Document Versioning Example

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Summary

RoAccess gives you built-in solutions to meet all your document management needs.
 

Details

For years, RoAccess has been allowing its users to do large scale document management and dissemination by innovative use of the Rochade blob/binary attributes.

When you upload a new version of a file into the blob attribute it overwrites what originally there, and the prior version is lost.  There is no way to tell Rochade to keep the prior version of the blob attribute.  This company wanted to get around this Rochade limitation and automatically be able to keep all the prior versions of a document.

Some user added buttons and screens were created to accomplish this.  No changes to actual RoAccess base code were necessary.  This is because RoAccess was created to be extended by "add-ons" as much as possible.
 

A Document ItemType:

Any ItemType that has a blob attribute is a document ItemType, besides any other use.  Below is a sample of an ItemType that was specifically designed to hold a wide range of documents:
 
It has:
  • a blob attribute (DOC-CONTENTS) to hold the file, which could be MSWord, Excel, a graphics, sound file, video file, or absolutely any type of file.
  • text attributes to describe the document, and state its purpose
  • link attributes to attach the document to other Items.  It is these Items to which the document pertains
  • link attribute to the author(s)
  • link attribute to the prior version of that document. This is what is unique to this system
    • If you click the icon next to the file name, that file will be automatically retrieved from the Rochade Repository, sent to your PC and the appropriate program can be automatically run.
     
     

    Listing Items in the ItemList Screen:

    The following screen show what a typical ItemList screen look like when listing Items of ARCHITECTURE-DOCUMENT:
     
    This show there are 5 documents.  Notice the "Show Versions" button.  This is a custom, user created button.  Its function is to show all the document versions in addition to the most current versions.  Clicking the "Show Versions" button changes the display to be:
    Versions of Items end in _xx where xx is a sequence number.  MIGRATION_PHASE_3 is the Document Name.  MIGRATION_PHASE_3_04 is the "prior version".  The smallest sequence number is the oldest version.  The highest sequence number is the prior version.  If a new version of MIGRATION_PHASE_3 were to be created, it would be MIGRATION_PHASE_3_05.

    Also note that the "Show Versions" button has been replaced by a "hide versions" button.  These two buttons toggle between showing only the most current Documents, and showing all versions.
     

    How Versions are Linked

    If a new document called TEST_DOC is created, and you upload a document named F1.doc, there are no prior versions.  The first time you create a new version, an Item named TEST_DOC_01 is created and will hold the F1.doc file.  Upload the updated F2.doc file into TEST_DOC.  The TEST_DOC Item will have an DOC-PRIOR-VERSION-LINK attribute that links to TEST_DOC_01.

    If you create another version of TEST_DOC, it will create an Item TEST_DOC_02, which will hold the F2.doc, and you are free to upload the F3.doc file into TEST_DOC.    TEST_DOC links to _TEST_DOC_02 which links to TEST_DOC_01.  The smaller the incrementing version number, the older the version.
     

    Creating a Document

    In Edit mode click the New Item button.  We fill in the ItemName and DEFINITION below.
    At that point a new, blank Item is presented in update mode:
    Enter the text and link attributes:
    Now upload the initial file, F1.doc
    The above Item is the initial TEST_DOC Item.  To create a new version of this Item, click the "New Doc Version" button at the top.

    You will receive the following reminder popup:

    It says the current Item is being renamed to TEST_DOC_01.  It then tells you to upload the new version of your document file.
     
    So, we upload F2.doc, which is the first revision of F1.doc:
     


     

    Now lets switch into Display mode and look at our Item TEST_DOC:
    You can see the DOC-PRIOR-VERSION-LINK attribute links to Item TEST_DOC, which is now the prior version.

    If you click the link to TEST_DOC_01, that "prior version" will display: