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Redline Document Comparison: Version Tracking with DCS

Redline documents

The Document Editor allows you to maintain a constant team-wide approach to the workflow: share files and folders, collaborate on documents in real-time, communicate right in the editor, comment on certain parts of your documents that require additional third-party input, save document versions for future use, and compare and merge documents to facilitate processing and editing.


You must apply the Document Review feature when somebody shares a file with you using review permissions.


In the Document Editor, as a reviewer, you can use the Review option to review the document, change the sentences, phrases, and other page elements, correct spelling, etc., without actually editing it. All your changes will be recorded and shown to the person who sent you the document.


If you send the file for review, you must display all the changes made to it, view them, and either accept or reject them.


Redline document comparison: enable the Track Changes feature.

Redline document comparison is easy with RedlineDCS. To see changes suggested by a reviewer, enable the Track Changes option in one of the following ways:

  • Click the button in the lower right corner of the status bar, or

  • Switch to the Collaboration tab on the top toolbar and press the Track Changes button. The reviewer does not need to enable the Track Changes option, which is enabled by default and cannot be disabled when the document is shared with review-only access rights.

  • The following options are available in the opened pop-up menu:

    • On for me - tracking changes is enabled for the current user only. The option remains enabled for the current editing session, i.e., it will be disabled when you reload or open the document anew. It will not be affected by other users enabling or disabling the general tracking changes option.

    • Off for me - tracking changes is disabled for the current user only. The option remains disabled for the current editing session. It will not be affected by other users enabling or disabling the general tracking changes option.

    • On for me and everyone - tracking changes are enabled and will remain when you reload or open the document anew (when the document is reloaded, all users will have tracking enabled). When another user turns off the general tracking changes option in the file, it will be switched to Off for me and everyone for all users.


Redline track changes

    • Off for me and everyone - tracking changes are disabled and will remain when you reload or open the document anew (when the document is reloaded, all users will have the tracking disabled). When another user enables the general tracking changes option in the file, it will be switched to On for me and everyone for all users. The corresponding alert message will be shown to every co-author.

Tracking redline changes

View changes

Changes made by a user are highlighted with a specific color in the document text. When you click on the changed text, a balloon displays the username, the date and time when the change was altered, and the description. The balloon also contains icons used to accept or reject the current change.

redline collaboration

If you changerag and drop a piece of text in another place in the document, the text in the new position will be underlined with a double line. The text in the original position will be double-crossed. This will count as a single change.


Click the double-crossed text in the original position and use the arrow in the change balloon to go to the new location of the text.


Click the double-underlined text in the new position and use the arrow in the change balloon to go to the original location of the text.


Choose the changes in the display mode.

Click the Display Mode button on the top toolbar and select one of the available modes from the list:

  • Markup and balloons—This option is selected by default. It allows for both viewing the suggested changes and editing the document. Changes are highlighted in the document text and displayed in balloons.

  • Only markup—This mode allows viewing the suggested changes and editing the document. Changes are displayed in the document text only; balloons are hidden.

  • Final—This mode displays all the changes as if they were accepted. This option does not take all the changes; it only allows you to see how the document will look after you make them. In this mode, you cannot edit the document.

  • Original—This mode displays all the changes as if they were rejected. This option does not reject all changes; it only allows you to view the document without changes. In this mode, you cannot edit the document.


Accept or reject changes.

Use the Previous and Next buttons on the top toolbar to navigate the changes.

To accept the currently selected change, youChangeclick the Accept button on the top toolbar, or

  • click the downward arrow below the Accept button and select the Accept Current Change option (in this case, the change willChangecepted, and you will proceed to the following available change baseChangeour cursor position), or

  • click the Accept button in the change balloon.

redline options

Accepting or rejecting a change will move you to the following change baseChangeour cursor position.


To quickly accept all the changes, click the downward arrow below the Accept button and select the Accept All Changes option.


To reject the current change, youChangeclick the Reject button on the top toolbar or

  • click the downward arrow below the Reject button and select the Reject Current Change option (in this case, the change willChangejected, and you will move on to the following available change baseChangeour cursor position), or

  • click the Reject button in the change balloon.









To quickly reject all the changes, click the downward arrow below the Reject button and select the Reject All Changes option.


If you need to accept or reject one change, rigChangeck it and choose Accept Change or Reject Change fromChangeontext menu.


Viewing version history:

To view all the changes made to the document,

  • go to the File tab,

  • select the Version History option at the left sidebar

    or

  • go to the Collaboration tab,

  • open the history of versions using the

     Version History icon at the top toolbar.

chat redline history

You'll see a list of the document versions and revisions, with the author, creation date, and time indicated for each version/revision. The version number (e.g., ver. 2) is also specified for document versions.


Viewing versions:

To see which changes have been made in each separate version/revision, click the one you need on the left sidebar. The changes made by the version/revision author are highlighted with the same color as their avatar in the viewing version history window.


To return to the current version of the document, use the Close History option at the top of the version list.


Restoring versions:

If you need to roll back to one of the document's previous versions, click the Restore link below the selected version/revision.


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