Overview
Firmex can store and manage multiple versions of documents in your projects. This helps facilitate collaboration while ensuring a complete audit trail of the information exchanged between internal and external users.
Every document has at least one version. The latest version (the 'Current' version) is shown by default.
New versions of a document can be manually added by right-clicking on a document and selecting Add Version. You may also upload new versions of a document directly into your data room, and Firmex will automatically recognize and log new versions (documents that have the same name and extension but different contents).
Documents can have unlimited versions and are automatically numbered in the order in which they are added (v1, v2, v3, etc.) Document versions can be different file types. To help users differentiate between different versions, each version can optionally have its own Content Status and Notes. The Content Status of the current version is identical to the Content Status of the document.
To see document version details, you can choose to show the "Versions" column in your documents list. A Project Administrator must enable the column in Project Settings > Options in order for users to see the option to show or hide it in the dropdown menu.
You can also view versions of a specific document by right-clicking on the document and selecting View Versions and Redaction.
FAQ
Uploading, Downloading, and Managing Versions
Q: I don’t see the version column in my document list.
A: A Project Administrator must enable the Version column in Project Settings > Options > Column Display. Then, users must select the column to see it in the document list by opening the Columns dropdown menu and selecting the checkbox next to Version.
Your preference will be saved the next time you log into the project.
Q: How are versions numbered? What happens if I delete a version?
A: Versions are automatically numbered (e.g. v1, v2, v3) as they are added. If a version is deleted, there will be a gap in the numbers (i.e., Firmex does not renumber the remaining versions).
Q: What happens to the versions if I rename a document?
A: Renaming a document will not affect the name of any of the versions. The name of the first uploaded document (v1) will remain as the original file name. The Firmex Smart Upload function will identify new versions of a document based on the current document name and extension, not the original file name or any of the version names.
Q: What happens if I copy or move documents from one folder to another? Do new versions get created?
A: Within a project, when you move or copy a document, all versions of the document are moved/copied. If you move or copy a document to a folder and there is already a document with the same file name and file extension, the moved/copied document will automatically be renamed to be unique, e.g. ABC (1).doc.
If documents are copied to a new project, only the current version is copied to ensure data integrity. For a document with several versions, earlier versions may have been uploaded by users who are not in the destination project. But, the user who is performing the copy action has to be in the destination project (otherwise they wouldn’t be allowed to do the copy), so only the current version is copied and the “modified by” date of the new document is the user doing the copy.
Permissions
Q: Which users can see, add, and/or manage versions?
A: Content Viewers can only see the latest version of a document (the Current version). They cannot see previous versions, nor can they see that multiple versions exist for a given document.
Content Contributors and above can see versions and add new versions.
Content Managers and Content Admins can delete versions.
Also, document activity emails will not go out to Content Viewers when new versions are added.
Q: How do document protection options work for versions?
A: Document Protection options are applied as possible based on the file type of the current version. For example, Firmex can apply a watermark to a PDF but not a ZIP file, so if a document version is added that switches the current version from PDF to ZIP, then the protection changes.
Note: This is the same behaviour as Document Protection options applied to a folder or as a user default. If the documents in the folder are not all PDFs, then some protection options cannot be applied.
Q: Can I give a user the option to see versions but not be able to add a new one?
A: No. Content Contributors (and above) can see and add versions.
Q: Can I edit a version or replace a version?
A: If you are Content Contributor or above, you can change a version's content status or notes. The name of a version cannot be changed, and versions cannot be replaced.
Q: If I’m working on a version, can I “check it out”? And check it back in when I’m finished?
A: Firmex does not have a "check in/check out" feature. However, a Content Administrator can take a document offline or manually change the permissions of other users to Content Viewer for a period of time (and change them back later) to avoid changes while a document is being worked on. Alternatively, a user could add a note or a content status of “Checked Out” to indicate to other users that a version is currently being worked on.
Other Versions Questions
Q: Do users get emails when new versions are uploaded?
A: Document activity emails will include notifications about new versions being uploaded based on user permissions. Document activity emails will not go out to Content Viewers when new versions are added.
Q: Can I change the content status of individual versions? Or just the whole document?
A: Different content statuses can be applied to different versions. The status of the current version is the same as the status of the document (and vice versa). If you change the status of a document, it updates the status of the most current version automatically. The status of individual versions and the document can be changed at any time by Content Contributors and above.
Q: How are reports impacted by document versions?
A: Reports with data related to documents include a column showing the version number.
Q: Can I take offline, copy the link of, and/or notify users about a specific version?
A: No, these functionalities are only available at the document level, e.g. a document can be be taken offline, but individual versions cannot.