FILES Module - For Administrators

[Ianaconi]

Hey guys!

The way the file module is setup only the user who did the CHECKOUT can CHECKIN the file again.

Is it possible to make it so the administrator can CHECKIN any file?

[MerlinYoda]

The code could be changed to allow an administrator to check in a file in place of a user, but I would generally advise against it as if a person checked something out they probably don't want anyone else changing for a good reason and dP is designed as such for this purpose.

Example case where the current set-up is *good*:

- Amy checks out a file that needs some heavy revision and needs most of the day to work on it.
- Bob needs to make some small changes to the same file, but sees that Amy has it checked out.
- Bob continues to occasionally check on the status of the file (over the period of an hour perhaps)
- Impatient (and not thinking) Bob calls up Carl, the new local dP Administrator, (rather that Amy) and asks if Carl can undo the checkout that Amy has done as she is "hogging the file".
- Carl, wanting to please a seemingly aggravated Bob, attempts to undo Amy's checkout but finds he cannot. Carl suggest calling Amy
- Bob (as he should have before) calls Amy and asks her to check back in the file
- Amy explains to Bob the amount of changes she needs to make.
- Bob mentions the changes he needs to make.
- Amy makes the changes for Bob (or perhaps mentions she is already making those changes)
- Problem solved.


Granted the situation could be reversed, but in that case the small changes may have been made and the one who checked it out may have just forgotten to check the file back in and as such the call would have been a prompt to check in the work already done

If you *absolutely* have to undo the check-in, you can't simply contact the person and ask that they check their file back in, and you don't feel adventurous enough to change the code, then you have a couple options.

If you have access to the dP database you could clear the "check out" field of that particular file's record in the files table. It will then appear as if the last checkout never occurred.

Failing that, you could go in as Administrator, change their password, log-in as them and check-in a copy of the file that was already there. If the account is still in use then you probably should inform them that you had to change their password to whatever for this reason.