Editor Menus

Every command in the editor menu bar, by menu. Many commands also have a keyboard shortcut, shown next to the item in the menu and listed in Keyboard Shortcuts.

Speakers panel voice samples

View → Speakers opens the existing panel with participant audio samples, Play and Go to turn. Formatted Q/A transcripts list examiner, witness and counsel participants, including those with No sample. Transcripts with speaker labels keep their name-management controls in the same panel. See Voice samples.

File

Before Export as DOCX, HeyDonna checks whether this tab is running a different deployed version. If so, HeyDonna has been updated requires a reload before exporting and offers two choices:

• Cancel closes the prompt without exporting. Escape or clicking outside also cancels.
• Reload to export waits up to ten seconds for pending and in-flight edits to be saved to the server. If saving and reload safety are confirmed, the page reloads. Otherwise, the message above the menu says Some edits may not be saved yet. Save a backup before you reload. Choose Keep editing to hide it without reloading, or More options → Reload to save and download a backup before reloading. If the backup cannot be saved, an error notification appears and the tab stays open. Choose Export as DOCX again after the page returns.

If saving is also failing, the same top bar leads with the save warning and Copy transcript instead. Copy keeps a second copy on your clipboard; it does not confirm that edits reached the server. More options → Reload still saves and verifies a backup before downloading it and reloading. More options → Keep editing or Dismiss hides the reload notice only; the save warning returns until saving recovers. A failed copy shows an error notification and leaves the tab open.

If the version check is unavailable, export proceeds without this prompt.

Other editor notices also appear above the menu: Reapply styles updates outdated paragraph styles; Reopen transcript reloads the saved transcript (with History under More options); Retry checks editing access again. Your edits are kept on this device. offers Open backup to view the existing backup options. Dismiss only hides a notice; it does not save, reload, or recover your work. Reapply styles remains available in read-only mode but shows an error notification without changing the transcript.

Edit

Format

See Text Formatting.

Audio

See Audio Playback.

View

These toggles are the same as the matching options in Settings. See also View Options.

Tools

Damaged AI results

Manual formatting and proofreading leave your transcript unchanged if a result loses substantial dialogue or introduces misplaced speaker or Q/A labels. An error notification says Formatting result looked damaged and was not applied or Proofreading result looked damaged and was not applied, depending on the action. Hesitation-filler cleanup and small editorial deletions are allowed. Your existing text and tracked changes remain available.

Saving paused

When saving is paused, a compact colored message bar appears above the editor menu. Copy is its only primary action: copy your current transcript to preserve your work. Open More options for Export DOCX or Reload. Reload stays enabled; if neither Copy nor Export DOCX has succeeded, choosing Reload closes the menu and shows “Copy or export your transcript before reloading.” in a toast without reloading. Cancelled, pending, or failed preservation does not permit Reload. Reload can still use the existing verified recovery path without prior preservation when that recovery is available; it does not bypass the existing safety checks.

If an emergency backup is also retained on this device, the saving-paused message stays visible with Copy as the primary action. Its More options also contains Download backup, Retry recovery check, Hide notice, and Delete backup when available. Backup confirmations replace the same bar; Cancel returns to the saving-paused message without losing a successful Copy or Export DOCX. Downloading a backup does not permit Reload.

Click the right-edge × (Dismiss) to hide the message only and reveal any retained-backup notice. Saving remains paused; dismissing does not unlock editing, clear the saving problem, or discard your work.

Recover sync

If local edits cannot be safely opened, the recovery bar opens automatically above the editor menu; dismissing it keeps it hidden for that occurrence. If an earlier copy must be retained after restoring a saved version, a compact colored notice appears above the editor menu. Only one of these recovery notices is shown at a time. Backup, formatting, position, editing-access and older-content refresh notices keep their existing priority; hiding one can reveal the applicable recovery notice. Recovery notices appear before outdated-style warnings. Choose Recover sync to open the existing recovery panel; the notice is hidden while that panel is open and returns on close if still applicable. The right-edge × (Dismiss) only hides that notice: it does not delete local work, change the saved version, or resume paused editing. Tools → Recover sync remains available after dismissal. A new recovery occurrence shows its notice again. An unresolved document stays unavailable for editing until recovery is verified, even if its notice is dismissed.

