Real-Time Collaboration in Quixli

Real-time collaboration lets multiple people edit the same page simultaneously, seeing each other's changes as they happen. No more emailing document versions back and forth, no more "final_v3_FINAL.docx" files — everyone works on the same live document, and changes are merged automatically.

Quixli's collaboration is powered by CRDT technology (Conflict-free Replicated Data Types), which ensures that simultaneous edits from multiple users are merged intelligently without conflicts or data loss. This guide explains how collaboration works, what features are available, and how to get the most out of working with your team.

How Real-Time Collaboration Works

When multiple people open the same page:

• Changes appear instantly: As one person types, their text appears on everyone else's screen in real-time — typically within 100 milliseconds

• Cursors are visible: Each collaborator has a colored cursor with their name label, so you can see exactly where everyone is working in the document

• Presence indicators: Avatars appear in the top bar showing who's currently viewing or editing the page

• Changes merge automatically: If two people edit different parts of the page simultaneously, both changes are preserved. If they edit the same paragraph, the CRDT algorithm merges the edits intelligently

Collaboration Features

Live Cursors

Every collaborator gets a uniquely colored cursor that shows their name and current position in the document. Cursors update in real-time as people navigate and type. This gives you awareness of where work is happening without needing to communicate explicitly.

Presence Indicators

The page header shows avatar circles for everyone currently viewing the page. Hover over an avatar to see the person's name. A green dot indicates they're actively editing; a gray dot means they're viewing but idle.

Automatic Versioning

During active collaboration, Quixli automatically creates page versions every 5 minutes. This means you can always roll back to an earlier state if something goes wrong. Versions are accessible from the page's version history panel and include a note about who was collaborating when the version was created.

Conflict Resolution

Quixli's CRDT engine handles simultaneous edits gracefully. Here's what happens in common scenarios:

• Two people type in different paragraphs: Both changes are preserved as-is. No conflict

• Two people type in the same paragraph: Both sets of text are merged at the character level. The result preserves both contributions

• One person deletes text while another edits it: The deletion takes precedence, and the edit is applied to whatever remains. If the entire block was deleted, the edit is lost

• Two people move the same block: The last move wins, but the block content is always preserved

Getting Started with Collaboration

To start collaborating in real-time:

1. Share the page with collaborators using any sharing method (user share, email share, or team share) with Edit or Admin permission

2. Open the page simultaneously: When multiple people with edit access open the same page, collaboration starts automatically. There's no "collaboration mode" to enable — it just works

3. Start editing: Type, format, add blocks, and rearrange content as usual. Your changes appear on everyone else's screen in real-time

Pro Tip: For the best collaboration experience, use a stable internet connection. Quixli handles brief disconnections gracefully (changes are queued and synced when reconnected), but a consistent connection ensures the smoothest real-time experience.

Best Practices for Team Collaboration

• Communicate before major restructuring: If you're planning to reorganize sections, delete large blocks, or change the page structure, let your collaborators know via a comment first. This prevents confusion when they see big changes appear suddenly

• Use comments for discussions: Instead of writing notes inline ("@Sarah please review this section"), use the comment feature. Comments are separate from the document content and can be resolved when addressed

• Review version history after sessions: After a collaboration session, browse the version history to understand what changed. This is especially useful if you want to review edits made by specific collaborators

• Set editing guidelines: For teams, establish conventions about formatting, heading styles, and content structure. Consistent guidelines reduce the need for post-editing cleanup

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people can collaborate on a page at once?

Quixli supports up to 50 simultaneous editors on a single page. Performance remains smooth up to about 20 active editors; beyond that, cursor updates may have slight delays, though text editing remains responsive.

What happens if my internet disconnects during collaboration?

Your local changes are preserved and queued. When you reconnect, Quixli automatically syncs your changes with the server and merges them with any edits others made while you were offline. You'll see a brief "Reconnecting..." indicator in the header during this process.

Can I see who made specific changes?

The version history panel shows which users were active during each version snapshot. For more granular tracking, the activity log records individual edit events with timestamps and user attribution.