>I was looking at an application yesterday that was very annoying. Everytime you saved a data change a wait window came up with "Your data has been saved - press any key to continue".
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>It got me thinking "why do we need a save button at all?" When I fill out a physical form I don't have to save it. It is saved by virtue of having filled it out. So why do we require users to 'SAVE'?
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>I'd like to think there is an elegant metaphor for intuitively saving data without asking the user to do it.
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>If you look at some of the forms that change settings in Win95 or IE4 etc. You don't have to save. You can cancel, but the boxes you check etc are saved automatically.
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>Does anyone build forms that save data without explicitly having a save button?

Interesting thread...yes, in our latest system, we have only optional Save/Undo buttons on the toolbal (& menu), for saving/undoing edits part way through on one form/page. Otherwise all saves are automatic, with no irritating messages. No Edit button, either. We want nothing to stand in user's way of accomplishing their task.

That said, we do have a complete transaction/audit trail on a separate form for every edit made on any record, which can be viewed by all, searched by date, etc., and for some users and some values, recalled. Also, a right-click over any editable field will produce a popup with all prior values for that particular field, and these also can be recalled with a left-click (if user has proper access)...

Added/Deleted records are also available for viewing separately by date, etc.

Little bit more work, but very popular interface...