Version Editor

The version editor is the primary workspace for building and refining template versions. It provides a multi-panel interface for managing steps, variables, notes, team assignments, and version history.

Accessing the version editor

1. Navigate to Templates and click on a template card.
2. On the template detail page, locate the version you want to edit.
3. Click the Edit button on a draft version, or click View on a published version.

Note

Only Draft versions can be edited. Published and approved versions are locked and read-only. To make changes to a published version, create a new draft based on it.

Editor layout

The version editor uses a resizable, multi-panel layout:

• Left panel — Step tree: A hierarchical, drag-and-drop tree of all steps in the version. Click any step to select it.
• Right panel — Step details: Shows the content and settings for the currently selected step.
• Tab bar: Switches between different views: Steps, Variables, Notes, Team, and History.

Resizable panels

The panels can be resized by dragging the separator between them. This lets you adjust the workspace to focus on step navigation or step content as needed.

Working with steps

Adding a step

1. Click the Add Step button in the toolbar above the step tree.
2. A new step is created at the bottom of the tree (or as a child of the currently selected step, depending on context).
3. Enter a title for the step.
4. Write instructions using the rich text editor.

Editing step content

Select a step in the tree to open it in the details panel. The step editor provides:

• Title — A short identifier for the step.
• Rich text editor — A full-featured TipTap editor for writing step instructions. Supports bold, italic, headings, lists, code blocks, links, tables, and more.
• Notes — Private notes visible only in the editor (not shown during execution preview).

Deleting a step

Select a step and use the delete option from the step context menu. Steps are soft-deleted (retained for history purposes) but no longer appear in the active step tree.

Caution

Deleting a step removes it and all its child steps. This action cannot be undone within the current editing session, but history tracking preserves the record of deleted steps.

Reordering steps with drag and drop

Drag steps in the tree to reorder them or change their nesting level:

• Move within the same level — Drag a step above or below its siblings to change the execution order.
• Nest under a parent — Drag a step onto another step to make it a child (creating a hierarchical group).
• Un-nest — Drag a child step out of its parent to promote it to a higher level.

The step tree updates in real-time as you drag. Changes are saved automatically.

Step settings

Each step has configurable settings that control execution behavior:

Setting	Description	Default
Skippable	Whether executors can skip this step during an instance	No
Skip Requires Comment	If skippable, whether a reason must be provided	No
Requires Evidence	Whether file attachment is required when completing the step	No
Auto-Complete	Whether a parent step auto-completes when all children finish	Yes
Estimated Duration	Expected time to complete the step	None
Contact Person	A user who can be contacted for help with this step	None
Required Role	A role requirement for who should execute this step	None

Execution mode

Steps can be configured with one of two execution modes:

• Sequential (default) — Child steps must be executed in order, one after another.
• Parallel — Child steps can be executed in any order simultaneously.

This setting applies to parent steps and determines how their children are presented during instance execution.

Responsibility assignment

Each step can define who is responsible for executing it:

• All Team Members (default) — Any active executor on the team can execute this step.
• Specific Members — Only designated users or groups can execute this step. Select specific team members from the version’s team roster.
• Unassigned — No one is assigned. The instance cannot transition to “Planned” status if any step remains unassigned.

Working with variables

Switch to the Variables tab to manage template variables. Variables are placeholders that get filled with actual values when an instance is created.

Adding a variable

1. Click the Variables tab in the editor.
2. Click Add Variable.
3. Enter a name (used as the placeholder, e.g., ServerName).
4. Select a data type and configure additional settings.
5. Click Save.

See Steps & Variables for detailed information about variable types and usage.

Syncing variables

Click Sync Variables to scan all step content for {{VariableName}} patterns and automatically create variables for any that are referenced but not yet defined.

Version tags

Version tags provide additional metadata for organizing and identifying versions. Tags can be added or removed from the version editor toolbar.

1. Click the tag icon in the toolbar.
2. Enter a tag name and press Enter.
3. Tags appear as chips. Click the delete icon to remove a tag.

Draft title

Each draft version can have an optional Draft Title (up to 100 characters) to help distinguish it from other drafts. This is useful when multiple drafts exist simultaneously.

Version actions

The version editor toolbar provides several actions:

Action	Description
Publish	Lock the version and assign a version number. See Publish & Approve.
Create Draft	Create a new draft based on the current version.
Compare	Compare this version with another. See Compare Versions.
Create Instance	Create a new instance directly from this version (if approved).
History	View the change history for this version. See History.
Export PDF	Generate a PDF export of the version content.
Export JSON	Download the version data as JSON.

Copy and paste steps

Steps can be copied and pasted between versions and even between templates:

1. Right-click a step (or select from the context menu) and choose Copy.
2. Navigate to the target version.
3. Use the Paste action to insert the copied steps.

The clipboard supports copying individual steps as well as step hierarchies (parent with all children).

Real-time collaboration

The version editor supports real-time collaboration features:

• Field locks — When another user is editing a field, it shows a lock icon with their name. You cannot edit a locked field until the other user releases it.
• Field presence — See which fields other users are currently viewing or editing.
• Cursor tracking — Visual indicators show where other users are working in the editor.

Tip

Changes made by other users appear in real-time via SignalR. You do not need to refresh the page to see updates.

Related topics

Steps & Variables Detailed guide to step hierarchies, variables, and content authoring

Publish & Approve Publishing and approval workflow

Team Managing team members for a template version