Correct use of Backup Files when Worksharing

[luke.s.johnson]

Something bad happened yesterday. This was the Scenario:
User A and User B are working on the Central File. At 2.45 pm, User A uses 'Select All Instances' and deletes about 370 filled regions from the project (mistakenly thinking that he was deleting them only from the active view). At about 4 pm, User A tells User B (me) of the problem. Both have synchronized after the problem occurred, so all three current copies (User As, User Bs and the Central) all show the regions as deleted.

But wait, there are backups! There are backups (using the Revit backup feature) of all 3 of these file instances. But how can we revert User As local file to 2.45 pm and reinstate all the filled regions, while still keeping the work that User B did after 2.45?

After some investigation, I felt that it would be easier to simply roll back the Central to 2.45 pm, and re-do the work that we both did after 2.45 (obviously we could copy from our more 'recent' local files to the actual 'current' local files created from the now-rolled-back Central.

Was there another option, or did I do the right thing?

Thanks for your help.

[patricks]

You could have had user A roll back his local file to the version before 2:45 pm, opened the Central file alongside, and then copy/pasted the items from his rolled back file into the Central File.

I think.

Then save the Central file and close, discard that rolled-back file and have everyone create new local files from the Central file.

And remind everyone to ALWAYS look at the number of objects selected at the lower right when using Select All Instances, and of course that it gets more than just what's in the current view.

Note that Select All Instances does not pick up anything in Legend views. Legend components, drafting lines, dimensions, anything. For what reason, who knows.

[cliff collins]

Another way might be to see if your server has "shadow copies" set up;
if so, you can go to the folder where the central file is located and select the "previous versions" tab--which should show a list of versions of the file throughout the day.

You could identify the file which was closest to 2:45 ( 3:00?) and open it; see if the filled regions are still there. Then copy them back into a more current version.

cheers................

[luke.s.johnson]

Could the 370 filled regions in different views all be copy/pasted in one operation?

[cliff collins]

You could try "select all instances"--copy to clipboard, and then "paste aligned"
into the other project?

Should work--esp. if you have enough RAM.

If not, try several copy/paste operations.

cheers......