App Builder Versioning Mechanism

    Overview

    App Builder includes now a strong versioning mechanism. You can safely capture and restore previous states without data loss or inconsistencies, regardless of whether changes were made manually.

    This mechanism helps you:

    • Save named checkpoints during complex design sessions.
    • Recover from unintended changes.
    • Preserve restore points before high-impact operations.
    Note

    Undo/redo is session-scoped. If you close the browser tab, undo history is lost. Version History provides persistent restore points across sessions.

    Prerequisites

    Before you start:

    • Open an application in App Builder.
    • Ensure you have edit permissions for the app workspace.
    • Save at least one change to enable version entries relevant to your current session.

    What You Can Do

    The versioning feature includes two main capabilities:

    • State Versioning System: Automatic and manual snapshotting of app and view states.
    • Version Browsing and Management: List, filter, rename, duplicate, restore, open, and delete saved versions.

    Snapshots capture the App Builder model state, including:

    • App structure
    • Views
    • Data sources
    • Theme

    App Builder stores snapshots efficiently by using a Diff/Delta strategy.

    Access Version History

    You can open Version History from the app menu in the application name dropdown (Show Version History).

    The panel opens on the left side and displays a timeline of versions.

    Save a Manual Version

    Use manual versions to create intentional restore points before risky changes.

    1. Open the split save button or app/view context menu.
    2. Select Save Version.
    3. (Optional) Enter a custom label. : Default format is Manual save - [timestamp].
    4. Select Save.

    At the end:

    • App Builder creates a version with an automatically assigned unique ID.
    • A success toast appears (for example, Version saved).

    Automatic Snapshots

    We auto-save only upon restoring a manually saved version.

    Browse and Manage Versions

    The Version History panel supports timeline browsing and version management.

    Filtering and grouping

    Use filters to narrow results:

    • All Versions
    • My Versions
    • Named Versions

    Timeline groups can include:

    • Earlier Today
    • Earlier This Week
    • Last Month

    Newest versions are shown first by default.

    Actions per version

    Per-row actions can include:

    • Restore
    • Rename
    • Duplicate
    • Delete

    Restore Workflow

    1. Open Version History.
    2. Select the target version.
    3. Choose Restore.
    4. Confirm restore.

    Expected result:

    • A success toast confirms restoration.
    • If you restore a manually saved version, App Builder creates an automatic snapshot before restore.

    Application Menu and Save UX Updates

    The application name now opens a dropdown with:

    • Rename
    • Duplicate
    • Copy to Workspace
    • Show Version History

    Related behavior updates:

    • Rename is accessed from the dropdown and from click-to-rename.
    • Duplicate does not force navigation away from the current app.
    • Success toasts confirm actions, including duplicate and save version.

    Retention and Cleanup

    Version retention follows these rules:

    • Versions are retained for at least 90 days. After that, we delete only the auto-saved versions
    • Manual and auto-saved versions are not automatically deleted, they can be deleted manually by the user.

    Limitations and Notes

    • Version history does not replace source control branching strategies.
    • Undo/redo and Version History are different recovery systems.
    • Exact trigger availability may vary by tenant configuration and release rollout.

    Expected Outcomes

    After using versioning, you can:

    • Create reliable restore points before risky edits.
    • Recover quickly from unintended changes that should be reverted.
    • Track app and view evolution with clear metadata and timeline filters.

    Additional Resources