In ContactsLaw, opening a document for editing is an activity (in the same vein as any other billable activity). Starting the activity opens the version-controlled document and records the time spent editing using a journal.
 
Document editing is an open-ended activity, so the journal must be manually stopped when the activity is finished. The edited document is not automatically checked-in by ContactsLaw; this is usually performed within the application that is used to edit the document.

Documents are automatically checked out of the document library by ContactsLaw when you start the editing document activity.

 

If the document is in a Microsoft Office format (such as .docx, .xls, etc), control will be passed to the relevant application; you will then edit the document on the server. For documents which open in editors that do not provide special support for SharePoint, ContactsLaw will save a local copy of the document for editing.

 

In either of the above cases, it is important that you do not rename or save another copy of the document you are editing; otherwise your changes will not be visible to other members.

If you are working with a server copy of the document (i.e. using the Microsoft Office suite of products), your changes will be saved on the server as a new version. Other users will not be able to see your changes until you check in, which can be done from within the editor, as you close it or, as a last resort, from ContactsLaw. The main advantage of working with a server copy of the document is that you can access your changes from any computer.

 

If you are working with a local copy of the document, changes will be saved on your computer only. The editor will not prompt you to check your changes in when you save or close. You must remember to check the document in via ContactsLaw; at which point, the server copy will be updated and the local copy removed.