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Creating new versions or branches of objects

You can create a new version of an existing object, or branch an object.

About this task

You can create versions and branches of objects by opening the Browse Repository window.

Procedure

  • Create a new version.

    A version is a specific iteration of an object (such as a topic, map, or image). In general, you create new versions when you need to maintain the old content for publishing, such as to for older product versions that are still supported and maintained. When an object has a "Released" status, you are required to create a new version before you can make further modifications.

  • Create a branch.

    In addition to linear version numbering, you can branch objects from the main version tree. For example, if someone finds errors in a publication that has already been released, you can branch it and correct the branch. This allows users to continue working on the latest version of the topic while you make corrections to the older, branched content.

What to do next

When you create a new version of an object from the Browse Repository window, you do so outside of any specific publication context. The new object version will not be referenced in any publication version even if the object is used in the publication.

To use the new version in other publications or different versions of the same publication, you must use Publication Manager to update the individual publication baselines. For example, if you create a new version of a topic that is used across multiple publication versions, and you want that new topic version to be used in several of the publication versions, then you need to individually open the each publication version in Publication Manager and select the new topic version in the baseline.