When reopening a transcript, HeyDonna automatically loads an emergency backup only when it can confirm that the backup's edits started from the version currently saved in HeyDonna. A backup from a different or unknown version stays on this computer and is not automatically loaded or saved over the current document. Its newer backup time alone does not prove that its contents are newer. You can download the retained backup and review the existing recovery options. Confirming Hide notice removes a current-app backup from this computer only when its contents are already saved in HeyDonna; otherwise the backup stays and only the notice is hidden. A document that is fully saved does not write a new emergency backup when you close or leave the page.

Open Tools → Recover sync when your latest changes have not reached HeyDonna. Editing is paused to prevent overwriting work. A compact colored message bar above the menu replaces the separate saving-paused notice while open. Its right-edge × (Dismiss) hides recovery only; it does not clear the pause or change a backup. Other notices, including Re-apply Template Styles, return after dismissal when applicable.

Choose Save backup and reload to save your current work on this computer, verify that the backup can be read, and then load the version saved in HeyDonna. Loading replaces the editor contents; it does not merge your newer local edits. Newer edits stay in the separate backup and are not merged into the loaded version. Download that backup afterwards from More options → Details. The saved version's sections are loaded without combining them with the backup. If your work changes while recovery is underway, HeyDonna keeps those changes instead of replacing them. If the backup cannot be saved or verified, the editor does not reload and you can try again.

Open More options → Details for More recovery options, a viewport-bounded panel with a scrolling body. The existing options are:

• Download a backup file: keep a separate copy outside HeyDonna. If earlier backups exist, use Backup to download to choose one; backups are numbered oldest to newest and show their saved time. This also includes an older draft retained on this computer after another device saved a newer version, when you currently have edit access to the transcript (including shared editors, not just the owner). Open Tools → Recover sync → More options, select the older backup, then choose Download. HeyDonna verifies the saved copy before downloading it. The downloaded file is a structured recovery backup, not a DOCX export. Downloading does not restore, discard, or upload it; the current saved version stays active. If another session takes over editing while this tab stays open, open Tools → Recover sync without reloading this tab. A compact message bar above the editor menu offers one primary Download button for your own earlier draft. Click More options to open the More recovery options dialog, use Backup to download to select a retained backup, then click Download. This read-only dialog offers backup selection and Download only, with no restore or upload actions. Close, at the right of the dialog footer, closes only the dialog and leaves the message bar available. The right-edge × (Dismiss) only hides this notice; it does not delete backups or change your document. Reopen it through Tools → Recover sync. Download errors appear in a toast, and selecting a backup never opens a second recovery box. This author-only download remains available in the same signed-in session; it does not restore editing access, take back the lock, restore the draft, or upload it. The other session keeps its newer saved version and editing access. Older drafts are never automatically displayed or loaded into the editor.
• Compare with the version saved in HeyDonna: compare the current saved server copy with your work on this computer without restoring either. Use Close comparison to return to your work.
• Restore an earlier version: your current work is backed up before Version History opens. Choose the earlier version and confirm which server copy will be replaced; the copy being replaced is backed up too.
• Overwrite the version saved in HeyDonna with this copy: the former Force-save action. It may remove changes made elsewhere. Review the replacement confirmation, acknowledge that this copy may omit changes made elsewhere, then choose Overwrite. The dialog explains that the transcript saved in HeyDonna will be replaced with the copy open on this computer; both copies are backed up before saving.

Server comparison and replacement options are available only to the transcript owner. Other authorized editors can Save backup and download their own backups, but cannot reload or replace the server copy. View → Version History remains available while editing is paused.

When sync is waiting to finish, the recovery bar says Saving is paused. and offers Copy transcript. Sync resumes automatically; keep the tab open. With no blocked sync or backup, a toast titled No backup found says There's no saved backup to recover for this transcript. after the backup check finishes; no recovery bar or additional controls appear. When only an earlier backup remains, the main action is Download. If a save succeeds but cleanup is incomplete, the same bar explains that a backup is still kept; no second notice appears.

