Check A Document Out For Editing

If you have multiple users who need to update a document, you can run into a problem if two users are editing the same document at the same time. A Workzone user can check a document out for editing to visibly indicate to other users that he/she is editing a specific document. When the user is finished modifying the document, the user can then “check in” the document to remove the warning that it is currently being edited.

To check a document out for editing, click the More icon (3 stacked dots) to the right of a document row in the file list view and then click Check item out in the drop-down menu. Alternatively from the document details/comments page, click the Check Out button at the top. Workzone will now indicate next to the document name in the Documents list view “Checked out by [User Name]” and will make an automatic comment to this effect in the comment list for the document.

Once a file is checked out, Workzone will prevent new versions of that file from being uploaded until the file is checked back in.

When the user is finished working on the document (and most likely, replacing the original document), the user can cancel the notification by clicking the Check in link next to the document in the Documents list view. The document can also be checked back in as it was checked out.

Note: Only users who are able to edit or replace a given document will be able to check it out for editing. Normally this will be Administrators and Managers. Any Administrator or Manager can check a document back in, whether or not the user was the one who checked out the document. Workzone will document which user checked the document back in as part of the automatic comment created in the comment list for the document.

The Reviewer Upload folder is the exception to this note. All users, regardless of role, have the same ability to check-in/check-out a file within the Reviewer Upload top folder.

Note: All document editing takes place externally from Workzone, Check In/Out function is for communication purposes.