You are here: Chapter 7: Configuration and Administration > Workspace Administration > Other Options > Edit Lock

Edit Lock

The Edit Lock feature prevents multiple Agents from working on the same Issue at one time or Administrators from working on the same form in Form Designer at the same time..  If enabled, when someone tries to access an Issue that another user is working on, the user receives a message stating that the Issue is being edited by another user.

Enable/Disable Edit Lock for Issues

To enable or disable the Edit Lock feature:

  1. Select Administration | Workspace | Edit Lock from the FootPrints Toolbar.
  2. To:
  3. enable the Edit Lock, select a time-out period from the drop-down list.  This is the amount of time an Issue or form remains locked if a user keeps the page open.  After the time-out period elapses, the page is freed.  The options for this field range from 5 minutes to 55 minutes, in 5 minute increments (5, 10, 15...)  Options are also available for 1,2, and 3 hours.
  4. disable Edit Lock, select Off from the drop-down.  This allows two users to work on the same Issue at the same time.  This does not cause a system error.  Instead, both edits are submitted and handled as though they had taken place serially, e.g., if the first submitted edits changed the status to Pending Approval and the second one submitted changed the status to Closed, the Closed status would be current. If both users append a Description, both Descriptions are saved.
  5. Enter your password and click Save at the bottom of the screen to submit the change.

Using Edit Lock

Once unlocked by one of these methods, the Issue is free for editing by other users.  

Unlocking Issues

It may sometimes be necessary to manually unlock an Issue.  For example, a user may take an Issue for editing and then go to lunch.  Rather than waiting for the time-out period, the administrator can unlock the Issue manually.

All currently locked Issues are listed on the Edit Lock Administration page, as in the following example:

Issue 35958 is being edited by Nikki Singh who began the edit on 05-06-2003 at 11:02:03

Issue 4562 is being edited by Pedro Gomez who began the edit on 05-06-2003 at 10:51:11   

Issue 1237 is being edited by Jill Smith who began the edit on 05-06-2003 at 10:48:07

To unlock an Issue:

  1. Check the box next to the Issue on the Edit Lock Administration page.
  2. Click Save. The Issue is unlocked.

Caution

Any user who is currently editing the Issue has the potential of losing their modifications. Only use this feature when necessary.

Note

This feature is also useful for seeing what different users are working on at any given time.

Edit Lock for Form Designer

Form Designer Edit Lock displays whether Form Designer is locked for the current workspace and, if it is locked, displays who is using it.