Briefcase Document Control
Briefcase now includes document control for collaborative development of documents by multiple people with manager or administrative share rights. Document control allows users to check documents out of a briefcase, update them, and then send them back to the briefcase. When a document has been checked out, it cannot be used by another collaborator until the person who has checked it out unlocks it by returning it to the briefcase. A chronological record of the changes and the people who made them are preserved, providing a full revision history for each document.
Here is how it works:
- A user creates and uploads a document to Briefcase.
- A second user right clicks the document and selects Check out file and saves the document to a local or network drive. That user makes changes and resaves the document. While the file is checked out, other users will see a padlock icon for that document in the Briefcase. Placing the cursor over the padlock displays the time and by whom it was checked out.
- The second user completes changes to the document and returns it to the Briefcase. The padlock icon disappears and the document is now available for further editing. The previous version is listed as ???.
- A third user repeats steps 2 and 3 and the document is available and displays two previous revisions.
- Previous revisions are indented under the current version in reverse chronological order. A previous version may be promoted to the current version by right clicking it and selecting restore as current version.
- Any user who downloads a document to obtain a personal copy and refrains from uploading a copy back to the Briefcase should remove the padlock by right clicking it and selecting Discard Check Out.
