Support has now ended for Legacy Collaborate.
To upgrade to New Collaborate, refer to Upgrading to New Collaborate.
Question
When sharing a file with a client using Collaborate, the file name has a suffix with a number, for example, Tax_Planning_Workpaper_3.xlsx.
Where did this number come from?
Answer
Collaborate uses "versioning", designed to make file names unique by adding a number to the end of the file name each time the file has been edited.
For example, if you used Co-Edit to modify a Tax Planning Workpaper with a client multiple times, the number would increase consecutively each time the file was finished Client Co-Edit mode:
- Tax_Planning_Workpaper.xlsx
- Tax_Planning_Workpaper_1.xlsx
- Tax_Planning_Workpaper_2.xlsx
- Tax_Planning_Workpaper_3.xlsx
Versioning ensures that each file is unique, and that correct permissions are applied to ensure only authorised clients and users can access the file. It also avoids any risk of caching issues caused by files sharing the same file name.
The first time the file is created there is no number. After each edit from that point on, FYI will automatically generate a number at the end of the file name (the number format used cannot be customised or modified).
Note: Changing the file name manually will impact the ability of clients to access the file.