AX3910
Managing locked items
When users open files and tables in Axiom Software with read/write permissions, the item becomes "locked" to that user. Administrators can use Manage Locked Items to view a list of locked files and tables, and to remove locks if necessary.
How items become locked
When a user opens a file with read/write permissions, the file in the database is locked to prevent other users from making changes to the file. If a different, non-admin user attempts to open the file with read/write permissions, that user is informed that the file is locked and can open the file as read-only. The lock is removed when the locking user closes the file.
Tables become locked when a user opens the table with read/write permissions using Open Table in Spreadsheet. The table remains locked until the user closes the spreadsheet. All other operations that modify tables lock the table immediately prior to the save, and release the lock immediately afterward, so the tables do not become listed as locked items.
Situations may occur where a file or a table remains locked to a user unintentionally. For example, the user may have exited Axiom Software improperly or experienced a system crash, therefore preventing the lock from being removed as part of the normal application closing processes. In these situations, administrators can remove the lock so that the file or table can be edited again by other users.
NOTES:
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If a file remains locked to a user who is not currently accessing the document, that user can re-acquire the lock by opening the file again. If the user exits the file normally, the lock is then released. It is only necessary for an administrator to break a lock if a different user needs to gain access to the file.
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Files and tables are not locked if a user opens them as read-only. This includes Axiom forms, which are always opened as read-only. Alternatively, Axiom forms can use the data context feature in order to lock the ability to save data from the read-only file. These "save locks" are managed separately from regular locked items and do not display in the Manage Locked Items dialog. If you need to view or break a save lock, use the Save Lock Administration page in the System Administration section of the Web Client.
Viewing locked items and removing locks
Only administrators, subsystem administrators, and users with the Administer Locked Items security permission can remove locks on items. Users with the Administer Locked Items security permission are limited to managing locks on items that they have some level of access to. Subsystem administrators also have this limitation, plus they are limited to managing locks held by users in their subsystem.
To view locked items:
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On the Axiom tab, in the Administration group, click Manage > Locked Items.
NOTE: In systems with installed products, this feature may be located on the Admin tab. In the System Management group, click Locked Items.
The Axiom Explorer: Locked Items dialog opens. This dialog lists all currently locked files and tables. The following information is provided:
- The name of the item
- Whether the item is a document or a table
- The user who locked the item
- The date the item was locked
If necessary, you can remove the lock on a file or table. To do so:
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Select one or more items in the list, and then click Break Selected Locks.
You are prompted to confirm that you want to remove the lock. If you click Yes, the lock is removed from the item, and any user with the appropriate rights can open the item as read/write.
IMPORTANT: If the user is actually in the document when you break the lock, then that user may not be able to save their changes. If the document does not become locked to any other user in the meantime, then when the original user clicks Save they will re-acquire the lock and can save their changes. However, if another user has locked the file, then the original user will be unable to save.
TIP: You can also break locks as you are browsing in Axiom Explorer, by using the right-click context menu on a locked item.
