Collaborative Editing
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PlexTrac offers collaborative editing to save time and reduce errors when working on reports, writeups, narratives, and findings. Collaborative editing is a process in which multiple individuals work together to create, edit, and refine content in real time, with contributors simultaneously working on the same document.
Collaborative editing exists in rich-text fields (RTFs) within the platform, such as:
In the Description, Recommendations, and References RTFs of the Findings Details tab of a finding
In the Value RTF within the Custom Fields tab of a finding
In the RTF of the Narrative tab for a report
In the Description, Recommendations, and References RTFs of the Readout tab of a report
In the Description, Recommendations, and References RTFs of a writeup in WriteupsDB
In the Section Body RTF in NarrativesDB
Track changes are unavailable until the content has been created and saved (i.e., the toolbar experience differs when creating a writeup vs. editing a writeup).
When a user edits one of the fields listed above, an avatar is displayed at the top right of the content box. Up to six avatars can be displayed.
The user's full name is provided if the cursor hovers over it.
Messaging at the top right of the section or page where collaborative editing exists indicates when content was last saved.
On pages with multiple content sections, autosave is per section (not page), and the time stamp will update when one of the collaborative editing content blocks is modified.
For example, when one user updates the finding description at the same time another user updates the finding recommendation, both updates are saved, and the time stamp represents the last edit.
If the internet or VPN connection is lost, an error notification will indicate the connection has been lost.
or
Users cannot modify any collaborative editing sections until they return online.
Track changes record any modifications made to the text, formatting, or other elements. It can be enabled for a particular RTF or at the report level.
When the track changes feature is enabled, any modifications made to the document are highlighted and displayed. These changes can include additions, deletions, formatting adjustments, and comments. The original content remains visible, while the modifications are marked with specific indicators, such as colored text, underlines, or strike-throughs. Additionally, users can leave comments or annotations to provide further context or explanations regarding the changes made.
Collaborators can accept or reject individual changes, and the document owner or editor can review and make final decisions on which modifications to keep. This feature is helpful when multiple individuals must work on a document simultaneously or when documents undergo several revisions.
The toggle to enable track changes in an RTF is located in the RTF toolbar. Click the track changes icon to enable.
Track changes can also be enabled by clicking the icon and toggle on from the pulldown menu.
When enabled, the track changes icon in the RTF toolbar is blue.
Content additions are now shown in green, deletions in red, and a log of changes appears to the right of the RTF.
Changes can be accepted or rejected by clicking the checkmark or X in the audit box.
Once accepted or rejected, the box and markup will disappear, and the content will reflect the choices.
Track changes can be controlled at the report level. This toggle applies to all RTFs within a report and appears to the right of the tab headers.
When track changes are enabled at the report level, individual RTFs will indicate that changes are being tracked (the track changes icon in the toolbar will be blue). The toggle bar available from the pulldown menu is now green (indicating track changes are on), but the ability to turn off track changes for an RTF is greyed out.
If turned on at the report level, track changes can only be turned off at the report level.
Comments are added by highlighting content and clicking the comment icon in the RTF toolbar.
A comment box appears on the right of the RTF to capture any notes. Click Comment when finished.
Unless resolved or deleted, the comment will stay visible with the associated text highlighted in the RTF. Someone must click the checkmark within the text box to resolve a comment.
When resolved, the comment and highlighted text disappear, but a history of the comments can be viewed by clicking the comment archive icon in the toolbar. Comments can be viewed or reopened from the archive.
In scenarios where multiple changes were made to an RTF, users can accept or reject them with one click using the options provided in the track changes pulldown menu.
The solutions available depend on the scenario:
If a user has not specified specific RTF modifications, only "Accept all suggestions" and "Discard all suggestions" will be available.
If a user has manually highlighted RTF content, additional options are provided, allowing the user to approve only the selected content.
The comment archive feature only applies to comments within an RTF. Comments for other fields, such as a title, must be deleted to be removed from view.
