One of the ways to implement the autosave functionality is by using JavaScript and saving the entire form with setTimeout every so often. But there is a way to implement the autosave that gives more control and uses Livewire, instead of relying on custom JavaScript.
The way to implement autosave with Livewire would be by adding wire:model.live on the input fields. You could also use debounce, for example, wire:model.live.debounce.250ms to limit the number of network requests.
Adding wire:model.live to the input fields will now trigger a network request to the Livewire component on user input. Inside the Livewire component, you can then use the property’s ‘updated’ hook. For example, you have an input field <input type=”text” wire:model.live=”name”>, inside of the Livewire, you can then set up the updatedName hook, which would save the name Livewire property to your model. One “gotcha” with using this approach is that you need to use $this->skipRender() in order to prevent overriding user input when the request finishes. Because the user is likely to continue typing in the input field. Inside the Livewire component, the final ‘updated’ hook would then look as follows:
public function updatedName($value) {
$this->post->update([‘name’ => $value]);
$this->skipRender();
}
Using Livewire for autosave gives one more advantage. We’ve previously seen multiple users working on the same form, editing the same model. When they save, they override each other's updates. With the Livewire approach for autosave, you can set it up so that only the field the user edited is saved. This helps to prevent 2 users from overwriting each other's data in the form and it also allows for validating each input field separately instead of all input fields together after submit.