Check Out/In Content

Managing the PCC Website requires the help of many content contributors. Often times, there will be multiple contributors responsible for updating the content for a set of pages. In order to prevent multiple contributors from working on the content at the same time and overriding each other’s changes, we have the “Check Out/Check In” system.

Quick Links

 

Check Out

In order to edit anything on the website, you must check out the page. Once you have checked out a page, no other users can enter the page and make changes until the file has been checked back in.

Learn How to Check Out Content 

Check In

Once you are finished making updates to a page, you will check the file in. By doing so, you allow anyone else with access to those pages to check it out and make work on the files.

Learn How to Check In Content 

The Check Out/In Icons 

The checked out/in icon is represented by a light bulb and reflects the state of an Modern Campus CMS page or file. 

Unlit bulb incon in OU Campus

An unlit light bulb indicates that the page is checked in and can be checked out for editing by any user with the proper permissions.

Lit bulb incon in OU Campus

A lit light bulb indicates that the page is checked out to you (the individual currently logged into Modern Campus CMS).

Padlock icon in OU Campus

A red lock indicates that the page is checked out to another user. You can hover over the lock to see who has checked out the page.

How to Check Out a File

In order to edit a page or file, you must check it out. You can check out and check in pages in the following ways:

In the Page Edit View

  1. Enter the Page Edit View for the page you wish to edit
  2. Click on the light bulb icon in the Page Actions Toolbar
  3. The light bulb will turn yellow and the page will now be checked out to you.

In the Content Page List Area

  1. Login to Modern Campus CMS
  2. Hover over Content from the primary navigation and click on Pages.
  3. Navigate through the Folder Structure to find the file you wish to edit
  4. Located to the right of the file name, under the “Status” column, you will see the light bulb icon.
  5. Click the light bulb icon to check cut the file. The light bulb will turn yellow and the page will now be checked out to you.

In the File Navigation Sidebar

  1. Login to Modern Campus CMS
  2. Locate the File Navigation Sidebar on the left of the screen. If the sidebar is collapsed, you will instead see a yellow file folder icon. Click on the icon to expand the sidebar.
  3. Navigate through the Folder Structure to find the file you wish to edit
  4. Located to the right of the file name, under the “Status” column, you will see the light bulb icon.
  5. Click the light bulb icon to check out the file. The light bulb will turn yellow and the page will now be checked out to you.

*When checking out content, if a file is checked out by another user, you will not see a light bulb icon. Instead you will see a red padlock icon and will not be able to check out the content.

How to Check In a File

Once you are done editing a page, you must check it back in. This is very important to do so the page can be made available to other users.

You can check in a page in the following ways:

Submit the Page for Approval

When a page is submitted for an approval, the page will automatically be checked out to the approver. The Pending Approval status will show in both the user and approver's Workflow. No other action is needed.

Click on the lit (yellow) light bulb

If you have a page checked out to you, the light bulb icon will be lit (yellow). You can check the content back in by clicking on the lit light bulb icon. Doing so will dim the light bulb icon (black outline) and check the page back in.

You can find the light bulb icon in the following places:

  1. When in Edit View for a page you are working on. The icon is located in the Page Actions Toolbar.
  2. In the Page List Area you can see the lit light bulb icon to the right of the file name.

  3. In the File Navigation Sidebar. You can see the lit light bulb icon to the left of the file name.

Dashboard: My Checked Out Content

  1. From your Modern Campus CMS Dashboard, you will see an area called “My Checked Out Content”. This will list any files that you currently have checked out.
  2. To Check In the file, click the lit light bulb icon to the left of the file name.
  3. Once you check in the file, the file name will disappear from the list.

  4. If you do not have any files currently checked out, the list will be empty.

Gadget: My Checked Out Content

  1. Find your Gadgets sidebar on the right of Modern Campus CMS.
  2. If the Gadgets icon is collapsed, click the “Show Gadgets” icon (a plug) to expand the menu.
  3. Find the “My Checked Out Content” gadget from the list. Click the caret icon to expand the gadget.
  4. This gadget will show you a list of all files you currently have Checked Out.
  5. To Check In the file, click the lit light bulb icon to the left of the file name
  6. Once you check in the file, the file name will disappear from the list.

  7. If you do not have any files currently checked out, the list in the gadget will be empty.

What to do if a File is Checked out by Someone Else

If the page you are trying to edit is checked out by another user, you will not be able to edit the page until they check it in. This is to prevent users from editing pages at the same time and overriding each other’s changes.

  • When you go to a page that is checked out, you will see a red padlock icon and will not be able to check out the content.
  • Hover your mouse over the red padlock to see the name of the user that has the content checked out.
  • Using the Modern Campus CMS Inbox, send the user a message to ask them to check in the page if they are completed with their edits.

Next Up: 4.4 - WYSIWYG Toolbar