Working with document versions in Xtendis 7 (document check out and check in)

Typically, a document in Xtendis is stored in Adobe PDF format or image format (TIF, PNG, or JPG). In these formats, the document cannot be changed.

In certain setups though, Microsoft Word and Excel documents can have their original version of the document stored together with the PDF or image. When this is the case, the original document can be downloaded, edited in some way, and uploaded as a new version of the original document.

This process is known as 'checking out' and 'checking in' a document.

To keep track of the different versions, the original document and the new document are given a version number.

Example: The notes of an employee's yearly assessment are stored in a Word document. When the next assessment comes up, the original document is downloaded, updated with the notes of that meeting, and uploaded as a new document.

How this is done is explained in this article.

How it works

In short the process is as follows (in this scenario, a Microsoft Word document is used):

1. A Microsoft Word document (document A) is uploaded and becomes available as an Adobe PDF file. Within the system, the document in Word format is stored and available as the original document.

2. The original Word document of document A is downloaded, edited, and uploaded as a new document (document B) with a new version number. This document too is available as a PDF file. The edited Word document is also stored in the system as the original document of document B. Document A is also given a version number (lower than that of document B).

3. The new document (document B) is now the active version.

4. A relation exists between document A and B: when selecting either, it can be seen that another version of the document also exists. The original document of either document A or document B can at any time be downloaded.

Xtendis for Microsoft Office

An alternative and better way of checking in a new version is using Xtendis for Microsoft Office. This is a plug-in which adds functionality to Microsoft applications such as Word, Excel, and Outlook for working with documents in Xtendis. For more information about Xtendis for Microsoft Office, contact WoodWing.

How original documents and versions are displayed

Throughout the application, icons, columns, and panels give you information of the availability of original documents and of versions.

Toolbar icons

When using the Find option to search for a document and selecting a document in the search results, or when viewing the document in a new Web browser tab, icons in the vertical toolbar on the right side of the screen appear when an original document or version information is available.

Icon	Description
	The Original document icon indicates that the original document is available for the selected document. Clicking the icon opens the Download panel from which the document can be downloaded.
	The Show all versions icon appears when the selected document is the active document for which older versions also exist. Clicking the icon opens the Version overview panel in which all version information can be viewed.
	The Not the active version icon appears when the selected document is an older version and not the most recent, active version. Clicking the icon opens the Version overview panel in which all version information can be viewed.

The History panel

The History panel shows information about actions that have been performed on the document, including the creation of versions.

Figure: The History panel showing that two versions exist for the selected document.

The panel is part of the vertical toolbar when viewing a document in the search results.

Accessing the version information in the History panel can be done by doing the following:

• Clicking the Show all versions icon or the Not the active version icon (see above).

• Hovering the mouse pointer over the History panel icon and choosing Version overview.

• With the History panel open, choosing Version overview from the list at the top of the panel.

More information about using the History panel for working with different document versions is given in Using the History panel later in this article.

Columns

After performing a search, the results are shown in a list with rows and columns. Some of the columns that can be shown contain information about the check-out action and the versions, such as the check-out date, the user who checked out the document, the version number, and whether the document is the active version or not.

Note: These columns can be shown or hidden by Editing the column settings.

Steps

Use the following steps for downloading the original version of a document, editing it, and uploading it as a new version.

1. Downloading the original document

In this step, the original document is downloaded and stored on the local system.

Step 1. Use the Find option to search for a document.

Step 2. Select the document so that it is outlined in blue.

Step 3. In the vertical toolbar to the right of the screen, hover over the Share icon and choose Check out.

A message appears asking if you are sure if you want to check out the document.

Alternatively, a notification appears to inform you that the document is ready to be downloaded.

Step 4. Click Yes in the message or click the notification.

The document is fetched from the system and a Save As window appears.

Step 5. Navigate to the location on your system where you want to save the file, such as your desktop, and click Save.

2. Editing the document

In this step, the downloaded document is edited in some way.

Step 1. Open the downloaded document in its own application (such as a Word document in Microsoft Word).

Step 2. Edit the document with the changes that you want to make.

Step 3. Save and close the document.

3. Uploading the new version

In this step, the edited document is added to Xtendis as a new version of the already existing document. This process is known as 'checking in' a document.

Step 1. In the search results, select the document from which the original document was downloaded so that it is outlined in blue.

Step 2. Hover the mouse pointer over the Add button on the Dashboard as a toolbar, and from the menu that appears, click Check in new version.

The Check-in new version panel appears.

Step 3. Click Choose file, browse to the edited document and click Open.

Note: The Choose file button changes to the name of the chosen file. If a different file needs to be uploaded, click that button and browse to the new file.

Information about the current version of the document is displayed. Use it to set the new version number.

Step 4. From the list, choose one of the following options:

Option	Description	Old version	New version
Major	The first digit of the current version number is increased. Use when major changes have been made.	1.0.0	2.0.0
Minor	The second digit of the current version number is increased. Use when minor changes have been made.	1.0.0	1.1.0
Revision	The third digit of the current version number is increased. Use when small changes have been made, such as corrections.	1.0.0	1.0.1
Own version number	Enter your own version number.	1.0.0	100b12

Step 5. (Optional) Enter a note with a short description of what has changed.

Step 6. (Optional) By default, the new version will become the active version and the current version is deactivated. If for some reason this should not be done, disable the option Deactivate current version.

Step 7. (Optional) Enable the Edit properties option when properties need to be edited. The properties appear below the option.

Note: When leaving this option off, the new version will have the same properties as the original document.

Step 8. Upload the file by clicking Check-in or Upload.

4. Using the History panel

As explained in How original documents and versions are displayed earlier in this article, version information can be viewed in the Version overview section of the History panel.

The following figure shows the components of the panel:

#	Component	Description
1	Refresh	Refreshes the panel.
2	Show/hide notes and history	Clicking this icon shows the notes that were added when the version was checked in, and the check-in details.
3	Selected bar	Shows which version is selected in the panel. A preview of this selected version is shown in the preview window.
4	Version	The version number. Clicking it shows a preview of that version in the preview window.
5	Check-in / check-out details	Details of the checked-in action: the name of the user who checked in the version, and the date when the version was checked in. If the date is today, the time is shown instead.

Searching for document versions

Finding a document that has a version number assigned can be done by using the Find option. In the Is active field, choose from the following options:

• Active. The active version of the document.
• Not active. A previous version of the document.
• Active or empty. The active version, or a document with no version number.