Document-related actions have an effect on the version status of a document:
Checking out the current version of a document causes several actions to take place:
Only the current version can be checked out, and while it is checked out no one else can check it out again.
There are two types of check-out: exclusive and collaborative. One of these two is the default for the object store; if the client application does not allow the user to specify the check-out type, the default applies. The check-out type is not a property of the document, but is one of two ways that you can perform a check-out.
If the user who checked out the document is no longer available, or does not have sufficient rights to check in the document or cancel the check-out, the check-out can be canceled by anyone with both Modify Owner and Delete rights to the reservation object.
When you check out a document, you are always working with the latest version of the document. The version history of your document is protected. When you check out a document to work on it, you are working on a copy of the content and not the original document content. This copy of the earlier version becomes the content file of the new version, if you decide to check it in. You can also choose to cancel the check-out or check in a different file. The object store retains the original content along with its descriptive document object as a protected version in the version series of that document.
See Check out document for how to use the administration console to check out a document.
Checking in the reservation object causes several actions to take place:
This sequence table shows examples of the check-out and check-in cycle. Bold text denotes the change from the row preceding:
Versioning actions | First version created | Second version created | Third version created | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Check in the first document as a minor version. | Version: 0.1 Status: In Process Current version |
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2 | Check out. | Version: 0.1 Status: In Process Current version |
Version: 0.2 Status: Reservation |
|
3 | Check in as a minor version. | Version: 0.1 Status: Superseded |
Version: 0.2 Status: In Process Current version |
|
4 | Check out. | Version: 0.1 Status: Superseded |
Version: 0.2 Status: In Process Current version |
Version: 0.3 Status: Reservation |
5 | Check in as a major version. | Version: 0.1 Status: Superseded |
Version: 0.2 Status: Superseded |
Version: 1.0 Status: Released Current version |
Canceling a check-out causes several actions to take place:
Administrators can cancel the check-outs of other users. You might find this feature useful if users leave the company and do not check in all their documents.
This sequence table shows examples of canceling a check-out. Bold text denotes change from the preceding row:
Versioning actions | First version created | Second version created | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Create the document. | Version: 0.1 Status: In Process Current version |
|
2 | Check it out. | Version: 0.1 Status: In Process Current version |
Version: 0.2 Status: Reservation |
3 | Cancel the check-out. This deletes the reservation. | Version: 0.1 Status: In Process Current version |
Promoting a minor version converts it into the released major version.
You can promote only the current in process version. You cannot promote a document that is already a major version, that is, a reservation object, or that is superseded. Promote is allowed on frozen versions and on documents based on a class in which versioning is disabled.
If a document is successfully promoted, its version status is set to released, its major version number is incremented by 1, and its minor version number is set to 0. The version status of the previous major version becomes superseded.
If the document has a security policy applied, and if that security policy has templates for released or superseded versions, those templates are automatically applied to those versions.
The following portion of the full sequencing table shows what happens when you promote a document; bold text denotes change from the preceding row:
Versioning actions | First version created | Second version created | Third version created | Fourth version created | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 | Check in: Dave checks in his document as a minor version. | Version: 0.1 Status: Superseded |
Version: 1.0 Status: Released |
Version: 1.1 Status: Superseded |
Version: 1.2 Status: In Process Current version |
9 | Promote: The group reviews the document and decides that it is ready to be released. Alice promotes the current version. | Version: 0.1 Status: Superseded |
Version: 1.0 Status: Superseded |
Version: 1.1 Status: Superseded |
Version: 2.0 Status: Released Current version |
Demoting the major released version of a document converts it into the current in process minor version, and sets the most recent superseded major version, if one exists, as the released major version. For example, suppose you discover a mistake in your current released document, version 2.0. You can demote that document so that the superseded version 1.0 becomes the released document. The demoted version is now the current minor version and you can check it out again to correct the mistake. Demoting a version does not delete any versions or content out of the version series. It just updates properties so that the previous major version is now the current major version.
Demoting a version is allowed on frozen versions and on documents based on a class in which versioning is disabled.
The following portion of the full sequencing table shows you what happens when you demote a document; bold text denotes change from the preceding row:
Versioning actions | First version created | Second version created | Third version created | Fourth version created | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
9 | Promote: The group reviews the document and decides that it is ready to be released. Alice promotes the current version to released. | Version: 0.1 Status: Superseded |
Version: 1.0 Status: Superseded |
Version: 1.1 Status: Superseded |
Version: 2.0 Status: Released Current version |
10 | Demote: Later, the company decides to revert to an earlier policy. Alice demotes the released document, which makes the earlier major version the released version. | Version: 0.1 Status: Superseded |
Version: 1.0 Status: Released |
Version: 1.1 Status: Superseded |
Version: 1.2 Status: In Process Current Version |
Users with the correct permissions can delete a version from the middle of the version series. Content Platform Engine deletes the specified version and keeps the remaining original version numbers intact, thus leaving the version series with gaps in its numbering sequence. This applies to both single-level and two-level versioning scenarios.
Users or processes can delete a major version or minor version out of the middle of the version series. If the version being deleted is a released major version, Content Platform Engine updates the status of the previous major version, if one exists, to released.
You can delete versions on major versions and minor versions, regardless of which version state they are in.
The following sequence table shows the effects of deleting a version from the middle of a version series. Bold text denotes change from the preceding row:
Versioning actions | First version created | Second version created | Third version created | Fourth version created | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Check in fourth version as minor. | Version: 0.1 Status: Superseded |
Version: 1.0 Status: Superseded |
Version: 2.0 Status: Released |
Version: 2.1 Status: In Process Current version |
2 | Delete the third version. The version series consists of 0.1, 1.0, and 2.1. | Version: 0.1 Status: Superseded |
Version: 1.0 Status: Released |
Version: 2.1 Status: In Process Current version |
Freezing a version prevents changes to its otherwise modifiable custom properties. The custom properties of a specific version are frozen. The system-maintained properties of a frozen document version can continue to be updated by the system as necessary.
After a version is frozen, you cannot unfreeze it. However, you can check out a frozen document to create new unfrozen versions. Frozen documents can also be promoted or demoted.