The traffic editor header is where you name **Demo traffic plan**, set **Start date** and **End date**, see **Paid**, and watch **Auto-save**. This page is those controls, including the **Continue your traffic plan** wall on older plans.

Use it when the title is wrong, Melvin stays off, you are unsure whether the last change saved, or a modal blocks the map. Skip it to place signs or search an address.

![Editor header](https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en/traffic-plans/editor/02-header.png)

You need an editable plan: you own it in **Personal**, or you are the **assigned editor** in an organization, and review has not locked it.

## Left to right in the header

Typical order:

| Control | What it does |
|---------|----------------|
| Traffic Chart logo | Leaves the editor and opens **Plans** for this plan’s workspace |
| Lock icon (when shown) | **Plan is locked while under review**, or **This plan is locked because it has been approved** plus **Plan approved** |
| Plan title + pencil | Pencil is **Edit project title** |
| **Paid** | Unlimited signs on *this* plan |
| **Start date** / **End date** | Works period (date and time) |
| **Auto-save** | Account preference; hover the switch for status |
| **Save** | Manual save, when auto-save is off |
| **Export** | Share or files — not this page |
| **Show Melvin** / **Hide Melvin** | Netherlands roadworks. Disabled until dates are filled: **Fill in a date to use this option** |

Read-only viewers still see the title and dates. They cannot use the pencil or change dates.

## Rename the plan

1. Click the pencil. Accessible name: **Edit project title**.
2. The field is **Project title**. The field stops at 50 characters.
3. Press Enter or click away to keep it. Escape cancels.

Empty title falls back to the default name for a new plan. Rename here, not on the **Plans** ⋮ menu. That menu **Rename** is for folders.

A useful pattern is site + place + year, for example **Demo traffic plan** for Amsterdam works.

The new name is a change like any other. Wait for **Auto-save: saved**, or click **Save** if auto-save is off, before you send a link.

## Paid

**Paid** on the header (and on the **Plans** row) means unlimited traffic signs on **this** plan.

It does not unlock every plan you own. It does not turn on Pro tools such as **PDF preview**. Event plans do not use this badge.

How a plan becomes **Paid** (participating municipality, credit, or checkout): [Billing, free use, and credits](/hc/test/articles/billing-free-use-and-credits). This page does not quote a price.

**Duplicate** does not copy **Paid**. **Copy** into an organization also starts the organization plan unpaid.

## Start date and End date

Both fields need a **date and a time**. Incomplete time is not a filled date.

In the header:

- Empty start control shows **Start date**. Filled, the pencil still edits it (**Change start date** includes the current value). Empty: **Select start date**.
- Empty end control shows **End date**. Empty: **Select end date**.
- A dash sits between them.

Default times when you pick from the calendar: start **00:00**, end **23:59**. You can change them.

**Start date** must be before **End date**.

Dates appear on exports. They also gate **Show Melvin**. Until both are filled, that control stays off with **Fill in a date to use this option**. Melvin itself: [Map layers and Melvin](/hc/test/articles/map-layers-and-melvin).

Change dates from the header after create. You do not re-run **Start planning**.

On **Plans**, a row without dates shows **No scheduled dates yet**. One-sided rows show **Starts** or **Ends**.

## Auto-save

The label is **Auto-save**. The switch is an account preference, not a setting on one plan. Turn it on in a traffic editor and it stays on for your next event plan too.

Hover the switch (title text):

| Title | Meaning |
|-------|---------|
| **Auto-save is disabled** | You must click **Save** |
| **Auto-save: saving** | A save is in flight |
| **Auto-save: unsaved changes** | You edited; it has not finished writing |
| **Auto-save: saved** | Safe to close the tab or send a link |

The thumb shows a spinner while saving, amber while unsaved, green with a check when saved.

Click the switch to toggle. Toasts:

- **Auto-save enabled** — and if you have unsaved edits, a save starts
- **Auto-save disabled**
- **Could not update auto-save preference** — the switch did not stick; try again

Wait for **Auto-save: saved** before you close the tab, refresh, or mail a **Sharable link**. Closing mid **Auto-save: saving** can drop the last signs. Two tabs on the same plan can overwrite each other. Work in one tab.

## Save

When **Auto-save** is on, header **Save** is not offered. The disabled reason is **auto-save is enabled**.

