Form Definition Locks

Learn to use form definition locks.

Last published at: April 15th, 2026

View locked definitions for designing.

The user can view locked Form Definitions. When opened for editing by the Form designer, Form definitions are automatically locked for the user. The lock function prevents other users from editing or updating a Form definition while another user is designing it. 

On the Form Definitions page, select the Utils > Form Definition Locks menu option. 

 

The Form Definition lock page is rendered as shown below. The Form definitions and the lock status are listed in the table. 

 

When an existing Form Definition is opened for editing, the definition remains locked to the user. An alert message “the user locks definition” is displayed in the top-right corner. A new Form Definition also remains locked to the user. The definitions are “unlocked” when the user closes the Form designer tab. The definitions remain “locked” to the user when the session has expired and the application pages are closed by the user. 

 

Suppose another FlowWright user attempts to open the Form definition in use. An alert appears in the top-right corner, indicating that the definition is locked for design by another user and can be rendered only for viewing. 

 

Select the Form definition, then click the “Unlock Definition” menu option to unlock it. The current user can unlock only their Form definitions; administrative users can unlock any user’s definitions.

 

Note: The Form definitions are automatically unlocked by the FlowWright application, and the time duration is determined by the system variable “$ItemAutoUnlockDays” configured in Engine Settings.  

You must navigate to the Status > Settings > Settings Designer menu page. 

 

The Settings Designer page is rendered as shown below. Navigate to the Engine Settings category and click to expand the branch. Search and double-click the “$ItemAutoUnlockDays” setting to view. 

 

A pop-up window displays the Configuration Item value. By default, all “locked” Form definitions are “unlocked” after 3 days, or as specified in this configuration. You may change this value to any whole number, then click the Save button to confirm. The changes take effect when the FlowWright application is restarted or the FlowWright Engine services are restarted using the Windows Services feature.  

 

Select the Form definition, then click View > History. 

 

The Form definition history includes the “Lock” and “Unlock” events, as shown in the image below.