AODocs version control helps you manage changes to your documents. It builds on Google Drive’s revision system to track and store different states of your files.

This article describes how the AODocs version control works for Google files and non-Google files.

Automatically generated table of contents

How are document versions created in AODocs?

Versions in AODocs can be created automatically or manually by:

• the upload feature
  Learn more: Upload attached non-Google files
• the version feature
  Learn more: Manage document versions in AODocs libraries
• the check-out/check-in feature
  Learn more: Check out a document: create a draft version

How does Google Drive's revision system work?

In Google Drive, the behavior of “revisions” depends on the type of file:

• For Google files (such as Google documents, spreadsheets and presentations) revisions are automatically generated each time the file is modified, and end users have no control over when a new revision is created
• For non-Google files (i.e. any file that can be uploaded or downloaded from Google Drive), revisions are created when users upload new content, and when they choose to keep it. Learn more: View activity & file versions.

Upload new versions of attached non-Google files

This feature applies only to non-Google files. When you upload a new version of an attached file, you can keep the current version or to overwrite it.

Keep the current version

If you choose to upload a new attached file and keep the current version, AODocs creates a new version of the document. The version control of the attached file itself is managed by Google Drive in the form of a new Google Drive revision.

The original AODocs URL and Google Drive URL do not change and always display the current version of the document.

Note: When previewing a previous version of an AODocs document, you can't preview the previous version of a non-Google attached file. You can only download it.

Overwrite the current version

If you choose to upload a new attached file and overwrite the current version, the uploaded file will be saved as a new revision in Google Drive, but AODocs will not create a new version of the document. The old version of the attached file will no longer be accessible through the AODocs interface. The previous revision of the file in Google Drive will be preserved for a few days and will be visible from the Manage versions menu. Learn more: View activity & file versions.

The original AODocs URL and Drive URL do not change and always display the current version of the document.

Manage document versions

Google documents

If you are creating a new version of a document (without using the restore feature), the original AODocs URL and Drive URL do not change and always display the current version of the document.

If you restore a previous version:

• the revision history will be completely lost
• the Google Drive link of the original attached file will change

The original AODocs URL doesn’t change and always displays the current version of the document. However, the Google Drive link of attached files are different before and after restoring a previous version.

If you are using direct links in a Third Party tool, we advise you to use the AODocs links instead of the Google Drive links.

Non-Google documents

The original AODocs URL and Drive URL don’t change and always display the current version of the document.

Check-out / check-in

Google documents

When a document is checked in:

• the revision history which existed before the check-out is lost
• the Google Drive link of the original attachment before the check-out changes

When the check-out of a document is cancelled, the original AODocs URL and Drive URL don’t change and always display the version the document which was the current version before the check-out.

The original AODocs URL doesn’t change and always displays the current version of the document. The Google Drive links of attached files are different before the check-out and after the check-in.

If you are using direct links in a Third Party tool, we advise you to use the AODocs links instead of the Drive links.

Non-Google documents

The AODocs URL and Google Drive URL do not change and always display the current version of the document.