Demo Mobile Workers

Demo Mobile Workers are mobile workers whose case and form data are never synced with the server. This ensures that practice data is not confused with live reports and data exports, and demo users' practice cases don't appear when mobile workers actually start using the application.

Demo Mobile Workers cannot use the "Sync with Server" functionality. To refresh their data, web admins must go through a special process on CommCareHQ (documented below), which also erases any cases created on local devices. Demo Mobile Worker case data should therefore be considered as temporary, and prone to disappearing when app updates necessitate adding a new data fixture.

A "Demo Mode" mobile worker is great to use for trainings, and a single account can be shared across all users.

Demo Mobile Workers have a username and password just like all other Mobile Workers. But it also possible to specify a particular Demo Mobile Worker to be the mobile worker referenced during "Practice Mode", as described in the documentation below.

Setting Up A Demo Worker

Create a mobile worker (i.e. training_practice) and set that mobile worker with any practice cases, locations, lookup tables, etc. that are required. 

Turn on "demo mode" for that mobile worker. To do this, click the name of the mobile worker, go to the "Action" tab, and choose "Turn on Demo Mode" for this mobile worker (as seen below): 

Have your trainees login as that mobile worker  - they will get a prompt that they are in demo mode and no data will be sent to the server.

Once training is complete, the trainees can login using their real mobile worker username to use the app.

Demo mode does not work on Web Apps

Refreshing the Fixtures Available to a Demo Worker

Sometimes you may setup your demo mode mobile worker, but later want to change their cases, look-up tables etc.  You can't use the mobile application to do this since no data from the mobile will be sent to the server.  To address this, you will need to:

1. Click the "Refresh Demo Mode Data" button on the Permanent Actions tab.

2. Create a new version of the application and download this to your device.

3. The next time you log in with the Demo Mode user that you refreshed (via a standard log-in or by entering Practice Mode), a the app will trigger a cloud-based data sync for that user.

Note! Once you Refresh Demo Mode Data and sync this new user state to your device, all of the user's previously created local cases will be erased.

Turning off Demo Mode for a Mobile Worker

When you're done with testing and want to switch your mobile workers back to normal mode, take the following steps:

Go to the same page on HQ where you enabled demo mode (the Permanent Actions tab for a mobile worker) and select "Turn Off Demo Mode for this Mobile Worker".

Important: For any devices on which a user had logged in with this mobile worker while demo mode was on, take the following steps in order to get the worker out of demo mode on that specific device:

1. Open the app manager (Go to the login screen of CommCare, and then click on the options menu (the 3 dots in the top right corner) and choose "Go to App Manager").

2. Go back to normal CommCare and make sure you are logged in as the mobile worker in question.

3. Go back to the app manager and then click on the options menu (the 3 dots in the top right corner) and choose "Advanced".

4. Select "Clear User Data".

5. Then, the next time you log in as this mobile worker, you will be back in normal mode.