Performing checkin and checkout activities

If you are the synchronizer in a 2007 SharePoint Files tool, you can perform the source control tasks.

What do you want to do?

Checking out files from a SharePoint document library in a SharePoint Files tool

Checking in files to a SharePoint document library

Discarding a checkout

Checking out files from a SharePoint document library in a SharePoint Files tool

Checking out a file in the SharePoint Files tool places a lock on it in the SharePoint document library, thus preventing users from updating the file directly in SharePoint. Keep in mind that you do not need to check out files to allow updating them in the SharePoint Files tool and sending these updates to the SharePoint document library during synchronization. Use this feature only when you want to ensure exclusive editing rights in the SharePoint Files tool.

To check out a file:

1. Select the file or files you want to check out.

2. On the Home tab, click Check Out.

If successful, your name appears in the Checked Out To column in the file list. If the checkout is not successful for one or more files, an error message displays. The most common reasons for failure include:

• The file is already checked out directly from the SharePoint site by another user. Note that the SharePoint Files tool does not indicate in advance that a file is already checked out from the SharePoint library.

• The file is new in the SharePoint Files tool and has not yet been sent to the SharePoint library.

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Checking in files to a SharePoint document library

To check in files currently checked out to you via the SharePoint Files tool:

1. Select the file or files you want to check in.

2. On the Home tab, click Check In, and then click Check In to SharePoint.

   The Check In to SharePoint dialog box displays and prompts you to describe the changes to the listed file. If you selected multiple files for checking in, the dialog box lists the first selected file, and then redisplays for each subsequent file after you click OK. As all selected files are checked in, all updates are sent to the SharePoint document library.

Alternatively, you can check in all files that are currently checked out: On the Home tab, click Check In, and then click Check In All My Check Outs.

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Discarding a checkout

Discarding a checkout removes the lock on the file on the SharePoint site, and overwrites it with the most current version from the SharePoint site.

To discard a checkout for files currently checked out to you via the SharePoint Files tool:

1. Select the file or files for which you want to discard a checkout.

2. On the Home tab, click Discard Check Out, and then click Discard Checkout from SharePoint.

Alternatively, to discard the check out on all currently checked out files: On the Home tab, click Discard Check Out, and then click Discard All My Check Outs.

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