Access removed while saving

If access is removed while your changes are waiting to upload, HeyDonna stops retrying that copy and keeps it on this computer. The top message bar says You no longer have access to this transcript. Your local copy is kept. Dismiss hides only the notice; it does not delete your copy or upload it over another version. Server replacement and overwrite actions are unavailable for this copy. When a local upload backup records you as its original signed-in user, Download backup remains available after reloading while access is denied. Dismiss hides the notice only for the current view; reloading shows it again. A different account cannot see or download your copy. Older backups without recorded user ownership remain downloadable only in the same view that previously loaded the transcript with access; they stay on this computer but are hidden after a denied reload. They are never assigned to the current account. The download saves its exact compressed recovery data as a .json.gz file, not a DOCX export. Downloading does not restore or upload it.

Emergency backup storage

If this device cannot store your newest emergency backup, the colored message bar above the editor menu shows Download backup. Download it before leaving the tab: this file contains the exact latest backup that could not be stored, not an older copy already on the device. Downloading does not restore the transcript or confirm that your changes reached HeyDonna. The device-storage warning clears automatically when HeyDonna verifies that those exact edits are in the current saved version. If it cannot verify them, Download backup remains available; keep the tab open until you have preserved your copy. Clearing this warning does not delete stored backups or reclaim device storage.

After downloading a stored emergency backup, check I saved this backup only once you have the file. HeyDonna may reclaim an older backup only after you confirm its download and its contents have been verified in saved work. The newest backup and unverified or unacknowledged backups remain protected; older legacy backups are not removed to make room.

Formatting and position notices

Formatting warnings, including Auto-formatting was reverted, appear in the compact colored message bar above the editor menu, never over the document or in another box below the menu. Re-format uses the existing manual-format action; open More options → History to inspect earlier versions. In a closed, read-only project, Re-format is unavailable but History remains accessible. Click the right-edge × (Dismiss) to hide the notice only; it does not change the transcript, rerun processing, or delete a backup. Position warnings and the formatted Q/A notice use this same surface without offering a formatting action. Existing readiness rules still determine which warnings appear.

Editing access, refresh and style notices

These notices share the compact colored message bar above the editor menu. Backup and formatting notices keep their existing priority; otherwise editing-access verification appears first, then older-content refresh, then recovery guidance, then outdated paragraph styles. Only one notice is displayed at a time.

• Retry checks editing access again. More options → Stay read-only hides that notice without changing editing access or your work.
• Reopen transcript loads the saved version without deleting the local recovery copy. More options → History opens Version History.
• Reapply styles updates outdated paragraph styles using the existing template action. It stays available in read-only mode, but clicking it then shows an explanation in a toast without changing the transcript. Any action error replaces the same message instead of adding another box.

Each notice has one compact primary action and a right-edge × (Dismiss). Dismiss only hides that notice and reveals the next eligible message; it does not acknowledge recovery, delete a backup, refresh content, or change editing access.

Emergency backups on this device

A compact colored message bar above the editor menu offers Download backup to keep a separate copy without changing the open document. Click the × (Dismiss) button at the right edge to hide the notice without deleting or changing the backup; other active warnings remain visible. Hide and delete confirmations replace this same bar in place, without opening another box; Cancel returns to the notice. Open More options for Retry recovery check or Hide notice. Hiding requires confirmation. A backup whose contents are already saved in HeyDonna is removed from this device; any other backup stays, and a changed backup shows the notice again. When a backup on this device differs from your saved work, More options also offers Delete backup. The bar then asks you to download the backup and tick I saved this download and can open it. Cancel is the main button; Delete is in More options. Deleting removes only that backup and leaves your document and saved work unchanged. If the backup changed or could not be fully removed, a toast says so and the backup is kept. Action errors appear in a toast, not inside the menu. When verified recovery clears a backup, Emergency backup cleared. appears once as a toast without taking editor space.

A hard failure takes priority over the device-storage warning. After that newest-backup protection, a saving-paused message takes priority over a retained-backup notice, keeping the retained backup's controls in More options. When a retained backup exists, a hard warning shares its backup controls in the same red message bar, with Download backup as the main action and available Re-format and History actions in More options. If the latest backup could not be stored, Download backup always downloads those exact newest failed-write bytes instead of an older stored backup; download it before leaving the tab. Only one bar is shown. The outdated-style warning appears only when no other message is displayed. If a noncritical formatting or position warning is also present, it shares this same bar rather than covering the backup controls. The formatting warning takes priority in the status line; Download backup stays available, and More options includes the available formatting and history actions alongside backup actions. Hiding the backup notice does not dismiss the formatting warning.

