Using Revision Control (Checking In/Out and Reverting Documents)
Revision Control is a feature offered through the DocuPhase Viewer that allows your organization to manage multiple versions a Document: enabling you and your team members to easily distinguish and/or find one version of a Document from another. This is an especially useful and efficient tool for organizations that create and manage Documents that are often revised (e.g., price lists, etc.).
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Revision Control (Check-in/Check-out Files) and Related Features
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When Revision Control is in use, it's easy to know which Documents are checked out, and which are not. You can also identify when a checked-out Document was checked out by you or someone else.
- Revision Control
If/when this feature is enabled for an Application, it requires Users to "check in" and "check out" Documents. Once you check out a Document, other Users can still view the Document, but they cannot check it out: preventing multiple Users from simultaneously making changes to a Document. If there are edits made by multiple Users (each having checked in their edits at different times), the most recently checked in Document (edits) supersedes any previously checked in versions.
When a Document is checked-out, the Undo Check Out
) appears next to Documents that you have checked out; while a red check mark (
) indicates a Document has been checked out by another User.
- Download: locally or on a network to make edits or
- In-Place: Edit it within DocuPhase
and/or
- Include Annotations, Redactions: in downloaded Document**
and/or
- Change the download file size/resolution by changing the Color option: small (black and white only - lower resolution), medium (greyscale/some color - medium resolution), large (full color - high resolution)**
- Once Revision Control is enabled and saved for an Application, additional options become available:
- Revision Tracking and Audit Trail
- Check-in for Annotations
- Force Comments on Check-In
- All of the Revision Control features are Permissions-based.
- You may not see any change in the Revision Control status until the screen is refreshed (
).
WARNING!!!
When Revision Control is Enabled, it cannot be disabled; this protects the integrity and security of the current revision and any revision copies retained via the Revision Tracking and Audit Trail feature.
NOTE
- Revision Tracking and Audit Trail*
This feature is used in conjunction with Revision Control, and records (Tracks) information (on the Search Results screen) about any/all changes made to Documents, as well as when and by whom the changes were made; then allowing you to review (Audit) by printing and/or viewing the details of what has been tracked.
In addition, Tracking and Auditing allows the system to maintain multiple versions of a Document contained within an Application. When a Document is checked-in with changes, the revised copy is saved as the new current Document; previously revised (and checked-in) copies are also maintained. Tell me more...
The biggest advantage of this functionality is that it gives you the chance to "roll back" to (restore) previous versions of a Document; in DocuPhase, this is known as "Promoting."
- Auto Check-in for Annotations*
This option automatically checks in a Document if you have added or edited Annotations only and then navigate away from a file in the Viewer without performing a manual check-in (i.e., you are not prompted to check in the Document, nor are you required to make comments on a check in).
NOTE
If the Auto Check-in for Annotations is enabled, and you have only added/changed annotations in a Document, the Document is automatically checked in if/when you navigate away from the Viewer (e.g., if you go to another Document). However, if you have made changes to anything other than Annotations, you need to check in the Document).
- Force Comments on Check-In*
When you have checked out a Document, then try to check it back in, this setting makes sure that you add a comment so that you and/or anyone else looking at the Audit Trail can quickly know what changes you made.
*This functionality is only available once Revision Control has been enabled.
**This option is only available if Checkout and Download Document is selected in the Checkout Dialog.
Tell me how to...
Use Revision Control (Check-in/Check-out Files)
1) Search for and click on the file type of the Document you want to revise to display it in the Viewer.
In the Viewer or Annotation toolbar:
2) Click to display the Check out dialog.
In the Checkout dialog:
3) Select the appropriate Checkout Type (i.e., Download or In-place).
If you select the Checkout and Download Document type:
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The location at which the Document is automatically downloaded depends on the download configuration choice of your organization. Frequently, this is the Downloads folder on your local device.
However, if you don't find the Document there, contact your TPOC for information about how and where Documents downloaded from DocuPhase are handled.
4) Select the corresponding Options as needed. Tell me more...
or
If you select the In-place Edit type:
Skip to Step 5.
and/or
5) Click 
to download/display the Document.
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On the Search Results screen, a green check mark () appears next to the Document file type icon ( 
) to show that it has been checked out. Other Users see this as a red check mark () so that they know someone else has it checked out; other Users can view the Document, but cannot check it out until it has been checked back in.
In the Document (based on the Checkout Type selected above):
6) Make changes, as needed.
NOTE
If you don't make changes, you can use the Undo Check-out
When all changes are made, in the Viewer or Annotation toolbar:
7) Click 
to display the Check-in dialog for the Document.
In the Comments field of the Check-in dialog:
8) Enter clear and concise comments about the changes you made to the Document.
NOTE
Depending upon the configuration of your organization's Applications, the entry of comments may be optional. However, it's always a good time to include them so that you and/or other Users remember/know exactly what changes have been made to a Document. There may also be Applications that require you to add a comment in order to check-in a Document.
9)
Click to complete and save the comments in Revision Control.
- The green check mark next to the Document file type icon (
) that was checked out disappears to show that it has been checked in and is available for other Users to access.
View (and Restore) a Document to a Previous Version (Promoting a Document)
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- You can move the mouse over the comments in the list to view more information about each.
- If you see numbers in the lower left corner of the version list, it indicates that there are additional versions. Click on one of the numbers to display more of the list of versions.
1) Search for and find the Document with a version you want to view.
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The 
icon appears next to any Document that has multiple versions.
To View a Previous Version:
In the Search Results List:
2) Click next to the file to display a list of versions that have been saved for the Document.
3) Click the file icon next to the version you want to view to display it in the Viewer.
NOTE
Depending upon the size of a Document, it may take several seconds to load.
and/or
To (Restore as Current) Promote a Previous Version:
In the Search Results list:
4) Find and right-click on the version you want to use as the most current version (i.e.,"promote").
- A list of options is displayed.
From the list of options:
5) Select Make Current to display the Promote to Top dialog.
In the Promote to Top dialog:
6) Enter notes about why you promoted the Document (e.g., changes to previous versions made in error, etc.).
7) Click to close the dialog, and complete the promotion.
- The promoted Document now appears as the Current version.
- A copy of the original Document is maintained on its own, in addition to it now being the Current version. Therefore, the number of versions (copies) of the Document is increased by one.
NOTES