When auto-save is off:

1. Click **Save**.
2. The button reads **Saving...** until it finishes.
3. Toast **Saved traffic plan**.
4. Failure **Could not save traffic plan**.

Do not click **Save** repeatedly. Wait for **Saving...** to finish.

### Locked while you were drawing

If a reviewer locks the plan during your session, save cannot keep your last edits.

The toast concatenates the lock sentence with a reload sentence, for example:

**Plan is locked while under review Your latest changes could not be saved. Reloading the latest version...**

The map reloads the stored version. Local unsaved work is gone. Header **Save** stays off with **Plan is locked while under review**.

Approved plans: **This plan is locked because it has been approved** / **Plan approved**. In-app **Approved** is not a legal permit. It does mean this drawing stays frozen in Traffic Chart.

Read-only (share link, or you are not the assigned editor): tools show **Plan is read-only**. You cannot save.

Sidebar tools may also say **Plan is approved and locked**, **Plan is under review**, or **Plan is locked**. Same idea: stop drawing. [I can’t open or edit a plan](/hc/test/articles/cannot-edit-plan). Review lock detail: [My plan is locked for review](/hc/test/articles/plan-locked-for-review).

## Continue your traffic plan (older plans)

Some older plans never stored a country or dates. The editor does not open the map until you finish this modal. You cannot dismiss it with a click outside.

Title: **Continue your traffic plan**.

| Field | Placeholder |
|-------|-------------|
| **Country** * | **Select a country...** |
| **Plan name** * | **My Traffic Plan** |
| **Duration** * | **Start date** and **End date** |

**Country** loads the sign catalogue. Pick the country of the works, not your billing country.

**Duration** is two date fields. The modal does not ask for a clock time here. Saving stores start at 00:00 and end at 23:59. Change times later with the header **Start date** / **End date** pencils.

Buttons: **Cancel** (opens **Plans**) and **Continue planning**.

Yellow panel: **Please complete the required fields before continuing**.

**To proceed, you must select a country (used to display the correct traffic signs) and provide both a start and end date for your traffic plan.**

Footer: **Customer support**, **FAQ**, **How-to**, **Status**.

Validation:

- **Start date must be before end date**
- **All fields are required**

New plans from **Home** already ask for **Country**, **Plan name**, **Start date**, and **End date** on **Create a new plan**. You should not see this modal on a plan you just created with **Start planning**.

## Event plans: save and dates

Event editors use the same **Auto-save** switch.

Manual **Save** reads **Saving...** while it runs. Success toast **Event plan saved**. Failure **Failed to save event plan**.

Event **Start date** / **End date** also need date and time. If end is not after start: **End date must be after the start date.**

Event plans are not billed in credits and do not show traffic **Paid**. They can still lock for review: **This event plan is locked and cannot be edited.**

## What good looks like

The header title matches the works. **Start date** and **End date** both have a date and a time, start before end. **Show Melvin** is available if you need it (Netherlands, dates filled). Hover **Auto-save** reads **Auto-save: saved** (or you clicked **Save** and saw **Saved traffic plan**). You did not close the tab on **Auto-save: unsaved changes**.

## If something blocks you

| Situation | What to try |
|-----------|-------------|
| Pencil missing | Read-only or locked — [I can’t open or edit a plan](/hc/test/articles/cannot-edit-plan) |
| **Fill in a date to use this option** | Complete **Start date** and **End date**, including times |
| **Could not save traffic plan** | Network, then **Save** once more. If locked, read the concatenated reload toast |
| **Could not update auto-save preference** | Toggle again; if it fails, **Save** manually |
| **Continue your traffic plan** will not close | Fill **Country**, **Plan name**, **Duration**, then **Continue planning** |
| **Paid** questions | [Billing, free use, and credits](/hc/test/articles/billing-free-use-and-credits) |
| Need the rest of the chrome | [Tour of the traffic plan editor](/hc/test/articles/editor-tour) |

## Related articles

- [Tour of the traffic plan editor](/hc/test/articles/editor-tour)
- [Create, organise, and share traffic plans](/hc/test/articles/create-organise-and-share)
- [I can’t open or edit a plan](/hc/test/articles/cannot-edit-plan)
- [Map layers and Melvin](/hc/test/articles/map-layers-and-melvin)
- [My plan is locked for review](/hc/test/articles/plan-locked-for-review)
- [Billing, free use, and credits](/hc/test/articles/billing-free-use-and-credits)