Sharepoint 2013 : Using Office applications with SharePoint - Editing documents in Office (part 2) - Checking out a file with the browser

2. Checking in and checking out files

When editing files, a key feature of SharePoint and Office applications is the check-in and checkout capability. This feature enables a user to temporarily prevent other users from making simultaneous changes. The edits made while the document is checked out are not accessible or viewable by anyone until the document is checked back into the library. This feature works with the version control and tracking mechanism found in SharePoint so that a new version of the file is created only when the file is checked back in, not every time a file is simply opened, closed, or saved.

Using Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or Visio, you can check in files to a SharePoint library. SharePoint enables users of the Office applications to work with checked-out files on their local hard drive, regardless of whether they are connected to the local network. When a copy is checked out, it is stored by default in the Office Document Cache folder in the My Documents folder on your computer (%userprofile%\Documents\SharePoint Drafts). When traveling, or if you are unable to connect to the network, saving an offline copy of files allows you to work with a file on your local hard drive while SharePoint indicates to other users the document’s status.

Changing the offline location where SharePoint files are stored

The Office Document Cache is used by the Office Upload Center to give you a way to see the state of files that you’re uploading to a server—keeping track of how uploads are progressing and whether any files need your attention. You can manage the Office Document Cache settings by customizing the settings in the Office Upload Center, and you can also change the location where offline files are stored from within Office applications by navigating to the Backstage view and then clicking Options to display the Word Options dialog box, shown here. In the left pane, click Save, and then, in the Offline Editing Options For Document Management Server Files area, select the required option and save location.

When you change the Office Document Cache location and click OK, the registry key, HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Internet\OfficeCacheLocation is modified.

The value of the Office Document Cache location must point to a valid location that exists on a local drive to which the user has write access. Changing this location to a location that is accessible to other users has security risks.

When a file is checked out, a green arrow icon appears on the icon to the left of the file; other users are able to open a read-only copy of the file, but they will not be able to make any changes or save the file that is checked out. Site administrators can configure libraries to require users to check out files before editing them. Most Office applications allow you to comment on the content of the file. These comments are stored within the document.

A user can check in a file and select the Retain Check Out option to allow other users to see the changes that were made but to continue to leave the document in a checked-out state.

2.1 Checking out a file with the browser

When you check out a file from a library, you cannot use the coauthoring functionality. By checking out a file for your exclusive use, it is only editable by one person: you. While the file is checked out, you can edit and save the file, close it, and reopen it. Other users cannot change the file or see your changes until you check the file back into the library. To check out a document using the browser, use one of the following methods:

• Pause the cursor over the file you wish to check out, and then select the check box that appears to the left of the file. On the Files Ribbon tab, select Check Out in the Open & Check Out group. This method can be used to check out multiple files at the same time.

• Click the ellipsis to the right of the document and then, in the Open menu, click the ellipsis to open the List Item menu (LIM). Select Check Out, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 5-2. A user can select the Check Out option from the document, the Ribbon menu, or the drop-down list within a document library.