Real-time collaboration

Instant synchronisation

Olaf Wishlist synchronises all changes in real time between all members of a group. When someone adds an item, changes a description or reserves a gift, all connected members see the change instantly, without reloading the page.

This is particularly useful during peak activity periods — the week before Christmas, for example, when everyone is organising gifts at the same time. No more confusion, no more duplicates, no more "I was about to buy the same thing": the view is shared and always up to date.

Always in sync, even during outages

The connection is monitored continuously. In the event of a lost connection — network outage, phone going to sleep, switching Wi-Fi networks — Olaf detects the disconnection and attempts an automatic reconnection as soon as the network is available again.

During the loss of connection, any changes made are queued. Upon reconnection, the list state is re-synchronised from the server to ensure nothing is lost. A subtle visual indicator informs the user of the connection status.

Item chat — targeted discussions

Each item has its own discussion thread. Need to check the size of a piece of clothing, suggest an alternative shop, or coordinate a group contribution? The item chat lets members help each other in complete discretion — the gift recipient has no access to it, so the surprise stays intact.

The chat displays real-time typing indicators: you can see when someone is writing, just like in WhatsApp or iMessage. This feature makes coordination feel natural and lively, even from a distance.

If the list is shared with several groups, the conversation is shared too: the members of all those circles read and write in the same thread. That is what makes it possible to divide the gifts between circles that never meet — and also what makes your messages readable beyond the group you are writing from.

Chat access and moderation rules

The chat is reserved for the members of the groups the list is shared with. The gift recipient is excluded from the chat to avoid inadvertently spoiling the surprise. This rule keeps discussions about the gifts intended for that person confidential.

When the list is kept on someone else's behalf, everyone who looks after it has access to the chat: the gifts are not meant for them, so there is no surprise to hide.

The chat becomes read-only after the event date, or if the item has been reserved. To ensure smooth exchanges, the number of messages is regulated.

One thing to keep in mind: in the chat, your name always appears next to your messages. So if you chose not to show your name on your reservations, writing “I'll take that one” still identifies you to the other members.