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# Check out and check in items

Check out an item revision when you want to change it. To discard your changes, undo a check out. To update Dimensions CM with your changes, check in the item revision.

In this topic:

## Check out an item

When you check out an item, the item revision is copied to your work area and locked in Dimensions CM so no one else can modify it.

Limitations:

- Your process model may require you to relate an item to a request when you check it out.

- This operation is not available for items in a stream.

- In Windows, the maximum supported length of file path for a checked out file is 260 characters.

- You cannot check out an item in response to a request if the request is above the initial stage in the Global Stage Lifecycle.

PRIVILEGES: Revise Item Content.

To check out an item:

1. In the My Current Project tab or Items tab, in the navigation pane, select the project folder in which the items are located.

2. To check out copies of individual items, select one or more items.

   To check out the entire project folder, do not select any items.

3. Click the Check Out button.

4. If you selected a single item: For Check out to location, enter the full path of the file in your work area to which you want the file to be copied, or use the browse button to select it.

   If you selected multiple items or a project folder: For Check out to folder or Check out contents of <name>, enter the full path of the folder in your work area to which you want the file or folder to be checked out, or use the browse button to select it.

5. If writeable workfile exists, select overwrite if you want existing files to be overwritten by the file from the repository.

6. For Branch, accept or select a branch.

7. If required, for Relate to requests, enter the name of the related request, or browse to find the request.

8. If you have selected a project folder and you want to check out its subfolders, select Include subdirectories of <name>.

9. For Dimensions CM to expand item header substitution variables, select Expand substitution variables. Note that this will occur only if Enable item header substitution is set for the item type in the Administration Console. Also, you should specify reversible substitution variables to prevent the variables from being overwritten by the expanded values when the items are delivered back to the repository.

10. If you do not want Dimensions CM to write metadata to the work area for the copied files/folders, clearWrite metadata.

11. Click OK.

In the content pane, the icon changes indicating the checked out item revision.

Note: The Status column is set to $TO_BE_DEFINED, which means that the status of the newly created item revision has not yet been set. It will be set to a definite value in the Check In dialog box when the item revision is checked back in.

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## Undo an item checkout

To discard the changes you made to a checked out item revision, undo a checkout.

When you undo a checkout, the item remains unchanged in Dimensions CM.

Limitations:

This operation is not available for items in a stream.

PRIVILEGES: Revise Item Content.

To undo an item check out:

1. In the My Current Project tab or Items tab, select one or more checked out item revisions.

2. Click the Undo Check Out button.

3. Click OK.

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## Check in an item

Check in an item revision when you edited it and want to update Dimensions CM with the changes.

Limitations:

This operation is not available for items in a stream.

PRIVILEGES: Revise Item Content.

To check in an item:

1. In the My Current Project tab or Items tab, select one or more checked out item revisions.

   If you select multiple items, you cannot change their attributes.

2. Click the Check In button.

3. For Description, enter a description of the changes you made.

4. To set attributes of a single item revision, select the Attributes tab and enter or select values.

   Required attributes are marked with a red exclamation point .

5. Click OK.

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See also:

- About editing object attributes
- Select items

https://admhelp.microfocus.com Dimensions CM 8942
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