Version Control

Version control is a way to see the history of a page's content. Each time you activate (publish) a page, a version of the content contained in that page is created. Each subsequent change you make to the page's content creates a new version when the page is activated.  You can also explicitly create a version of a page before it is activated (see instructions below).

Note: Due to the permissions change with the CMS Upgrade to CQ5.4, unless the user has permissions to make changes to the parent page, he or she cannot restore versions of the child page.

The log of previous page versions may be used to restore the content on a page that was inadvertently changed in error.

Note: Once a page is deleted, no versions of it remain.

To view the version logs, you'll need to be in page Edit mode.  Select the Versioning tab of the Sidekick (the tab with the clock icon).  By default, the Create Version option is expanded.

Note: Only 140 versions per page for a maximum of 14 months will be allowed. Versions exceeding these criteria will be deleted in order to maintain system performance.

Create a Page Version

Each time you activate a page, a version of the content contained in that page is created.  However, you can also explicitly create a version of a page before it is activated. To create a version of the page:

1. In the Sidekick, select the Versioning tab (the tab with the clock icon).  By default, the Create Version option is expanded.

2. Type in a comment to specify the nature of the page content (for example, "Content, no images").

3. Click the Create Version button.  The page content will be saved as a version. 

View Page Versions

In the Sidekick, by default, the Create Version option is expanded. Expand the Restore Version option by clicking on the plus (+) sign. If you've never activated the page, the version log is empty.  However, if you've recently activated the page, you'll see the first version (labeled 1.0) in the list.

Each subsequent change you make to the page creates a new version when the page is activated. The label will increment as the version numbers increase (e.g., version 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc).

Restoring Previous Page Version

If you've made a change to your page and you want to return to an earlier state of the page (perhaps you accidentally removed a component or deleted text), you can restore a previous version of the page's content by doing the following:

1. In the left-hand Navigation pane, click to highlight the parent page (the root) of the child page you want to restore.
2. In the right-hand Details pane, click on the page.
3. From the Tools menu, select the option for Restore, then choose the option for Restore Version.... A dialog window will open.
4. All versions of the selected page will be listed in the dialog box. Choose the most appropriate version by putting checkmark in the box next to the version.
5. Click Restore. You will be asked to confirm your action.
6. Double-click on the page name to view the restored version.

You may also perform the page restoration while in page Edit mode:

1. Select the Versioning tab of the Sidekick.
2. Expand the Restore Version menu by clicking the +. You will see all versions of the page listed.
3. To see the differences in the various versions of your activated pages, put a checkmark in the box of the page you wish to see and then click the Diff button. Deleted text is displayed with strikethroughs and recently added text is displayed underlined. Click the Back button to return to the version list.
4. To restore a previous version, put a checkmark in the box of the page you wish to restore and clicking the Restore button. You will be asked to confirm your action.