Recording a door attempt
How canvassers log a result at each door during an active session, including offline recording and viewing attempt history per address.
On this page
An attempt is a single recorded result at a specific address during a canvassing session. Each attempt is tied to the session, the address, and the canvasser, and becomes part of your organization's permanent field history.
For context on territories, walk lists, and sessions, see Canvassing.
What an attempt captures
Each attempt records:
- Door status: the result the canvasser selects, from your organization's set of door statuses
- Contact details: whether the canvasser spoke with the walk-list target or someone else at the address, along with that person's name and relationship to the target
- Notes: a free-text field filled in at the door
- GPS coordinates: latitude and longitude at the moment the attempt is saved
Recording an attempt
When a canvasser reaches a door during an active session, they:
- Select the appropriate door status.
- Optionally fill in who they spoke with and any notes.
- Save the attempt.
The attempt is written immediately if the device has a connection. The address entry updates to reflect the latest result, and session totals increment.
Offline recording
Canvassing sessions work without a network connection. When a device is offline, attempts queue locally. The queue is preserved across interruptions, including screen locks and app switches, so no data is lost if connectivity drops.
When the device reconnects, queued attempts are submitted in the order they were recorded. Server-stored attempts are the authoritative record; the local queue is a holding buffer until sync completes.
Attempt history per address
Each address in a walk list shows how many attempts have been made, when the most recent one occurred, and its result. An organizer or returning canvasser can see at a glance what has already happened at that door.
Why this matters
Every attempt creates a durable record that feeds session totals, contact-rate metrics, and your organization's long-term field history. Accurate attempt logging at the door means reliable data in your canvassing dashboard, and a cleaner picture of which addresses have been reached across campaigns.