Versioning
2
While working collaboratively on a document, the
.
assures that all changes are adapted. A further aspect to think off, is how the document shall be saved and if there should be any security mechanisms
While working collaboratively on a document it is synchronized permanently. But once the users have finished or take a break the document has to be saved, so that none of the changes get lost.
When people work on a document they sometimes are interrupted or might get away from the computer (for example to get something to drink or to answer the phone). When they come back the computer maybe has turned off. So the people have to turn on the computer again and to re-open the document they have been working on. In such a case the already made changes would be lost. Existing applications like Microsoft word provide the possibility of restoring documents in such cases. Furthermore they have some kind of security mechanism by making backup copies for each open document.
Another problem might occur when a group member accidentally deletes part of a document and this change performed for all other group members as well, because of synchronization. In such a situation it could be helpful to have older versions of a document somewhere saved on the server.
An Example of how the different versions could be organized on the server is the Collaborative Document Repository Browser (CoDRB) which is part of the interface for the user to manage documents in the Collaborative Document Repository Manager (CoDRM) and collaborative editing sessions when using CoOffice.
Provide the possibility of saving the document automatically on the server. Make sure that the application makes backup copies and that it saves the current version of a document when users leave it. Furthermore there should be additional information (like hour, date and the name of the person that worked last on it) for each version.
Before a version of a document is saved on the server, all current changes should be adapted to it. For this, the
can be used. If the possibility of saving a version locally shall be provided, use
.
Denise Erassme, RWTH Aachen (Denise.Erassme@rwth-aachen.de)
1.1
January 25, 2009
January 25, 2009
This pattern is part of the project "Pattern Language for Collaborative Text Editing" (lecture HCIDP at RWTH Aachen, Winter Term 08/09).