APPLICATION DESIGN

Version tracking
Version tracking allows you to maintain a history of changes to a document. In order to activate version tracking, you must designate the form used to create documents as a version-tracking form.

To designate a form for version tracking

1. Open the form.

2. Choose Design - Form Properties.

3. On the Form Info tab, select None or one of the following versioning methods, as follows:

Versioning methodDescription
New versions become responsesUse this when the original document is the most important. The original document is listed first in the view; all successive versions follow. Choose this method if the original document is the focal point of the view, with responses being used for reference.

When new versions become responses, you can prevent replication or save conflicts in the view. If users on different servers modify and save the main document, their versions are treated as two separate response documents when the databases replicate. The two responses are displayed in the view in chronological order.

Prior versions become responsesUse this method when the new version is the most important. The latest version is listed first in the view; previous versions and the original follow. Use this method if the update is the most important or most frequently read document and you want to store older versions as a backup or for historical reference.

When prior versions become responses, you can't prevent replication or save conflicts. If users on different servers modify and save the main document, the two new versions of the document appear as conflicting main documents when the databases replicate.

New versions become siblingsUse this method when all versions have equal importance. The original document is listed first in the view; all successive version follow as additional main documents without introducing the risk of replication or save conflicts.

This method is also useful when revisions aren't based on a historical or subordinate model -- for example, in a form where workgroup members create their own replacement versions of an original document or where the original document is used as a template for each new document.

This method is most effective when you don't expect every main document to be revised, since it is hard to find updates in a view where many new documents have been created in the updating process. To distinguish a revised document from the original document, add identifying information, such as "New Proposal" or "Revised" to the field that displays in the view.

4. Then select one of the following "Create versions choices":
"Create versions" choicesDescription
Manual - File, New VersionManually creates a new version of the document only when the user chooses File - Save As New Version. This option allows the user to choose when to create a new version and when to overwrite the existing document.
Automatic - File, SaveAutomatically creates a new version of a document each time the user saves a document.
Make sure users know that version tracking is active, so that they understand the impact of editing documents. Explain version tracking in the "Using Database" document.

If there is a response hierarchy set up in the database, responses to version-controlled documents display as responses to the original document only.

See Also