 6 How To Make a Loan Payment Transaction Offline and Sync
- 7 How To Make a Savings Account Transaction Offline and Sync
How To Toggle Offline Mode
When you first login to the app, you will be taken to the client search page, which looks like the following screen:
In order to turn Offline Mode on or off, do the following:
Tap the menu (three lines) in the top left corner. This will expand the user dashboard, which should look like the following screen:
Below the user icon and name, you will see the Offline Mode option and the toggle next to it. Tap that to turn it on. The toggle will slide and turn blue. It should look like the following screen.
How To Navigate to Offline Sync
With Offline Mode enabled, Tap the menu (three lines) in the top left corner. This will expand the user dashboard, which should look like the following screen:
Tap Offline Sync at the bottom of the user dashboard. A sample screen is shown below:
How To Create a New Client Offline and Sync
Once you are back at the client search screen, do the following:
Tap the menu (three dots) in the upper right hand corner. It should look the following screen:
Tap Create Client. It should look the following screen:
Enter the client information. It should like like the following screen:
Field Name (attribute)
Description
Example
Validations (if applicable)
First Name
The First Name of the Client
John
This should not be NULL.
Middle Name
The Middle Name of the Client
Apple
This is optional.
Last Name
The Last Name of a the Client
Doe
This should not be NULL.
Mobile
The Mobile Number of a the Client
1234567890
This should not be NULL.
External ID
The External ID of a the Client
123456
This should not be NULL.
Gender
The Gender of a the Client
Male / Female / Unspecified
This should not be NULL.
Date of Birth
The Date of Birth of the Client
MM-DD-YYYY
This should not be NULL.
Client
Type of Client
Individual / Business
This should not be NULL.
Office
The Office of the Client
Head Office
This should not be NULL.
Staff
The Staff of the Client
DOE, JANE
This should not be NULL.
Scroll down to the bottom. Tap Client Active. It should look like the following screen:
Enable Offline Mode. (see How To Toggle Offline Mode)
Go to the Offline Sync screen. (see How To Navigate to Offline Sync)
Tap the Client Payloads option. It should look like the following screen:
Tap the Sync in the upper right-hand corner. Then tap Go Online. It should look like the following screen:
It will sync automatically.
How To Create a New Group Offline and Sync
Once you are back at the client search screen, do the following:
Tap the menu (three dots) in the upper right hand corner. It should look the following screen:
Tap Create Group. It should look like the following screen:
Enter the group information. It should looke like the following screen:
Field Name (attribute)
Description
Example
Validations (if applicable)
Group Name
The Name of the Group
Mifos
This should not be NULL.
Office
The Office of the Group
Head Office
This should not be NULL.
External ID
The External ID of the Group
123456
This should not be NULL.
Scroll down to the bottom. Tap Group Active. (Shown above)
Enable Offline Mode. (see How To Toggle Offline Mode)
Go to the Offline Sync screen. (see How To Navigate to Offline Sync)
Tap the Group Payloads option. It should look like the following screen.
Tap the Sync in the upper right-hand corner. Then tap Go Online. It should look like the following screen:
It will sync automatically.
Field Officer: How To Track Clients
Once you are back at the client search screen, do the following:
Tap the menu (three lines) in the top left-hand corner. This will expand the user dashboard, which should look like the following screen:
Tap on Clients in the menu. This will bring up a list of clients (200 by default), which should look like the following screen:
Select a user to track by tapping and holding the user until it turns gray.
If needed, select more desired users to track by tapping them. Multiple users selected should look like the following screen:
Once all desired users track are selected, sync them by tapping the Sync in the top right-hand corner. A sample sync progress dialog is shown below:
Once the sync is finished, you can enable offline mode and view the clients by repeating steps 1-2. Synced clients will display with a check next to them. A sample offline client list is shown below:
Tap on any client to view his or her details.
How To Make a Loan Payment Transaction Offline and Sync
View a user. A sample user is shown below:
Tap and expand the Loan Accounts for that user. It should look like the following:
Tap any Loan Account. It should look like the following:
Tap Make Repayment. It will take you to the following screen:
Select all options. (See above screen for an example)
Field Name (attribute)
Description
Example
Validations (if applicable)
Amount
The Amount of the loan to pay back
100.00
This should not be NULL.
Additional Payment
The Additional amount of the loan to pay back
50.00
This is optional.
Fees
The Fees of the loan
25.00
This should not be NULL.
Tap Review Payment.
Tap Pay Now. A message indicating the transaction has been saved locally and will be shown. It should look like the following screen:
Navigate to Offline Sync.
The Loan Repayment Transaction should show. A sample screen is shown below:
Tap the Sync in the upper right-hand corner. Then tap Go Online. It should look like the following screen:
If it syncs correctly, it will display the following screen with a message indicating there is no longer anything to sync.
How To Make a Savings Account Transaction Offline and Sync
View a user. A sample user is shown below:
Tap and expand the Savings Accounts for that user. It should look like the following:
Tap any Savings Account. It should look like the following:
Tap Make Deposit or Make Withdrawal. (Make Deposit will be used to demonstrate.) It will take you to the following screen:
Select all options. (See above screen for an example)
Field Name (attribute)
Description
Example
Validations (if applicable)
Amount
The Amount to withdraw or deposit from the account
100.00
This should not be NULL.
Payment Type
The Payment Type used to withdraw or deposit the money
Cash
This should not be NULL.
Tap Process Transaction. A message indicating the transaction has been saved locally will be shown.
Navigate to Offline Sync.
The Savings Account Transaction should show. It should look like the following screen:
Tap the Sync in the upper right-hand corner. Then tap Go Online. It should look like the following screen:
If it syncs correctly, it will display the following screen with a message indicating there is no longer anything to sync.
(WARNING): If you try to make multiple withdrawals/deposits in same savings account, you will receive an error, which looks like the following screen:
(NOTE): However, if you make a withdrawal/deposit in different accounts, they will sync successfully.
Comments
Great Work @Justin Du
To sync a client/group you need to long press that and then sync. It seems that this is missed in this guide. Please add this so that it's easy for many to implement.
Great work Justin Du