While working on an article in InCopy, you can:
- Save the changes locally
- Save the changes to Enterprise as a new article version and continue editing the article
- Save and close the article and continue working on a copy of the article
- Check-in the article and close it
- Work on the article without being connected to Enterprise
- Save the article outside of Enterprise
- Close the article and return it to its last saved state without saving a version
- Close the article without updating the properties
The following table shows a summary of these actions.
Action | Description | Article is saved? | Version of article is stored in Enterprise? | Article is closed? |
---|---|---|---|---|
File > Save | The article is saved on the local system only, not on Enterprise. | Yes | No | No |
Smart Connection > Save Article Version... | A version of the article is saved on Enterprise. | Yes | Yes | No |
File > Save Article As... Smart Connection > Save Article As... |
A new file is created in Enterprise based on the current article. The new article is opened, the current article is closed. |
Yes | Yes |
Yes 1 |
File > Save Article As > Browse | The article is saved outside of Enterprise. | Yes 2 | No | No |
Smart Connection > Check In Article... | The article is saved in Enterprise, closed and made available to other users for editing. | Yes | Yes |
Yes
|
Smart Connection > Close All for Offline Usage | The article can be edited without being connected to Enterprise. | Yes | No | No |
Smart Connection > Abort Check Out | The article is closed and returned to its last saved state. | No | No | Yes |
File > Close | The article is closed. | Yes 3 | Yes | Yes |
1 The new version of the article is opened for editing.
2 Not in Enterprise.
3 The article in Enterprise is updated with any changes that were made since the article was last saved in Enterprise.
Saving the changes locally
Saving your changes regularly is important and makes sure that you don't loose any changes should you encounter any problems. To save your changes locally, do one of the following:
- Press Cmd+S (Mac OS) or Ctrl+S (Windows)
- Choose File > Save
Note: Saving your article locally does not save it to Enterprise. It will only be saved to Enterprise if you use one of the other methods listed below.
Saving the changes to Enterprise as a new article version and continue editing the article
Use this method to save the made changes to Enterprise while keeping the article open to continue working on it. During this process, a new version of the article is saved to Enterprise.

- Saved article versions can be viewed and restored by accessing the Show Versions window (Smart Connection > Show Versions...).
Note: For more information, see Viewing and restoring file versions using Smart Connection 9.
- The number of article versions that are stored in Enterprise is limited to a set number (10 by default). This means that when the maximum number of stored versions is reached, the oldest version is removed the next time a new version is saved. This could potentially mean that the version you want to restore may not be available anymore. Be careful therefore with the number of times you save an article.
Example: Consider a scenario where the maximum number of article versions are stored: article versions 1.1 to 1.10. The next time the article is saved, version 1.1 (the oldest) is removed and version 1.2 now becomes the oldest version.
Note: Enterprise can also be configured to have all minor versions removed as soon as the article is saved to a new Workflow Status. You could therefore see no versions listed when starting to work on a article that has just been moved to a new Workflow Status.
For information about configuring file versioning in Enterprise Server, see Saving file versions with Enterprise Server.
Step 1. Choose Smart Connection > Save Article Version....

This happens when:
- No change has been made to the article since it was opened or last saved to Enterprise.
- The article is opened as read-only.
The Save dialog box appears.
Step 2. (Optional) Change any of the properties of the article.
Note: The file name may not contain characters such as “ ` ~ ! @ # $ % ^ * \ | ; : ’ < > / ?. For a full overview, see Invalid file name characters in Enterprise.
See also: Using duplicate file names in Enterprise 10.
Step 3. Click OK.
Saving and closing the article and continue working on a copy of the article
Use this method when you want to save and close the current article as it is and continue working on a copy of the article.
Step 1. Do one of the following:
- Choose File > Save Article As
- Choose Smart Connection > Save Article As
- Use a keyboard shortcut for any of the above mentioned commands
The Save As dialog box appears.
