editdelay

editdelay is a term used in collaborative editing environments, such as wikis, to refer to a short period of time that occurs after a user makes an edit before that edit is considered final and visible to other users. This delay is intentionally introduced to provide a small window for users to catch potential mistakes or to allow for automatic systems to perform checks or optimizations. The exact duration of an edit delay can vary depending on the platform or software implementation.

During the edit delay, the system might be performing tasks such as syntax checking, spam filtering, or updating internal data structures. It can also serve as a brief grace period for the editor to reconsider their changes or to undo an accidental submission. For many users, the edit delay is imperceptible, happening so quickly that it doesn't interfere with the editing workflow. However, in some cases, especially on systems with higher latency or during periods of heavy server load, the edit delay might become more noticeable. Understanding editdelay helps explain why changes might not appear instantaneously in a collaborative editing space.