I think I know what the issue is, but let me start out with the symptoms first. Our lifecycle definitions in Vault Pro do not allow anyone with "View Only" logins to see files that are not "Released". In Vault Pro 2012 Items in the thin client web browser would have no trouble showing a file at a particular "Released" version. In Vault Pro 2013 however, there seems to be an issue with Items in the thin client showing only the most recent version of the file. Lets say I have an Item that has a released file in it. When I go to change the state of the file and Item to Work In Progress in 2013 the old released file in the Item's revision history then becomes invisible to "View Only" users. I'm trying to figure out how to fix this.
I think this is due to the actual physical file not changing and hence the version of the old "Released" file and the new "Work in Progress" file are still one and the same. Essentially a metadata change to that file version, which I believe was introduced in 2013. Problem is, I want to keep my "Released" file visible.
If this is what is happening, then Autodesk should consider creating a new version of a file if it is coming out of a "Released" state no matter what. Leave "Released" versions of files alone so this doesn't happen.
Anybody have any ideas?
Hi Gary,
This functionality is on our radar - in doc management world we do not retain access to historically released files when file is in WIP - vote for this item on our ideastation here:
Allen,
Can you tell us any more about a work-around for this? From reviewing your link, I see that it's a major issue for at least 5 companies, but apparantly nothing is being done by Autodesk on this.
This issue has been known for 2 years.
One work-around is to give full access to everyone. This is dangerous as floor personnel may use incorrect versions.
Another work-around is to have an administrator add a PDF file before the .dwg file is changed to WIP. This is time consuming and seems unnecessary.
Another work-around is to have someone from the office print out an uncontrolled hard-copy. Key word: "Uncontrolled" and a bad idea when we're trying to go paperless.
There is a version associated to the Item. As long as that particular version is released, it should be available for view-only viewing. Right now, the view-only person cannot see released files when the latest version is set to "WIP".
Please help. I wrote my response to the Idea station a year ago and have heard nothing since.
Hi Don,
Thanks for posting and following up. I assure you the issue is understood and taken seriously, the issue of course is not limited to the Vault Thin Client, but impact's downstream users and something we are looking to address.