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WordPress just ate your homework.
Have you ever been merrily typing along, creating your next magnificent article, pressed the “Save Draft” button in your WordPress editing interface…
… and seen one of these?
Hit the Back button instead
You have two options, hit the “Back” button, or “Please Try Again” as directed by this page.
Do yourself a favor:
Hit the Back button.
Here’s the Gotcha! If you are saving a draft for the first time, using the “Please Try Again” link takes you back to an empty article! Nothing got saved. [Update: You may have an untitled draft in your queue. If this happens to you, and you get that empty text field, look back in the Edit Pages for an empty draft page.]
On the other hand, the Back button restores most of the state of the page before you attempted to “Save Draft.” You may lose the title, but your first title probably sucked anyway. Mine usually do. So that’s small loss.
Has this ever bit you? It may be a known bug. May not be. I haven’t looked, it’s faster to work around it for me. And makes for an excellent little article for you!
Great tip there on the back button. I actually type all my posts in Word and then paste into WP. I figure I like to have a back up anyway so I might as well create my post in safer environment.
But I still have to modify the post for formatting, images, and links. I’ll definitely give that back button a try next time a post gets lost.
.-= Gabe | freebloghelp.com´s last blog ..Visits vs. visitors: Who wins? =-.
@Gabe, It turns out you may find your article in an empty draft. I was poking around late yesterday and came across a couple. Added an Update to the article.
The Gotcha! should still be useful though, as the behavior is apparently random.
.-= Dr WordPress!´s last blog ..Payload-Envelope-Transport (PET) model for peer-to-peer overlay networks =-.
Thanks for this tip. I have been a victim of this “Gotcha” before and the way I was going around this was, before moving on, I would simply copy the whole article and if some dreaded “whoa” appears, I did use the “Try Again” and to my surprise bye bye article. Now with a simple CTRL-V, I am back in the game. But hey, I’ll take this one instead as it saves me a few keystrokes.
.-= DiTesco´s last blog ..Google Affiliate Network’s AdSense Payment Integration Complete =-.
@DiTesco, I’ll try that CTRL-V next time I get bit.
My hunch is it’s an obscure but known bug which will be fixed at some point. I haven’t gone looking for it though.
.-= Dr WordPress!´s last blog ..Payload-Envelope-Transport (PET) model for peer-to-peer overlay networks =-.
So far I never encountered this bug on WordPress. However, this is an important tip you’ve shared. Thanks. :-)
@Walter – These bugs are subtle and devious to be sure. If you ever find something yourself, please pass it on!
.-= Dr WordPress!´s last blog ..Payload-Envelope-Transport (PET) model for peer-to-peer overlay networks =-.
Thanks for the great tip Dave!
Me too, a victim of this naughty Gotcha…And the first time it happened, I panicked. Good thing I saved the article on my google document.
.-= elmot´s last blog ..Stop Tweeting Political Stuffs, Bro. Seriously. =-.
Thanks for the tip, Dave. I always freak when I get a page like this, no matter what the platform. I’ve been burned plenty of times by seemingly helpful web language, when the ugly ol’ back button could have saved the day. I haven’t gotten this WP one yet, but at least now I know to narrow my eyes suspiciously, just like I have for other programs.
@elmot, I want that SEO gotcha when you figure it out.
@Susan, I have a post just for you coming up on Saturday. Watch for it!
.-= Dr WordPress!´s last blog ..Payload-Envelope-Transport (PET) model for peer-to-peer overlay networks =-.
I have been nailed with this bug on at least 2 or 3 times. Losing 30 min+ of work is one of the most frustrating things I can think of. I’ve started doing things DiTesco style since ctrl+c/v is my tried and true lifesaver. I also end up doing using that method with captcha too.
For some reason hitting back with failed comments doesn’t seem as effective as it does with lost articles.
.-= Blake @ props blog´s last blog ..SEO and Design Tips You Never Knew About =-.
Nice tip.
Just like a couple people have said before.. I always do my initial draft of any article in Google Docs. At least then I have something to go back to if I need to.
.-= Josh´s last blog ..Your Free Guide On How To Make A Free Guide! =-.
@Josh –
I’m addressing what happens after a decade or two of managing the same document on multiple platforms over in There Is No Box.
One article on canonical documents is already published.
Rest assured though, there is no free lunch… working with multiple copies comes at a price. A different price, but still a price.
.-= Dr WordPress!´s last blog ..Payload-Envelope-Transport (PET) model for peer-to-peer overlay networks =-.
I haven’t had this error occur yet, I do however have another exciting error that closes the screen and doesn’t save a draft. Good times.
.-= Extreme John´s last blog ..Yahoo Meme the Lonley World =-.
@Dave Oh I totally agree – don’t get me wrong I’m not a fan of passing multiple copies of a document around. That’s what version control systems were invented for :)
My system goes something like this:
1. When I have an idea for my blog it goes into my ideas pad for that project.
2. When i’m ready to write about it – a new document created in google docs (which I can share with others).
3. When I’m reasonably happy with the first draft I move this to a done folder *never to be touched again unless it’s an emergency backup*
4. Move the post to WordPress control and continue the polish phase until it’s suitable for the site
Great post – you’ve made me (and hopefully others) think hard about their process and if it makes sense – much more than just a gotcha! here :)
.-= Josh Kohlbach´s last blog ..Your Free Guide On How To Make A Free Guide! =-.