Check-in/check-out mode

ApplicationXtender Web Access check-in/check-out mode provides a more secure level of version control than is provided in normal mode. It is strongly recommended that you check out any document that you intend to edit. If you change a document without checking it out, accidental data loss can occur if another user makes changes to the same document simultaneously.

For example, assume that you are editing a document and have added a few pages of new data. You have not checked out the document. Another user opens the same document, without seeing the changes that you have made (because you are currently working on them), and makes additional changes. Meanwhile, you close and save the document. When the other user closes and saves the same document, their changes are saved, overwriting your work. All of your changes are lost. If you had checked out the document before making changes, the other user would have been able to open the document only in read-only mode and could not have made any changes until you checked in the document.

If the ApplicationXtender system administrator has enabled the check-in/check-out mode on the ApplicationXtender Web Access server, or if you have selected the Prompt for Checkout option under Document View in the User Settings page, you are prompted to specify whether you want to check out the document or open it as read-only. The prompt does not appear if you open the following types of documents:

A previous revision of the document
The final revision of a document
A checked-out document; the document opens as read-only if checked out by another user and continues in checked-out mode (resume check-out mode) if checked out by the current user

Note: A resumed checkout might fail for a user who works on multiple workstations. If a user opens the document that is checked out on workstation A and then tries to do the same on workstation B, the resumed checkout fails on workstation B, and the document opens as read-only.

If you do not select Prompt for Checkout, you can open the document and then check it out by selecting Check Out from the Document menu.

When you check out a document, a copy of the document as it exists in the ApplicationXtender repository is created and this copy becomes your working copy. Even when you close a document, you can keep the document checked out to continue working on it.

If you have selected the Prompt for Checkout option for the application that you are using, you can check in the final revision of a document. After you check in the final revision, users can open the document only in the read-only mode.

Note: Users with the deletion privilege can delete the final revision of a document from the ApplicationXtender repository.

You can also cancel the checkout by selecting Cancel Checkout from the Document menu. When you cancel the checkout, the working copy is deleted and ApplicationXtender considers the document revision in the repository as the current revision. The changes that you made to the working copy are discarded.

When you finish your changes, you can choose to check the document back into the repository. You can check in a document by selecting Check In from the Document menu. When you check in a document, identify the status of the document revision. You can assign the revision as minor, major, or a replacement for the current revision.

The following table lists the three document revision types and describes their functions:

Option	Description
Check in as a minor revision	Creates a new document version, keeps the previous version, and checks in the document. The new version uses the same document index information as the previous version. For each minor revision, the version number for the document increases by .1 (for example, version 1.0 becomes version 1.1).
Check in as a major revision	Creates a new document version, keeps the previous version, and checks in the document. The new version uses the same document index information as the previous version. For each major revision, the version number for the document increases by 1.0 (for example, version 1.0 becomes version 2.0).
Replace the current revision	Replaces the revision that was retrieved when the document was checked out and checks in the new document.
Final Revision	Marks the document as final. The final version of a document can be opened only in the read-only mode; you cannot check out or modify it. Note: You can mark a document as final only if the Prompt for Checkout option is selected for the application.