Checking Out and Releasing Objects

You can check out specific objects, including viewports, as long as neither the object nor the layer where the object displays is checked out in another working file. Other objects on the layer are still available for checkout by other users.

After editing, you can select an object you have checked out and release it, along with all other checked out objects and layers. All changes in your working file must be either committed or discarded upon release.

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Checking Out a Specific Object

To check out a specific object:

1. From your working file, select one or more objects, and select Modify > Check Out, or right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac) on the objects and select Check Out from the context menu. An alert displays if an object cannot be checked out because it is checked out to another user, or because it is out of date in your working file. Double-click an object listed in the alert to locate it in the drawing.

Alternatively, you can simply edit one or more objects. If the affected layers and objects are all available, you are prompted to check them out. If desired, click the option to check out other objects on the same layer automatically during this session.

2. On the Checkout dialog box, enter a comment to describe why the layer or object is being checked out, and click OK.

3. When your edits are complete, select an object you have checked out, and select Modify > Release, or right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac) on the object and select Release from the context menu. When prompted, select whether to Commit or Discard all changes in your working file. All checked out layers and objects are released.

Alternatively, select File > Save and Commit.

Checking Out and Releasing Objects Based on Criteria

The procedure to check out objects is very similar to the procedure to release objects after they have been edited.

To check out or release objects based on specified criteria:

1. From your working file, select Tools > Custom Checkout or Tools > Custom Release.

The Custom Checkout or Custom Release dialog box opens.

Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Criteria Set	Select <Active Set> to use the criteria currently selected in the dialog box; to use a set of saved checkout criteria, select one from the list
Save	Opens a dialog box to name and save the currently selected criteria so that they can quickly be selected as a set
Manage	Opens the Manage Saved Sets dialog box to rename or delete sets of saved criteria: ●    Select a set and click Rename to enter a new name for the set. If the entered name is already assigned to another set, you are prompted to confirm that you want to replace the existing set with the set being saved. ●    Select a set and click Delete to delete the set. You are prompted to confirm that you want to delete the saved set.
Selection Criteria	●    For the Custom Checkout command, determines the objects to check out. ●    For the Custom Release command, you cannot select specific changes to commit or discard upon release. However, you might use the selection criteria to determine how many objects will be modified upon release, for example.
Including components of	Applies the selection to objects that are grouped and/or included in viewport annotations
Objects that meet the criteria	Displays the number of drawing objects that will be affected
More Choices/Fewer Choices	Specify additional criteria by clicking More Choices. To remove the most recently added level of criteria, click Fewer Choices.

2. Select the desired criteria options. The number of objects that meet the criteria displays.

When symbols are selected as the criteria and symbol folders are present in the file, click the button available near the symbol type to open the Select Symbol dialog box. Select the specific symbol, and then click OK to return to the Custom Checkout or Custom Release dialog box.

3. Do one of the following.

●    From the Custom Checkout dialog box, click Check Out. An alert displays if an object cannot be checked out because it is checked out to another user, or because it is out of date in your working file. On the Checkout dialog box, enter a comment to describe why the layer or object is being checked out, and click OK.

●    From the Custom Release dialog box, click Release. When prompted, select whether to Commit or Discard all changes in your working file.

Administrative Release

If you have Administrative permission, you might occasionally need to release layers and objects that are checked out by another user. Any unsaved changes will be lost.

To release all objects and layers checked out by another user:

1. From your working file, do one of the following:

●    Select an object and select Modify > Release, or right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac) on the object and select Release from the context menu.

●    Select Tools > Custom Release, and specify criteria to select one or more objects that belong to another user or users.

2. An alert dialog box displays, showing the layer and owner of each selected object. Double-click an item in the list to locate the object in the drawing.

3. Click Release Anyway to release all checked out layers and objects, without committing the changes.

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