Locking Elements

You can lock areas within topics, such as paragraphs, so that they cannot be edited. You might take advantage of this feature, for example, when you are using Flare's file review and contributions process (see Reviews and Collaboration). If you want a reviewer to see portions of a file, but you do not want that individual to alter them, you can lock those parts. After the file is returned, you can unlock those areas of the file. See Unlocking Elements.

When you mark areas in a file to be locked, the background of that area turns gray. However, you can turn this background on or off, depending on whether you want to see it when working on the file.

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How to Lock Elements

Open the content file.
Place your cursor on a paragraph that you want to lock, or highlight multiple paragraphs.

Note Only entire blocks of content or paragraphs can be locked, not portions of paragraphs.
Select Review > Lock > Lock.

The paragraphs display a gray background, which will not show up in the output.

If you want to hide this shading from the XML Editor, but still keep the locks on the paragraphs, select Review > Lock > Show Locked Elements (in the ribbon view). You can also click the down arrow next to the Show tags button in the XML Editor. Then select Show Locked Elements.

Notice that you can still click in the paragraphs and edit the text. That is because the elements have only been marked for locking, but they have not yet been locked.
Select Review > Lock > Enable Locks.

The paragraphs marked for locking are now locked, and you cannot edit the text within them.
Click to save your work.

Note Annotations, which are used in the file review process, cannot be added to areas of a file that have been locked.

Note This feature is to be used for locking areas of a file, not the file itself.

What’s Next?

When you are ready to edit the text again, you can unlock the paragraphs. See Unlocking Elements.