You can track changes made to content files edited in the XML Editor (topics, snippets, master pages) and accept or reject those alterations individually. Each change is marked in a color (different colors for different users) and/or labeled in a sidebar. By default, tracked changes are visible only in the editor in MadCap Flare, as well as in Central or Contributor (depending on the review method you are using). Tracked changes that have not yet been accepted are not visible when previewing the topic in Flare or when viewing any output generated from it. You can preserve tracked changes in PDF and Word output so unaccepted changes will appear in these outputs.
When this feature is enabled, every change to the document—along with the user who performed the change—will be stored in the document’s markup. For example, deleted text won’t actually be removed from the document, but will instead be marked as deleted in the code. However, if the change is accepted, the text will be removed from the document.
review workflows
The track changes feature is especially useful as part of the file review processes (when you send topics and snippets out for review to individuals who make changes to them).
- Central Reviews (Recommended) The Central review process lets you send Flare topics and snippets to be reviewed by subject matter experts (SMEs) or other Flare authors on MadCap Central. After making edits and adding comments to the files in a lightweight editor on Central, the reviewers submit the finished files, sending them back to your inbox in Flare. You can then accept or reject their changes and accept the file, replacing the original source file.
- Review Packages The review package process lets you send Flare files for review, as well as receive file contributions from, SMEs and other Flare authors. Non-Flare users can download a separate application called MadCap Contributor when collaborating with you and your Flare project. You can also use the same features to send files for review to other Flare authors using Flare only.
When reviewers open files in Central or Contributor to review them, the track changes feature is automatically enabled. Therefore, you can see exactly what the reviewer modified in the returned document. You can then pick and choose which edits to accept or reject.
tasks for using the track changes feature
Following are the primary tasks involved with tracked changes.
- Enable Track Changes If you want Flare to capture and display your own edits as you make them, you must first enable the feature. See Enabling Track Changes.
- Find Changes You can use navigation buttons in the Review ribbon to quickly navigate to the previous or next tracked change or annotation in the file. See Finding Changes.
- Accept or Reject Tracked Changes You can right-click on tracked changes and use a context menu to accept or reject them individually. You can also use options in the interface to accept or reject each tracked change or all tracked changes in a file. The reject option also removes annotations. See Accepting or Rejecting Tracked Changes.
- Change User Color The tracked changes and annotations for each user can be shown in a separate color. You also have the option of choosing a specific color for all users. See Changing the User Color for Reviews.
- Change Display You can change the way tracked changes are displayed in the interface (e.g., in balloons, inline). You can also enable or disable change bars. See Changing the Display of Tracked Changes.
- Hide and Show Tracked Changes You can hide or show tracked changes and annotations in the active document. See Hiding and Showing Changes and Annotations.
- Change User Name and Initials When you first install and launch Flare, your login user name is captured and stored in the Options dialog. The first two letters of the user name are also stored as your initials. This information is employed whenever you use the track changes and annotations features. You can always change your Flare user name or initials to something else. See Changing Your User Name and Initials.
notes
Note: The track changes feature is intended only for self-contained operations within the XML Editor. For example, if you make changes to index keywords or concepts in the Index and Concept window panes (e.g., renaming, assigning them to topics), those modifications are not indicated as tracked changes because they are considered project-wide "link updating" processes.
Note: The track changes setting is global in a project. For example, let's say you have two topics open. With focus on topic A, you enable the track changes feature. If you bring focus to topic B, the track changes option is now also enabled for that topic. If you then open other topics after that point, the track changes feature will be enabled in those topics as well.
Note: You can use Flare's analysis tool and reports to see a list of files containing tracked changes and annotations. See Viewing Files with Changes and Reports.