Performance Optimization

AcaTrove is a web application that runs entirely in your browser. Page load times, responsiveness, and AI feature speed all depend on your browser environment and network connection. This article provides recommendations for getting the best performance.

Supported Browsers

AcaTrove works best on current versions of these browsers:

• Google Chrome (recommended)
• Mozilla Firefox
• Apple Safari
• Microsoft Edge

Older browsers or niche alternatives may not support all features. If you experience rendering issues or unresponsive controls, update your browser to the latest version.

Clearing Your Browser Cache

Cached assets can occasionally become stale after a AcaTrove update, causing display errors or outdated behavior.

To clear the cache:

1. Open your browser settings (usually accessible via the menu or keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Delete / Cmd+Shift+Delete).
2. Select "Cached images and files." You do not need to clear cookies unless you are also experiencing login issues.
3. Set the time range to "Last 24 hours" or "All time."
4. Click "Clear" or "Delete."
5. Reload AcaTrove.

A hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows/Linux, Cmd+Shift+R on macOS) can also bypass the cache for a single page load without clearing the entire cache.

Managing Large Datasets

Projects and labs with many documents, tasks, or collaborators can take longer to load. If you notice slowdowns on data-heavy pages:

1. Use filters and search to narrow the displayed items rather than scrolling through the full list.
2. Archive completed tasks and projects that you no longer actively reference. Archived items are excluded from default views, reducing the data loaded on each page visit.
3. For labs with extensive experiment histories, use the timeline tab's date range filters to limit the displayed period.

Network Requirements

AcaTrove requires an active internet connection. Offline access is not currently supported.

Recommended bandwidth:

• Standard browsing and editing: 1 Mbps or higher.
• File uploads: 5 Mbps or higher for a smooth experience with larger files.
• AI features (Paper Chat, Outline Generation): 2 Mbps or higher. AI responses stream from the server, so latency matters more than raw bandwidth.

Institutional networks: Some university networks route traffic through proxy servers or apply bandwidth throttling. If AcaTrove is slower on campus than on a personal connection, check with your IT department about proxy settings or try a direct connection.

Browser Extensions

Certain browser extensions can interfere with AcaTrove:

• Ad blockers may block API requests or script loading. If features are not working, try disabling your ad blocker for AcaTrove's domain or adding it to the allowlist.
• Privacy extensions that restrict cookies or third-party requests can break authentication flows, particularly ORCID and other OAuth sign-in methods.
• Translation extensions that modify page content can interfere with the text editor and AI panel.

If you suspect an extension is causing problems, try loading AcaTrove in a private or incognito window, which typically disables extensions by default.

Memory Usage

Browser tabs consume memory. If you have many AcaTrove tabs open simultaneously, your browser may slow down.

1. Close tabs you are not actively using.
2. Avoid keeping more than three or four AcaTrove tabs open at once, especially if each is displaying a different project or lab with many documents.
3. If your machine has limited RAM (under 8 GB), close other memory-intensive applications while working in AcaTrove.

Tips

• Bookmark the pages you use most frequently instead of keeping them open in tabs.
• After a AcaTrove update, a single hard refresh is usually sufficient to pick up the latest changes.
• If performance degrades gradually during a long session, refreshing the page resets the in-memory state and typically restores responsiveness.