Archiving History Records

History records can be stored internally inside the Author-it library, or archived in XML format to an external location. Archiving is optional, however it will help prevent the size of your library from quickly ballooning out of control.

You can choose from auto settings (when all records are archived as they are created) or manual settings where you define when records should be archived.

Auto Archive Settings

• Archive all objects - when checked, this option will override any manual settings and archive all history records externally.

Manual Archive Settings

• Archive Folder - defines the location where the XML history files are created. This path should always be relative to the location of the library so all users will be able to see it.

  Edit History can still be accessed for comparison and revert even when archived, provided the users can access the archive folder. If you are using auto archive, then all users will need read and write permissions. If you are using manual archive, then the user performing the archive will need read and write, while all other users will only need read permissions to the archive folder.

  Note: If working with multiple libraries, we recommend you define a separate archive folder for each library.

• Keep a minimum history for each object of - defines how many histories are retained in the library before being archived. For example, if the minimum is set to 3, the three most recent histories for each object are still stored internally, and only the fourth and earlier records are archived.
• Archive before - determines a date to archive prior to. Defaults to today, so only records from yesterday and earlier would be archived. To include histories created today, set this to a later date.
• Archive Now - when using manual settings, history is only archived when you tell Author-it to do so. This must be selected each time you want to archive manually.

Important: Once history records have been archived they are stored externally and cannot be brought back into the library. If you move your library, you will need to take care to ensure the path to the archived files remains valid. If the files cannot be found, you will be unable to compare or revert to a previous revision.