Managing Versions via ELMA Agent

You can find the ELMA Agent button in Web Application:

in any directory of the Documents section, in the document context menu (fig. 1);

Fig. 1. "Documents" section. Document context menu
on the document page > on the General Information tab > in the Current Version section (fig. 2);

Fig. 2. Document page. "General Information" tab. "Current Version" unit
on the document page > on the Versions tab > in the document version context menu (fig. 3);

Fig. 3. Document page. "Versions" tab. Document version context menu

The ELMA Agent button provides the following actions:

lock and change the current document version;
change the current document version;
create a new document version, using the selected version;
compare document versions.

The set of available actions may vary depending on the user's access permissions to the document.

Locking and Changing Document Versions

When editing a document version, a user can lock it to avoid conflicts in the system, in case other users want to edit the document at the same time.

To lock and change the current document version, in the document context menu click ELMA Agent - Lock and Change. The document version will acquire the Locked status and the document will be opened for editing (if an application for viewing and editing such files is installed on the PC). ELMA Agent will also display a notification that the document is locked (fig. 4)

Fig. 4 Version is locked message in ELMA Agent.

To open the document for editing, open ELMA Agent > Active section > click Open (fig. 5).

Fig. 5. Message in ELMA agent about document version editing

Undo changes – close the current document version without saving the changes.

Once the document is edited and saved, a message will appear in ELMA Agent > in the Active section, asking you to select the next step (fig. 6).

Fig. 6. Further action message in ELMA Agent

Save – save the edited document version and lock it. The current version acquires the "Current" status. If access permissions to edit the document were removed from the user while editing, the user will see the No permissions to edit document notification instead of the Save button.

Undo changes – close the current document version without saving changes. You can unlock a document version by clicking Unlock in the context menu of a locked document.

Editing Document Version without Locking

You can make changes to a document version without locking it in the same way as described above. The only difference is that a conflict will occur, if several users edit and load a document version at the same time. Only a document version, changed by the first user, will be successfully saved and loaded. Changes, made by the next users, will not be saved.

Creating New Version (using the selected one)

With ELMA Agent you can create a new document version, based on the existing one.

To do so, click ELMA Agent - New Version {from the current one} in the document context menu. The document will be opened for editing (if an application for viewing and editing such files is installed on the PC). Make changes and save them. A new document version with the "Draft" status will be created in ELMA. The source version will not be changed.

Locking a document version and creating a new version based on the selected one

ELMA Agent allows creating a new document version based on the selected one, while locking the selected version. It allows avoiding conflicts in ELMA if several users try to edit the same document version simultaneously.

To do so, select Block and create in the ELMA Agent button menu. The document version status will change to Locked and the document will be opened for editing in the application for viewing and editing documents of the corresponding format (if installed on the user computer). Edit the file and save the changes. A new document version will be created in ELMA, with the same status as the source version. For instance, if the source version had the Current status, the new document version will acquire the Current status, while the source version's status will change to Outdated. Note, that the source version will remain unchanged.

Comparing Document Versions

ELMA Agent allows comparing versions of the .doc and .docx files.

To compare several versions, click ELMA Agent - Compare in the document context menu. In the opened dialog box (fig. 7), select the main document and the document for comparing. To start comparing, click Compare.

Fig. 7. Selecting documents to compare

Microsoft Word will display both compared versions in one window. All the changes in these versions will also be shown. The opened document will be named Compare Results.

Note, that you can compare documents, only if you have Microsoft Word installed on your PC.