Locking and unlocking documents

Project Portal locks documents so that only one user at a time can edit the document's properties or attached files. Documents can be locked or unlocked automatically by the system or manually by a user.

Project Portal locks the document whenever you:

• Edit properties
• Delete a file
• Create a new version
• Rename a file
• Change the status
• Delete the document
• Lock the document manually (until you unlock it manually)

The files attached to a document are locked separately from the document to which they are attached. This allows multiple people to work on separate files attached to the same document at the same time if the document is unlocked. You cannot create a new version for or delete a document if another user has locked a file attached to the document.

Project Portal locks the file whenever you:

• Check out a file (until you check it back in)
• Lock a file manually (until you unlock it manually)
• Rename a file

The lock is automatically released when the operation is completed or after 15 minutes.

To lock a document:

1. In the navigation pane, select the folder where the document is located.

2. In the document list, on the Actions menu select Lock.

   OR

   Select the document name or on the Actions menu select View. The document's property page appears in the detail pane.

   • In the ribbon, in the Document group, click Lock.

   The Lock command changes to Unlock, a locked icon appears at the end of the document's name in the document list, and a key icon appears in the header of the document's property page.

   Note    The lock may be removed by the person who set it or by a privileged workspace user with the Unlock or Upload file commands or by changing the document's Status property.

To unlock a document:

1. In the navigation pane, select the folder where the document is located.

2. In the document list, on the Actions menu select Unlock.

   OR

   Select the document name or on the Actions menu select View. The document's property page appears in the detail pane.

   • In the ribbon, in the Document group, click Unlock.

   Note    If the Unlock command is unavailable, the document is locked by another user and you may not unlock it. Clicking the locked icon opens a form with which you can send an email link to the locked document to the user who locked it with a request to open the lock.