Comparing Drawings with Previous Versions
In a collaborative environment, several users work on the same drawing, at different times. As a project evolves, it is useful to keep track of changes to see the evolution of the project and be able to return at any moment to a previous stage of the project.
When a user saves a drawing that is stored on a supported Cloud Storage, a previous version is created. The Cloud Storage maintains previous versions.
Important: Before using version history in the application, please check which plan you have for the Cloud Storage you use. The amount of time a Cloud Storage stores previous versions of your drawings and the maximum number of saved previous versions depend on the plan you have.
The following Cloud Storage services support version history:
- Google Drive® (https://www.google.com/drive/)
Older file versions are automatically deleted after 30 days or 100 revisions.
- Dropbox® (https://www.dropbox.com)
The amount of time Dropbox stores previous versions of your files depends on the plan you have.
- Box® (www.box.com)
The maximum number of previous file versions you can access corresponds to your account type.
- OneDrive® (www.onedrive.live.com)
Make sure you have versioning enabled for your OneDrive instances.
The Version History palette lists the previously saved versions of each drawing maintained by a supported Cloud Storage. If other users make changes, the version list displays who has made the change. You can compare the current drawing with a previous version.
Use the Version History palette instead of making copies of your drawings and date them to keep track of changes,
From the Version History palette, you can do the following:
- Filter the previous versions by user or by when the drawing was saved
- Open a previous version of a drawing
- Preview a previous version of a drawing
- Compare the current drawing with a previous version
- Compare the current version of the drawing with another previous version
- Compare two specified versions of the drawing
The VersionHistory command displays the Version History palette.
To show the Version Manager palette:
- Do one of the following:
- Type VersionHistory.
To hide the Version Manager palette:
- Do one of the following:
- Type HideVersionHistory at the command prompt.
- Click the cross button (x) on the title bar of the palette.
To compare the current drawing with a previous version:
- Do one of the following:
- Type VersionHistory.
- In the Version History palette, in the version list, hover the mouse pointer over the version to compare with the current drawing and click Compare
.
Note: Use filters to reduce the number of versions in the list.
The Drawing Compare palette appears. The comparison result is displayed in the current drawing using different colors.
- On the Drawing Compare palette, from the versions drop-down list, select a previous version.
- Use the Drawing Compare palette to control the representation of differences in the comparison result.
You can change the following:
- Visibility of comparison preview
- Representation of differences
- Visibility, color, and shape of the revision clouds
- Display of overlapping entities
- Display or hide hatches and text entities
See Comparing Drawings.
The Version History Palette
The Version History palette groups the tools necessary for filtering and comparing previous versions of the drawing
The palette contains the following section:
- Toolbar. Groups the tools for filtering the drawing versions.
- Version list. Displays all versions of the current drawing, from all users.
- Preview area. Displays previews of drawing versions.
Toolbar
Use the buttons in the toolbar at the top of the Version History palette for filter options:
- Filter by date. Lets you filter the version list by the day when you saved the versions. The following options are available: All, Today, Yesterday, Last week.
- Filter by user name. Displays a list of users that have created or modified the current drawing file.
- Preview toggle. Toggles the preview of the selected version.
- Refresh. Updates the version list (for example, if changes were made externally to the current drawing). Clears the date and user filters.
| Button |
Description |
Function |
|---|---|---|
 |
Filter by date | Lets you filter the version list by the day when you saved the versions. The following options are available: All, Today, Yesterday, Last week. |
 |
Filter by user name | Displays a list of users that have created or modified the current drawing file. |
 |
Preview toggle | Toggles the preview of the selected version. |
 |
Upload file | Lets you upload the specified drawing as last version of the current drawing |
 |
Compare to active version | Compares the specified version with the active version of the drawing |
 |
Select version to compare | Compares two specified versions |
 |
Promote | Saves the specified version as latest |
 |
Refresh | Updates the version list (for example, if changes were made externally to the current drawing). Clears the date and user filters. |
Version list
You can see:
- Who modified the drawing and when
- Time when the drawing was saved
- Status of each version
Open
Active
You can do the following:
- Hovering the mouse cursor over a list item displays the Compare button. Clicking Compare opens the Drawing Compare palette. See Comparing Drawings.
- Right-clicking an item in the list displays a context menu. The displayed options vary according to the selected item.
| Option |
Function |
|---|---|
| Open | Opens the specified version in read-only mode |
| Show | Displays the specified version in the graphics area and makes it active |
| Compare to active version | Compares the specified version with the active version |
| Select version to compare | Lets you specify the version to compare with the selected one |
| Promote | Saves the specified version as latest |
| Delete | Deletes the specified version |
Preview Area
The Preview area displays a thumbnail preview of the currently selected item in the version list.
Access
Command: VersionHistory