For backups created by the current app, More options → Delete backup lets you remove that one device backup. In the confirmation bar, choose More options → Download copy first, save the file, and check I saved this download and can open it. Each download clears the checkbox, so confirm your saved copy only after that download finishes. Then choose More options → Delete. HeyDonna verifies that the download contains the exact backup and its accompanying information before allowing removal. Cancel keeps the backup; deleting it never removes your current document or work saved in HeyDonna. Older app backups remain download-and-dismiss only.

If removal does not finish, a toast explains that you should keep your downloaded copy. The next time you open the document, HeyDonna retries the remaining removal without restoring that backup or asking you to download it again. Other backups remain available separately.

Save notices above the menu

If saving fails, the colored message bar above the editor menu offers Copy transcript as its main action. It copies the current editor text and shows Copied only after a successful copy. If copying is unavailable or fails, an error toast appears; keep the tab open and export your transcript if possible. A notice about edits that exist only in this tab never claims those edits are saved on this device or on the server.

A storage or sync pause can keep the editor read-only. The message distinguishes work saved on this device from work confirmed on the server. × (Dismiss) and More options → Hide notice only hide the current message: they do not resume editing, clear the pause, change a backup, copy text, or reload the page. A changed save condition can show a new notice.

If this tab needs the newer app to keep saving, Reload is the main action when no save-failure warning is present. When both conditions occur, Copy transcript remains the main action and Reload moves to More options, without adding another bar. This save notice's Reload makes a best-effort final save attempt, waits at most ten seconds, then reloads even if that attempt fails or does not finish. It does not ask for a recovery backup. Copy your work before choosing it when the message says your edits are at risk. Active recovery and emergency-backup controls keep priority over passive save notices.

If restoring a saved version succeeds but an older copy cannot be removed from this device, a toast says Your saved version is unchanged, and your previous local copy is retained. The restore is not repeated and the retained copy is not deleted by dismissing the toast. Any unresolved recovery remains available through Tools → Recover sync.

Application updates and recovery

When HeyDonna releases a new version while your editor tab is open, a small A new version is available notice appears in the corner with a Reload button. HeyDonna never reloads your tab on its own and never blocks your editing. You can keep working and reload when it suits you. Repeated update signals show the same single notice, not a stack of them. Connection failures, timeouts and offline errors do not show this notice.

When you choose Reload, HeyDonna first checks that your edits are synced. If they are, the page reloads. If HeyDonna cannot confirm that, a compact notice above the menu offers Keep editing and More options → Reload. If a save warning is active too, these share one bar with Copy transcript as the primary action and Keep editing in More options.

Choose More options → Reload to preserve, verify and download a backup before reloading. Keep preserved-transcript.json; it is a backup, not confirmation that your edits reached the server. Keep editing or Dismiss cancels a pending reload, including while the backup is being saved or verified. It does not clear an active save warning.

If preservation fails or the editor has not loaded a local snapshot, keep the tab open and contact support before discarding anything. A full-page application error never reloads automatically either; use its Reload the page button.

Insert

Break type controls

Each break shows its effective type in the editor. Select a break to see its type control after the existing formatting-toolbar controls (scroll the toolbar horizontally if needed). Editable section breaks use compact labels such as Next Page, Odd Page, or Even Page; hovering shows the full section-break description. The control is named Change break type for assistive technology. Page and Next Page set a custom choice, saved with the transcript; Reset returns to the current template's type. A break following the template updates when the template changes. Continuous breaks, including inherited Continuous breaks, show their type without edit controls. Imported Odd Page and Even Page breaks show their type but are not offered as choices.

Choosing Page at a required template section keeps the previous type and choice and shows a toast explaining why. If a break-type change or Reset cannot proceed, the picker closes and the explanation appears only in a toast; no inline error is added to the picker. Saving remains available. Required sections cannot be removed with Tools → Remove page break. If an inherited template break cannot be identified uniquely, it displays Page with a nonblocking warning rather than guessing its template match. The existing Insert → Page Break and Insert → Section Break actions are unchanged.

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