Step 2. In the Name box, enter a descriptive name.
Note: The file name may not contain characters such as “ ` ~ ! @ # $ % ^ * \ | ; : ’ < > / ?. For a full overview, see Invalid file name characters in Enterprise.
See also: Using duplicate file names in Enterprise 10.
Step 3. (Optional) Change any of the properties of the article.
Step 4. From the Dossier list, choose one of the following options:
- Choose the blank option to not add the article to a Dossier
- Choose New Dossier to create a Dossier with the same name as the article and automatically add the article to the Dossier.
- Choose an existing Dossier to add the article to it.
Step 5. (Optional) In the Comment box, add a comment. When a user will next open the file, the comment will be displayed on screen.
Step 6. Click OK.
The following actions take place:
- The current article is stored in Enterprise and closed. It is available to other users for editing.
- A copy of the article is made and stored in Enterprise. It is opened for editing.
Checking-in the article and closing it
When finished working on the article, it needs to be saved to Enterprise and closed. This process is referred to as 'checking-in' the article and makes the article available to other users for editing.
Step 1. Choose Smart Connection > Check In Article... .
The Check In dialog box appears.
Note: When the article is not yet saved to Enterprise, the Save As dialog box appears instead. See Adding an article (template) to Enterprise using Smart Connection for InCopy.
Step 2. (Optional) In the Name box, modify the article name or leave the original name.
Note: The file name may not contain characters such as “ ` ~ ! @ # $ % ^ * \ | ; : ’ < > / ?. For a full overview, see Invalid file name characters in Enterprise.
See also: Using duplicate file names in Enterprise 10.
The settings for Brand, Issue, and Category cannot be changed.
Step 3. (Optional) Change any of the remaining properties.
Step 4. Click OK.
Working on the article without being connected to Enterprise
Use this method when you know beforehand that a connection to Enterprise — typically over the Internet — is not available, for example when working while commuting or when on location.
This method is known as 'taking the article offline'. During this process, the article is saved locally and remains checked-out of Enterprise so that other users cannot edit it.
To take the article offline, do the following:
- Choose Smart Connection > Close All for Offline Usage.
Accessing offline articles
Articles that you have taken offline can be accessed by choosing Offline in the Search menu of the Smart Connection panel.
Figure: When choosing 'Offline' in the Search menu of the Smart Connection panel, all articles that you have taken offline are shown.
Bringing articles online again
To bring a article online again, simply open it when a connection to Enterprise is active.
Saving the article outside of Enterprise
Use this method when you want to save the article locally for future use.
Step 1. Choose File > Save Article As... .
The Save As dialog box appears.
Step 2. Click the Browse... button at the bottom of the dialog box.
Step 3. Browse to the desired location and click Save.
The file is saved as a .wcml file and kept open for editing.
Closing the article and returning it to its last saved state without saving a version
Use this method when:
- You have opened the article by mistake or decided that you don't want to work on it
- You want to close the article without saving any changes that you have made
This method is known as the 'abort check-out' action. It closes the article and returns it to its last saved state in Enterprise: the state after checking-in the article or after saving a version of the article.
The difference with regular save actions is that no version of the article is saved. It thereby prevents that different versions of the article exist in Enterprise that are in fact identical.
To perform this action, do the following:
- Choose Smart Connection > Abort Check Out.
One of the following actions occur:
- When no changes were made, the article is closed immediately.
- When the article was changed, a message appears. Click Yes to continue:
Are you sure you want to close this file without saving the made changes?
Closing the article without updating the properties
Use this method when you want to close the article without bringing up the Check In dialog box.
To perform this action, do the following:
- Choose File > Close.
One of the following actions occur:
- When no changes were made, the article is closed immediately.
- When the article was changed, a message appears. Click Yes to continue:
Save changes to the Adobe InCopy document "<document name>" before closing?
Document history
- 22 October 2018: Added information about invalid file name characters.
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